Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

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_Al_
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Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by _Al_ »

Just wondering if this is actually a simple case of condensation? Once it gets down there it'd have a hard time getting out again..


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rob

Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by rob »

It could be mate, but every cavity would surely suffer the same? This seems to be the only real problem zone to date.

In any case you should lose the foam....
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baileydom

Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by baileydom »

Right, I've whipped out my foam, and indeed there is the horror of rust. Now, I need to buy myself some time until next year (holiday booked for over xmas) and the screwdriver isnt going through the sills or the arch from the outside so I'm hoping to get that time by doing your method for the passenger side rob. Now, can anyone tell me - anyone had any good experience with rust inhibitors? Is dymax s50 the best you can get or what? I've never had any need for rust treatment before.
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rob

Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by rob »

Sorry to hear that mate, but at least you are aware of what is going on. If it hasn't weakened the metal you may get away with just using rust encapsulation coating like Dynax S50.

Dynax S50 is well regarded as one of the best treatments you can get in the world of classic cars. It is manufactured by Bilt Hamber - a big company, with a good website.

The only trouble with these rust inhibitors is that they all tend to be flammable. The restoration place that did my sills said they can remove it with a special solution, but it does make thinks a bit trickier so that they don't have to keep putting out welding fires. If I were you i would get some S50, which comes in a massive 750mm aerosol with a flexible lance and a 360 degree end nozzle.
Get it in all the voids you can find - where you got the foam out from, through the removable plugs on the underside of the sill and through the holes that allow access from underneath the plastic kick plates.

Good luck - and post pictures, that way we can all learn and hopefully assist :th:
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stuMR2lee
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Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by stuMR2lee »

I sprayed Dinitrol RC900 in my sills (and doors) when I first got my car to hold off the dreaded tin worm. I did have to have the rear of my sills repaired prior to this.

http://www.frost.co.uk/automotive-rust- ... rosol.html

Seems ok so far but I think I'll try and get that foam out soon.
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Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by _Al_ »

rob wrote:It could be mate, but every cavity would surely suffer the same? This seems to be the only real problem zone to date.

In any case you should lose the foam....
I was thinking that the foam could trap the moisture in there :)

I'll have a look first chance I get, but when I was resetting the body kit in that area a few weeks back I distinctly fail to remember seeing any foam.

I'm *hoping* that mine is ok, it's only been in the country three years and they've not exactly been rain-fests...
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Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by pbmr2 »

baileydom wrote:Right, I've whipped out my foam, and indeed there is the horror of rust. Now, I need to buy myself some time until next year (holiday booked for over xmas) and the screwdriver isnt going through the sills or the arch from the outside so I'm hoping to get that time by doing your method for the passenger side rob. Now, can anyone tell me - anyone had any good experience with rust inhibitors? Is dymax s50 the best you can get or what? I've never had any need for rust treatment before.
if it was my car i'd get a bit of sand paper in there to get rid of any lose stuff, then hover the area so to remove the lose bits and then rust treat it.
not tried the s50 but i have heard good things about it.
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rob

Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by rob »

stuMR2xrv wrote:I sprayed Dinitrol RC900 in my sills (and doors) when I first got my car to hold off the dreaded tin worm. I did have to have the rear of my sills repaired prior to this.

http://www.frost.co.uk/automotive-rust- ... rosol.html

Seems ok so far but I think I'll try and get that foam out soon.
Sensible man! Wish I had thought of this 9 years ago when i got the car, it was probably perfect then!

The only thing I would say about that Dinitrol is that it is £15 for 450ml whereas the Dynax is £18 for 750ml.
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rob

Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by rob »

_Al_ wrote:
rob wrote:It could be mate, but every cavity would surely suffer the same? This seems to be the only real problem zone to date.

In any case you should lose the foam....
I was thinking that the foam could trap the moisture in there :)

I'll have a look first chance I get, but when I was resetting the body kit in that area a few weeks back I distinctly fail to remember seeing any foam.

I'm *hoping* that mine is ok, it's only been in the country three years and they've not exactly been rain-fests...
I would expect the majority of imports will be ok, or certainly those that haven't been in the UK long.

You will only see the foam if you look from inside the car wjere the seatbelt mechanisms are.........

I did originally think condensation.
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Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by _Al_ »

rob wrote:
_Al_ wrote:
rob wrote:It could be mate, but every cavity would surely suffer the same? This seems to be the only real problem zone to date.

In any case you should lose the foam....
I was thinking that the foam could trap the moisture in there :)

I'll have a look first chance I get, but when I was resetting the body kit in that area a few weeks back I distinctly fail to remember seeing any foam.

I'm *hoping* that mine is ok, it's only been in the country three years and they've not exactly been rain-fests...
I would expect the majority of imports will be ok, or certainly those that haven't been in the UK long.

I did originally think condensation.
Yes I noticed you mentioned condensation in the original post when I re-read it... :blush:

You may want to re-think your stance on imports that haven't been here long!

Mine is a tin-top so not as bad for condensation as many cars, it already has no foam on either side, but the driver side still has a 4cm long by 0.3cm wide hole in the inner structure with surface rust 2cm around it. No sign of corrosion on the outer though.

To my amazement the passenger side has already been repaired! :shocked:

It's not done to the standard of yours, but it's clearly a repair and it's solid. It's dark now so I can't see if there's a corresponding repair on the outer parts, but it's going to be embarrassing if there is as I jacked it up and inspected it before I bought it. Couldn't see a problem then, and I haven't take the body kit off that side as it was on far better than the drivers side.

Guess I need to start saving a few quid for the drivers side... I'll get some of this anti-corrosion gunk on there and then just keep an eye on it. It's years from being an MOT failure (with the outer structure being sound they'd have no way to know there were problems inside). Who knows, with the foam gone it may never be a problem?

Strange one this. All the other typical rust spots on a 2 are in good condition. That's 90% of the reason I bought it!
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madmr2man

Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by madmr2man »

Sadly, expecting to find mine in mint condition never happened.

Got the seat belt mechanical off and managed to photograph this....

Image

I've had a feel around, and theres no holes, even with a screwdriver.

The outside is solid and very fresh (i did just waxoyl it though!), no surface rust at all.

Think I need to treat it to, just hope the other side is no worse, but I won't get to look at that until I can get it out of the garage again. It's in pieces you see.

I think it must be condensation trapped in the foam.



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rob

Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by rob »

Al, you and I have been into 2's for years and it certainly caught me out!
I always washed and checked the inner lip of my rear arches every week when I watched it. I had no idea what was going on within the sill!!!

So long as you spray that stuff in your repaired section then you should be ok, as for the other side, well at least you know. Bit gutting, but at least we all now know the score.

It might be that your repair was due to a previous owner damaging the sill on a high kerb?

MadMR2man - I think you will be ok with that mate, looks like very light surface corrosion, nothing the Dynax / Dinatrol won't resolve. :yahoo:

When you are next in there, could you take a photo slightly further to the rear of the car where the arch starts so we can see if there are any drain holes? :th:
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Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by _Al_ »

Unless it's very long and thin (therefore able to hide in the bit where mine has already gone) then I'd say there was no drain hole.

I can't see how mine could be damage from a high kerb, surely that'd have damaged the outer as well? I need to have a look at it in the daylight. I did manage to get a photo of my drivers side which I'll try and upload later. The passenger side has been sprayed with a black waxy substance so the creaky old camera on my iPhone can't deal with it.
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rob

Re: Save your Mk2 - my sill restoration experience

Post by rob »

_Al_ wrote:Unless it's very long and thin (therefore able to hide in the bit where mine has already gone) then I'd say there was no drain hole.

I can't see how mine could be damage from a high kerb, surely that'd have damaged the outer as well? I need to have a look at it in the daylight. I did manage to get a photo of my drivers side which I'll try and upload later. The passenger side has been sprayed with a black waxy substance so the creaky old camera on my iPhone can't deal with it.
Aah ok - sorry, didn't realise that you had checked the outside.

Comparing my pic on Page 1 with MadMR2mans mine is further back but I am wondering if there is a hole to the top right outside of his picture.

I have nothing to compare with as I haven't seen a good original inner sill before.....
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