Vulverable parts of a 7

[John E]

An earlier thread did not give some of the answers needed in order to avoid the dreaded salt damage so lets try again. In the opinion of long standing owners who have driven through all sorts of winter (salty) conditions which areas of the 7 are the most vulnerable. the car doesnt have any sills as such or obvious body cavities and so where should I (we) be directing our hose pipes or power washers following a blast oround the salty lanes.

I've heard for example of corrosion in bottom of the side skins below the windscreen mounting area. Can this region be accessed by a reasonable jet of water from inside the engine compartment or would it be a waste of time. Additionally if salt is likely to cause problems in any body cavity surely the same will apply to a lesser extent with road water with all of its pollutents.

Answers on a pin head please.

 

[Red SLR]

Seems my sugglasses are prone to getting covered!

 

X777CAT

[murph7355]

I guess anywhere that may corrode...

 

The chassis is going to be the big thing here so a good hosing down of this (from inside the engine bay and generally outside it) would seem like a good idea. Along with much of the suspension componentry.

 

I think a really thorough clean of the whole lot wouldn't go amiss though (says he whose car is still caked in it from yesterday's drive!).

 

 

 

C7 AJM

[Dave H]

Don't forget the back of the car. Loads of muck can get in behind and around the fuel tank, and its not easy to see it or clean it out without removing the boot floor.

[CHRIS CLARK]

This is the muck that Dave finds every time he cleans his car ie. about once a decade!!!!!! Ha Ha

[Allan Haighton]

The most vulnerable point seems to be the space frame behind the leading edge of the rear wheel arch. This part of the chassis seems to suffer stone chips and the rust creeped badly under the powder cost on my car (1995 live axle). A friend has had exactly the same problem with his early '96 HPC, which lead to a rebuild by Arch over the winter.

 

I now do a yearly examination and spot paint, with a 2 yearly re-paint. I've found recoating with primer then Smoothrite reasonably successful, although that also suffers from stone chipping. I'm now trialling 'POR-15', which I think is a moisture-curing polyurethane. Perhaps I'm now doing too much work on this area, but at least the chassis tubes are uncorroded.

 

Fuel tanks are also a problem. I know of 2 1996 cars which have suffered severe corrosion to the lower tanks welds where they sit on the mounting beams. I think that salt gets into the foam padding and starts the rot. I have now primed my tank in these areas and I've bedded it down on a thick bead of silicone rubber instead of the foam. Hopefully this will stop this problem.

 

 

 

Allan Haighton

[stevefoster]

Nobody mentioned waxoyl. I use this with an 8 bar air compressor to give an

atomised spray that gets to all the spots you can't reach with the thick

spray that Halfords supply. Special attention to the behind the foot well boxs where corrosion seems to start early.

Do wear a gas rated mask. The white spirit in Waxoyl is not something you want lungs full of.

It's so quick to give her a blow over from underneath that I do it a couple of times during winter.

I also run waxoyl from a little squirter bottle into all bolts / rivets / screws / around the headlight fixings and rims etc etc etc.

 

I try to avoid going out when the salt is at it's worst. If I must then a wash off and water jet around all the areas mentioned as soon as conditions allow is a must.

 

 

[paul jacobs]

OK, if one were building a new car, with the intention of using it all the year round, there would seem to be obvious places that would need attention, from what others have already said.

 

Wayoil or similar does appear to be a very good [if messy!] idea, how about making up a panel to close off the gap under the fuel tank, fixing with a silicone seal, that should save that area.

 

When the tub is new, and with no engine or suspension fitted, would it be a better idea to paint not only the inside of the engine bay, but also under the floor and the bits inside the rear wheel arches where the rear springs live too, so that all naked aluminium is covered and protected, and as the front suspension is always so suspect, how about nickel or chrome plating all the relevant parts which normally get stone chipped, then rust?

[stevefoster]

The trouble with blanking off or enclosing anything is that water will get trapped and sit and cause corrosion. The rear end if rinsed rustproofed and looked after will be better off open to allow air to circulate.

Painting the bare ali is a good idea except it probably adds another 1kg to weight.

You also have to etch prime ali for the top coats to adhere to. We are talking two pack cyanide based stuff. I have used it to prime an MGA boot lid.

I guess my waxoyl adds some weight too though.

 

[paul jacobs]

Yes, but if the panel was sealed no moisture should get in in the first place?

 

I think that we shouldn't get too hung up on weight, especially if it's mainly a road car, but that etch primer stuff can be very nasty to work with, not to mention expensive, however if the rest of the tub is being painted from new, it wouldn't be too much of an imposition to do under the car at the same time?