Rust control

owains

owains

owains

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16 Jan 2004
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231
My Renault 5 has been slowly rotting for some time now. I wasn't sure if it would pass it's MOT, but as it has, I'd like to have a go at treating it. Here are some pics of the damage...


Side sill


Wheel arch


Front wing


From the inside



When I spoke to my mechanic about it, he said that if I wanted to treat it properly it'd involve a fair amount of sanding/cutting/welding. I'd love to have a go at this myself, but as I don't have any welding equipment it isn't really an option. The chap said I'd be looking at a good amount of money to get the job done professionally... which is probably more than the car itself is worth!

As a temporary measure to try and slow down the rot, I was told I could just coat the surface with some oil using an old rag. So, I'm wondering if anyone has had any success using this oil coating method? Would it be better to have a go at using some specialist rust treatment paint (such as Kurust) with minimal surface prepartion?

If I wanted to give the job a proper go myself, would it be possible to use some fibreglass kit (like this)?


Any advice or comments welcome! Thanks!
 
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Lifes too short to wait for those pictures to load.

For DIY rust patch removal, like the area on your sill, I use a Dremel to sand it off down to the metal then repaint.

For the odd pin ***** sized area I use the stuff that eats the rust away then you just wash it off, its not kurust, but something else, then use a touch up stick.

To be honest, the only way to sort rust is to sand it away or cut it out and replace and repaint properly.
 
Just keep touching it up if you are bothered about the aesthetics, if not I wouldnt bother - as thin as Renault bodywork is, it's unlikey to become a deathtrap anytime soon (or before the mechanics give up). Unless ofcourse its has structural rust, that is a different case altogether.

I'm yet to see any of the rust curing products (e.g. Rust Doctor) actually work.

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If its not on the structure of the car just cut it out and fill it up with fiberglass putty. Easyest and quickest way :cool:


I did this with old krusty, Exept i didnt cut it, I smaked it out with a hammer then used a wire brush to get the rest off.

Then fibreglassed it and then went to the shed and found some almost maching house paint and painted it with a brush :p
 
Bilt Hamber is the best "rust killing" formula I have used, though Jenolite seems quite effective too.

Best way of course is cut out rotten steel and replace, but it's difficult, time consuming and expensive if you have someone else to do it.

Zip is right - fibreglass is actually quite good as a surface patch up compared to most fillers (in my experience anyway)
 
Lopéz said:
Bilt Hamber is the best "rust killing" formula I have used, though Jenolite seems quite effective too.

Best way of course is cut out rotten steel and replace, but it's difficult, time consuming and expensive if you have someone else to do it.

Zip is right - fibreglass is actually quite good as a surface patch up compared to most fillers (in my experience anyway)
Click to expand...

How much would it cost to get some fibreglass rear arches/sills made for an mx5, or any older car for that matter?

£200-300 + fitting?
 
Thanks for the tips chaps. It sounds as though there's no real point going half way... either leave it be, or give it some proper attention. Right?!

Well if I do decide to get cutting I guess I'd have to go the fibreglass route, as I have no welding experience or equipment. A couple of you mentioned fibreglass putty; can you recommend a specific product that you have used and had success with? Also, I can foresee some fairly large holes forming when attacking some of that rust... would I use some sort of mesh backing to support the putty? Or would it be better to use fibreglass sheet in that situation?

Thanks again!
 
My ZX (Unusually for one those) had just started to bubble under both sills. We were going to grind it all off and body shutz them but never did because i bought the volvo instead :D

On your sills i'd do just that and on the wheel arch. The wing wants filling. If it's passed an MOT it shouldn't need welding.

Don't buy glass from halfords, go to a specialist company it'll be a quarter of the price. Polyfibre are a good bet.
 
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The Edge said:
My ZX (Unusually for one those) had just started to bubble under both sills. We were going to grind it all off and body shutz them but never did because i bought the volvo instead :D

On your sills i'd do just that and on the wheel arch. The wing wants filling. If it's passed an MOT it shouldn't need welding.

Don't buy glass from halfords, go to a specialist company it'll be a quarter of the price. Polyfibre are a good bet.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. Is Polyfibre the kind of stuff I'll be able to get at my local hobby/craft shop you think?
 
Just been doing a bit of rust control on my car today. All the seam sealer on the bottoms of my doors has gone and the sealer is falling off.

Ive removed all the old sealer and sanded the rust down to bare metal, then given it a couple of coats of rust converter. Then sprayed some rust cure primer on and finally renewed the sealer.

I'll need to wait for some better weather to respray the area with black paint and clear coat but at least this will stop it getting any worse for now.
 
Polyfibre are a supplier of glass and resin. They are significantly cheaper than halfords :) Carbonolgy.com are a good bet too.
 
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