Au Rust Thread., Warning, Dont Look If U Cant Handle Sight Of Rust

[mik]

don`t know about the steel question , but i seem to remember Ford some years ago bragging about using high strength steel in the frame work.

[T2TICK4D]

I'm really scarred about what I'm going to find in my xr8

[Ford_The_Win]

That's appalling! I have had the rear bumper off on my 15 year old EL and not a spot of rust. Same with the EA I had once which was 18 years old at the time. What were they thinking?? Feelin for you guys..

[GUTLES]

Mine had a bit in the R/H Rear Sill Panel which I fixed a couple weeks ago.

[TheInterceptor]

Just fixed a whole bunch of rust...then i looked under the top soor seals.
Heres a sneak peak with a crappy iPod pic. ( no not too sure what those rivets were for, this is an ex RTA car so thats why its there.)


More of it along that edging, bit more in one section on the other side aswell.

Quote to fix, $700 cut n shut to bring back to factory spec hm!!

[frd906]

Havent looked in this thread in ages, still interesting in what people find

[ratticus]

Hi all, some pics rust in my wifes AU XR6......... work in progress. Have also repaired bad rust in rear right boot hinge well - nightmare but can be done - just dont set the dealer applied sealer on fire like I did ...........

Also in left bonnet strut plate in front. I have found a couple of things that work well for this type of work where you cant get in to tight spaces, but will post more on that later, since this is my first post on the forum, and I am not used to attachments etc.

Cheers,

Ratticus

[ratticus]

Dont know if anybodys watching this thread, but I will post photo updates as I go, maybe it will help someone out.........................

The rusted areas looked a lot worse than they really are, so the next step is to mig a few pieces in, rustproof it and dress it with bog and paint out.

The reason for the rust problem became fairly obvious as I was working - insufficient primer and virtually no paint on the edges of seams and panel openings. Also some of the drain holes are in places where all the water cannot drain, eg: boot lid bottom, so I will be drilling a few holes in that so it wont happen again

And of course, the panels are clearly assembled when they have only primer on them, then the body is painted with the required colour, so of course there is then only a layer of primer between the hinge and door / bonnet / boot lid............................

One has to wonder how long before panel fitting the bodies were primed?

[ratticus]

Next step, got the mig welder out, and the worlds worst welder, (that would be me.......) tack welded some gal plate in after cutting and bending to the right size and shape.

I used gal as it was all I could get from Bunnies, and I figured the gal would give a bit more protection. A word of warning here, if you are going to weld gal, get a flap wheel or wire brush for the drill or grinder and get the gal OFF the area where you will be welding, the fumes can make you as sick as a dog.

Ground back the uglies (thats wot I call my welding) and then a skim of bog, followed by a good coat of etch primer.

Tomorrow hopefully I can try out my new gravity feed spray gun without major disasters.

[Mr Hardware]

Nice writeup ratticus
I'm keen to see the finished results

[ratticus]

Thanks mate,

I have taken plenty of pics, but for some reason they wont let me attach.

Soon as I have some time I'll figure it out and get them loaded.

Ratticus

[ratticus]

Photos - left and right plated and bogged, figured out that they were too big so had to reduce the size, will repost the originals when I can work out how to edit

[ratticus]

original rust pics - resized

[ratticus]

Repairs complete.

Tools needed were: Small MIG welder, angle grinder, Dremel tool with extension shaft, (great for getting into tight spots), a small inspection mirror, compressor and spray guns.

I bought a new set of gravity feed guns for the job from Bunnings, a small touch up gun and a full size one, with pressure regulator for about $60 bucks. They worked quite well, but I found that the large one had to be modified to stop paint leaking out of the lid when tipped.

Paint is Motospray 3 coats acrylic lacquer, "oxford green" with 3 coats of clear over it. Gun pressure around 40 psi.

I also made use of "gripset" shower base sealer, which is water based and not as flammable as some of the others. Blue in colour and stands up very well to outside use, (had it on a temporary repair outside the back door in sun and rain for 12 months now - no probs), also it can be brushed on, easily duplicating the factory finish of seam sealers. It can be overpainted with acrylic after priming. Very handy and cheap.

The other thing I used as a sealer was Selleys brushable sealer, which cures like silicone, but is NOT acid cure, which means that it does not start rust on steel like normal silicones will. I have also used this on my caravan with great success.

Total cost of job excluding tools was about $300, and this included rust repairs in the right boot hinge well, plus I have enough paint over to respray the roof and boot lid which are getting a bit ordinary.........

Hopefully this little post will help out a bit.

Cheers

Ratticus

[99AUXR]

Well done good seeing repairs fixed properly. To many times has our WOF inspector picked at bog to find massive rust holes.

[ratticus]

Thanks mate.
I learned about fifty years ago the value of "do it right, and you only have to do it once", and if you dont know how to do it, then ya just gotta learn how!

Cheers

[FAT245]

all these pictures remind me of when we bare metalled my 73 Valiant ... but when i get home ill post some pics of the Fairlanes rust...

[ratticus]

Yair, I hear that. Had a 73 VJ Charger, and made the mistake of taking to the boot floor with a wire brush to clean it up............

Great car, 265 hemi with a K10 Police option pack, but it was like owning the Sydney Harbour Bridge - start at one end, paint and repair your way to the other, then go back and start again.................

I LOVED the good old days..................

[goel]

After seeing this thread I think I'll have a look under my rear bumper as I've found small amounts under the rear parcel shelf in the boot. I might spend a little time treating it all. A mechanic I go to said they stopped dipping the panels in anti corrosion stuff when the AUs came out. But my EL had more rust in the boot than my AUs.

[ratticus]

Yair, would be worth your while. All that was visible on mine was a tiny bit where the top of the rear guards finish near the back window, tip of the iceberg.....................

Two screws and a nut and pull the tail lights out and you should see if theres any there.

Also bad in mine was the well that the boot hinge recesses into. It is impossible to get at, and looks like there was no paint on it, had to use an inspection mirrorr to see it.

To repair this I had to take out the rear parcel shelf and boot hinge and tack weld strips of steel into place, then proof it and bog. You cant get your hands in there so you have to use a flexible strip of whatever with some course sandpaper to finish it, then drown it with paint.

If you are going anywhere near this part with a welder, have someone standing by with a fire extinguisher or at least a hose, as you WILL set the sealing compounds on fire and they burn like buggery - I almost lost the beast!

Then spray the crap out of it with fish oil and let it fester......................

Another problem was the rubber plug which carries the cables for the boot release mechanism. Because it flexes, it loses its seal around the hole, and a fair bit of water gets in through there. Black Sikaflex is good to seal this as it also provides a semi flexible, strong point.

Good luck with it,

Ratticus

[xr8cam]

I am looking to buy a AUXR8 and one is in a caryard and the other is private. How do you go about checking the areas where tools are required to loosen off wipers for plenum covers etc. I would appreciate any help from anybody who has been in this situation. Thanks.

[Spurious]

I'm glad this thread got bumped 'eh.

427camo, you can't check everything unless the sellers are really, REALLY obliging!
You can stick your hand most the way up inside the rear bumper to check for rust on the sub frame, & maybe use an LED torch to look through the wiper plenum grille.
The dealer should allow you to view the car on a hoist at least.
Take a trolley jack with you when you view the private listed AU. Park it on flat ground, raise it & have a squizzy at the chassis/floorpan. You can check the ball joints & such while you're at it.
If you see excessive surface rust...walk away or take a gamble!

[Spurious]

Don't everybody panic at once.
Each vehicle is different & not all are subjected to the same life, so not all are rolling rusty wrecks!!!

I have an AUII with 350K+ clocked up.
Was a Horsham VIC car when new but was brought to Tasmania early on as this is where the logbook servicing was done, & let's face it, you pretty much live near the coast no matter where you reside in this state.

To date my car has virtually zero issues with rust & I've lived on the coast here with the car for the past 6 years.
I just did the hand check thing under the rear bar & nothing (only dust etc), will be removing the bar soon anyhow just to clean & check.
I found one tiny spot of rust in the seam amid the drivers side "A" pillar (under the rubber seal). Easy fixed.
The few exceptions to the "no rust" policy here is the rear passenger door. The upper most seam under the door skin was badly rusted on the rear edge against the window glass, I suspect someone left a window open in the rain at some point which trapped enough moisture to initiate rust.
Also minor patina on the bottom lip of the boot lid as It rubs the bumper there, & of course the battery plate was rusty.

Other than that, I've looked in most nooks & crannys in this car & havn't found anything.
Boot hinge cavity is clear, spare tyre well is clear as is the inside floor pan, & the whole underside of the car got a dose of acid rust converter about a year ago just to be safe.
So don't everybody panic at once ok. I doubt these vehicles have a design flaw, it's just the fact that some cars are subjected to worse environments than others.

[xyfalcon383]

My xr8 has a little rust in boot under the parcel shelf. I'm glad i found this thread in time.

[xr8cam]

Thanks guys for all the comments. The car I didn't buy is still sitting in the yard at Vineyard, NSW. When I opened all the doors and the boot, water came out. When I looked hard at the trouble spots, there was evidence of rust. Anyway, I ended up looking at 4 cars and actually bought a series II 200kw because it lived in a garage and for 178,000kms, is the tightest and cleanest car I have seen for a while. A tribute to the owner, with a full service history and all receipts. It was cheaper than all the others too! Comparing this to my EL XR8 is like night n day. I LOVE the AU. The handling is awesome.Love the style, love the front and rear, best looking touring car since the 70's coupes for mine. Anyway, when you wash these cars, leave the doors open for 30 mins and dry around an open boot aswell.The amount of water that drips from open doors is quite suprising. If you don't do it, I suppose the water gets trapped untill it evaporates, can't be good...Do not leave in the rain if possible, thats what holdens are for.

[Spurious]

427camo, no doubt the dealer has had someone insert a high pressure cleaner into every orifice to make it look presentable.

Back to mine, pulled the rear bumper off today & "sigh" NOTHING!
Spotted what would become surface rust just starting to appear on a couple of seems, namely behind the tail light & the lower bridging plate where it attaches to the bumper sub frame. Even the factory rivet/weld in the bridging plate had no rust.
So whilst there, I hit everything with the Karcher, including the boot strut recess, dried off with the leaf blower & then hit everything with a liberal coat of Wattyl Rust Eeter & a coat of paint.

Firstly, if your car has any rust in this area, removing the tail light alone will reveal most of the trouble area for inspection.

So, to remove your rear bumper (AUII in my case):

First partially remove the internal quarter panel skins (in the boot)

Then remove those troublesome stupid black screw slugs from the wheel arch/bumper (raising the car helped access these)

Then remove 4 x 13mm nuts, 2 each side of the bumper, one in the wheel arch lip (external), the other inside the boot quarter panel. Note that the middle bolt in mine is factory deleted.
***NOTE: the nuts inside the wheel arch area were caked with 16 years of muck. The first one snapped but luckily had enough thread left to refit a new nut, the other side got wire brushed & WD40'd before removal -lesson learnt!!!

Remove the bridge plate rivets underneath near the tow bar area? (mine is long gone!)
Also remove trailer plug from bumper if applicable.

Bumper should then want to slide back, being mindful of 2 plastic tabs on the top inner side of the bumper that fit into slots at the top edge of the boot frame.

You should by now, in theory, have your bumper on the ground, or perhaps you've just had a good read!

So I don't know what's happened to those vehicles pictured throughout this thread (& the linked thread), but I can only imagine those vehicles have had a very rough, unwashed, dusty &/or salty life.
My car's 16 year old, been mostly a coast car its whole life & basically has no rust.

[Spurious]

Looking back over some of the images below, I'm kinda led to believe it may be the bumper itself rubbing on metal that initiates the surface rust. Maybe caused by impact damage?
Those factory weld rivets on the sub frame definitely need close scrutiny though.

Having said that, there's ample gap between sub frame & bumper on my car.

It may also be the case that some vehicles have a small gap between the bottom of the tail lights & the bumper. This would allow excess water into that problem area.
In my case the lights sit hard against the bumper so simply won't allow rain in.

[xr8cam]

Thanks for that reply. The info was just what I was looking for regarding bumper removal tips etc. Where the seams are, do you sand lightly before fish oil/rust preventer/paint is applied. The seams look like bare metal where there is no paint on mine. I always wondered why these were missed when in paint. Damn those robots...

[Spurious]

Every car, every chassis, gets dipped in a Zinc liquid during production.
If you're seeing a grey colour under the top coat then that's the zinc coating.

Rust converter needs rust in place in order to work.
If you have severe rust, just wire brush the loose stuff, blow dust off & proceed to coat.
The Wattyl Rust Eeter stuff I used was reasonably cheap, fast acting, & you paint straight over it when dry. No sanding!
My hands did resemble a frost bite victim though after I'd finished.

Truth be told, forgoing a few novice errors, I had the rear bar removed, work done & bar refitted in about 3 hours.

CLEANING WATTYL RUST EETER FROM YOU FINGERS: I found Coles brand hospital grade disinfectant worked best.
Man o man that Rust eeter stuff sticks like you know what to a blanket!!!

[Dezza]

My AU got hit hard by rust, which is one of the reasons I decided to upgrade. It was from Geelong before I bought it, so it was coastal. It had also had the right rear quarter replaced at some point in it's life, which might be linked to the rust coming up in the C-pillar.
It's worse than the picture really shows

Inside the right rear door

Underneath the roof seal (B-pillar region)

Small patch on drivers door pillar

I replaced the bootlid several years ago because it was one of the first areas to show rust, but the replacement is starting to do the same. There's more behind the taillights too. It was a good car, but damn the rust proofing was terrible!