i think it comes down to how a forum is setup

some forums are a one shot deal, no changes

others allow changes for a defined period, say like a day or two

pretty sure i've also seen changes that are always allowed

I got the car back last Fall. All the major work is complete. Shop did a great job for a reasonable price. I just have a few small items to fix. I still want to paint the inside of the fenders, paint the floor pans, install sound proofing etc

We have been down in USA for winter, so my part of work will get done in Spring.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

What was the final cost for all the welding?

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1982 300CD Petrol/Black Leather

Don't have records here with me, but I think it was about $2400 including taxes.

Graham

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

my wife thinks im crazy for saving those empty cereal boxes.great for templates though

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michael cole 1980 300SD gone now but not forgotten,87tdt,90 300te 4matic 95 e320 wagon

Well I hope you break the glued edge and fold them up!

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

nice and relatively inexpensive restoral.what type of coating was sprayed on there?

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michael cole 1980 300SD gone now but not forgotten,87tdt,90 300te 4matic 95 e320 wagon

This is what he put on the site:
"We fabricated all of the patches needed from scratch. After all of the welding was completed, we applied a rust treatment paint before applying two coats of commercial grade rocker guard material."

The rust treatment paint was a POR equivalent ( 1-part polyurethane) that is sold in Canadian NAPA stores. (Cheaper than POR) The Rocker Guard was a product also from NAPA.

I have a supply of POR-15, so that is what I will use on floorpans.

Still thinking about what to use on cavities inside of rocker panels. Thinking of spraying in Penetrol so it will penetrate crevices and harden. Then spray in a 50/50 mixture of Penetrol and Tremclad (Canadian version of Rustoleum). Will need some type of wand to get in there.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

I am slowly completing the rust repairs on my 85 300D. The major welding was described earlier. I am attending to smaller areas and it seems I keep finding more

One I found, was right under the accelerator pedal mount. The tab had previously come off and I had bolted it through the floor as temporary fix.
Too bad I hadn't got this welded, but my car is not driveable at present (interior stripped), so I decided on a POR assisted repair. There is a depressio where the tab fits and all that was really left was some rust and some undercoating.

What I did, was make up an inner and an outer patch plate out of galvanized sheet metal. I applied two layers of glass cloth to one side of each using POR15 as the binder. Before POR had cured, I first attached one plate under the car, then filled the hole with more POR soaked fibreglass. Then set upper plate in place and pop-riveted the two together to form a sandwich! I drilled a hole through the center and bolted the tab in place using a short 3/8" S/S bolt. Sealed around bolt. Needs some seam sealer around edges and underside needs one more coat of POR and then some undercoating.

Not pretty, but seems pretty solid!

Attached Thumbnails

   

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

While working on some rust in a seam on cabin wall inside driver side fender, I noticed that I could see daylight through where the fender attached and up around the A-Pillar. These fenders were installed about 7 years ago (by Maaco), but it seems they didn't seal the fenders to the body.

I can probably seal the vertical seam with seam sealer, but how does the fender seal to the A-Pillar (see pics below)

Another question: On either side on the side walls of the footwells, there is a pocket formed into wall (See pic below) These pockets had both collected moisture and rusted (due to seams higher up leaking). Anyone know what the purpose of those pockets is? I am thinking about either filling them or at least drilling some drainage holes after coating with POR. In pic you can see the metal that was welded on outside to close the opening.

Fender pics



Pocket Pic:

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

I don't think that that bit should be sealed. It is part of the gutter isn't it?

I'll go and have a look on my car to b sure though - my wings / fenders are removed (of course!).

If you start slapping sealant all over the inner wing area then you're probably going to block up the path of water coming out of the front sunroof drain. It is a strange design but the water is meant to drip between the two panels.

These pockets =>



...are made that way for ease of construction - well that's all I can think of! The lip on the cabin side of the trough is a spot welded seam where the floor pan joins. Stupid design as it is just a big bucket for a leaking windscreen seal or the weird "lets spot weld 3 bits of metal into a gutter shape" for the bonnet springs above...

The problem with drilling holes in this part is that you then provide a direct route for water to flow into the sills / rockers where there's that lovely unprotected from the inside spot welded seam between sill and floor about 30cm / one foot inboard.

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Thanks for reply Stretch.

Surprises me that water would drain into that cavity below the A-pillar. Don't see any way out at bottom. But I have splash guards out, so need to double check. The splash guards do have a drain, but that seems to come from cavity in front of windshield.

Your post made me check those cavities where the hood hinges are located. I see some rust down in there Actually, it doesn't look bad, but I will need to get the springs out of there so I can get at the rust. Any trick to that? I guess I should read the manual I have had hood off in past.

PS: Regarding drilling holes in those pockets, I was thing of drilling horizontally so if any moisture collected there, it would drain into the footwell where I would hopefully notice it.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

And two years from now we'll be reading your post on, "Replacing rusted out floor pans".

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

BTDT

If water gets in, something will rust. If it drips on my leg, I may do something about it!

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

I found the picture below of your car! It looks like the water would just run down on the front side of the reddish section where you can see the fender attachment holes. It would also run into the seam between the fender and that section where I can see daylight through.

Or perhaps the water is supposed to divert somehow at the top? Or perhaps it runs down on front side of door? (then it would presumably require sealing on inside)

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5