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So, I’ve got two areas of rot, just in front of the rear wheels on both sides of the car. These areas are normally covered by the plastic inner wheel liner and that little plastic corner piece where the rocker panel meets the wheel arch. When I dropped my engine last spring, I removed the rear inner wheel liners and found these areas packed with moist dirt/ road debris. Upon cleaning the dirt away I was able to poke my finger through what metal was left. Fortunately the rot hasn’t spread very far but it will need to be cut back to good steel and some new pieces welded in. See below...
** I just want to add, that if you've never checked these areas for rust, you should! Hopefully you can catch it before it gets like mine...
Wow! You usually see rust like that on older Porsche's.......
Uh huh... midwest car dd for many years...It's a '99 so almost twenty years old now. I never would have known if I hadn't pulled some plastic pieces off...
Well yeah, they are ! BUT..., even galvanized steel will rust if there's a scratch/void in the galvanization and you have corrosive (road salt & water) elements in constant contact with these areas. Three inches toward the front of the car, the steel and coating(s) are in perfect shape. It's no surprise to me that the same spots rotted on both sides of the car. You'd be amazed at how much dirt (wet dirt/salt) was packed into these two areas. When I put the wheel liner back in, I'm going to silicone the top edge where all this stuff is entering (I think)...
Nice repair. Have you thought about using some POR15 or rust stop/preventative inside the panels?
^^Yes^^ before I welded on the end panel I coated the inside of the rail and rocker with rust treatment/preventer (Eastwood). There will also be access holes drilled and then plugged (like stock) so I can make sure that everything is well coated before being sealed up again. ** I'm shooting for having these repairs outlast me...
^^Yes^^ before I welded on the end panel I coated the inside of the rail and rocker with rust treatment/preventer (Eastwood). There will also be access holes drilled and then plugged (like stock) so I can make sure that everything is well coated before being sealed up again. ** I'm shooting for having these repairs outlast me...
That’s nothing, my Land Rover will rust if you even look at it funny. But good to know. Thanks. I always thought Porsche / Audi traditionally had the very best rust protection. Toyota pickups and Land Rovers had the very worst.
That’s nothing, my Land Rover will rust if you even look at it funny. But good to know. Thanks. I always thought Porsche / Audi traditionally had the very best rust protection. Toyota pickups and Land Rovers had the very worst.
Even the best rust protection is no match for standing/constant contact with road salt, water, and who knows what else. The gunk that collected in these areas must have been there for years...
Kudos to you I absolutely hate doing body work! I had a 928 that rotted out inside the door jam and it was a car I was told never rotted out. Even the best manufacturers have a few cars that react poorly to rusting, and being a DD on salty roads doesn't help for sure.
I finished up the drivers side yesterday evening and got started on the passenger side today. Not quite as much rust on the bottom, but the interior wheel arch went much higher and there’s a little more on the outside panel down by the plastic trim piece.
Dporto, rust really sucks and glad you caught it before it became much worse. It looks like you did one hell of a job and on the repairs it looks good. Can't wait to see the end product.
02-27-2018, 10:28 AM
New project...
