Has anyone got an easy solution for stopping further progression of rust and minor rot in the jack points?

How about zinc chromate, or zinc rich coatings?

Of course you could spend several grand to have a body shop replace metal, but not everyone can afford this type repair. If the issue isn't or hasn't become a structural problem yet, can we do something to offset, or even eliminate further rusting?

Any comments, suggestions, methods of repair????????

You can sand down all the rust down to bare metal, then seal with POR-15. The only probem with that would be the lack of metal (holes) if the rust is bad.

__________________
Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section

Grind it down to nice shiny new metal and paint with a good oil based paint. Fill any holes with a good marine filler, Marine Tex works well. Bondo should be avoided.

After the jack points are all cleaned up just spray them off in the winter and keep an eye on them. A little axle grease inside helps keep the rust away to.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Use the wire brush dremel attachment (or some other small wire brush) to take off all the crumbly surface rust (but don't worry about getting down to clean metal, POR-15 bonds better to some rust, as long as its not crumbly rust).

Then use POR-15 on a little sponge, that way you can stick it up into the hole and work it around for complete coverage. Those foam-style paint brushes would probably do the job if it was a nice small one.

After a few coats of POR-15 it might be worth spraying on a thin coat of rubberized undercoating, just for abrasion protection from the jack. After that just keep it clean and keep your eye on it to make sure the POR-15 has adhered well (though it doesn't have a reputation for chipping, the stuff is incredibly strong).

Also, after coating the metal with POR-15 you could move on to a structural filler (not bondo) if you need to fill in a few places, maybe that Marine Tex that hattie recommended. With the metal protected, you can put on just about anything on top.

If you take care of it before it becomes structural, you are just fine. If it has begun to affect the strength of the metal.. Well.. I'm sure not where you'd go next.

Quicky POR-15 how-to: http://www.flexistentialist.org/archives/2005/02/09/rust_control_wit.shtml

peace,
sam

__________________
"That f***in' biodiesel is makin' me hungry."

1982 300TD Astral Silver w/ 250k (BIO BNZ)
2001 Aprilia SR50 Corsa Red w/ 5.5k (>100 MPG)

I will also add that you DO want to wear disposible gloves.....you do not want this on your skin because it does not come off untill your skin does.

Take my word on that. I am speaking from personal experience when I rebuilt my truck.........I went through a gallon of the stuff.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

I like the idea that POR-15 absorbs the moisture in the metal to facilitate curing and then seals off the metal from moisture entering again.

My 87 300D has rust at all four jack points and two years ago I sand blasted all rust, heated the metal, then applied West epoxy to seal. But I can see now that this effort has failed and the rust lives below the surface. It's like cancer, so I thought I'd resolved the progression, but not so.

I'll try the POR 15 and look in a couple of years to see if it worked. I think I'll try one jack port with a zinc rich paint I've bought recently and see how that holds up as well. So far, only one jack port has rot holes around it and is still structurally strong enough to bare the weight, but is border line! As mechanically sound and clean and wonderful as my 300D is, it has no value in a resale other than it's componant parts sold as salvage, or salvage value.
Who would want a car with rusted jack ports? If I can slow, or stop, the progression of rust, this car has value to me, and I will drive it for as long as I can, then junk it!

Yes, good advice!

__________________
"That f***in' biodiesel is makin' me hungry."

1982 300TD Astral Silver w/ 250k (BIO BNZ)
2001 Aprilia SR50 Corsa Red w/ 5.5k (>100 MPG)

I had rust and daylight around the right front jack port. Used POR 15 as described above and welded a solid overlay of rocker panel from a junked body (obtained from Brian Toscano-thanks). It extends above/below the jack port about 2", and foreward/back from it about 6". The new overlay is welded to the outside of the hollow rod jack port and all around its periphery. Only ground the welds smooth-no body filler. Finished with off the shelf shaker can rocker panel paint. Repair not obvious unless you know its there. Have jacked the car using both the port and the pad beneath without problems, so the fix is also structural.

Your mistake was you used West Sytems. Did you paint the metal first? Epoxy is not water proof it does and will soak up water.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Where can you get the rubberized grey paint to match the areas around the jack holes?

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Obtained "Rocker Panel Paint" from local auto paint shop called General Parts. Was available in a few colors to match. Several coats give the pebbley surface that matched original color and texture. I don't think it is a rubberized product.

It's certainly different than what you find on the body panels and it seemed to have a rubbery feeling to it when I peeled off some of the loose areas.

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

No, I put the epoxy directly on the bare metal. I agree now that it was a mistake and will buy some of this POR 15 and do as directed.

Froghunter's welding brought to my mind something I had to find out the hard way, many years ago, I bought an 84 Volvo turbo wagon from up in Massachusetts. The car was in very good condition and was priced average for that car at that time used. When I drove it back to Connecticut, where I lived at that time, I went to the DMV to get it registered. I had not noticed that on the Massachusetts title it had listed on it as "Salvage"!!!!

Connecticut DMV put this car through an unbelieveable inspection proccess that also included running the car to full speed and slamming on the brakes and then more inspecting. To make this short, I remember them looking the car over for welded panels. They told me that any panels replaced could only be "spot welded" In the end, they could not find any faults with the car and allowed it registerable.

When was the car inspected? This must have been years ago. As far as I know the CT DMV hasn't done inspections in years. I remember those days now anything goes.

My dad took his boat trailer in on one of the last years (2000 maybe?) and they just looked at it and sed yep it passes.


If you want to learn how to weld this would be a good place to start!

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I am intending to weld new steel in to patch around the jack points. Should I use por15 inside before welding to cover rust that's inside and to absorb moisture? Fortunately, I won't have to weld much, and only on one jack point, but wondered about what I'm covering with the new steel.

DS
87 300D
01 Dakota
Northern Iowa