pls see attached pics...



The lip of the chassis still exists behind the distegrated shock tower. It looks like water seeped through the seems between the shock tower and the frame, and only the lower shock tower rusted out.



I'm sad...

cut it out and weld a plate.......my friend just did a similar job except that whole about 2 feet long and one foot wide. damn s13's!



i hope you are decent with metal and welding https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png

[quote name='vosko' date='Mar 26 2005, 04:47 PM']cut it out and weld a plate.......my friend just did a similar job except that whole about 2 feet long and one foot wide. damn s13's!



i hope you are decent with metal and welding https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png


[/quote]



i took a class and can weld tig... not very good with mig. Should the plate be spot welded? or full seam?



I'm sad, now i'm in no mood to go wrench away at the car again. the words "fcuk" keeps in repeating itself in my head non stop right now. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...O_DIR#>/11.gif

seam welded....... it should be alot easier since FC sheetmetal is pretty thick. i'm assuming brake fluid got there and rotted that spot out......if water was in there the whole thing would be shot. make sure to bang on it with a hammer.......

[quote name='vosko' date='Mar 26 2005, 05:02 PM']seam welded....... it should be alot easier since FC sheetmetal is pretty thick. i'm assuming brake fluid got there and rotted that spot out......if water was in there the whole thing would be shot. make sure to bang on it with a hammer.......


[/quote]



When I took out the shock i saw this small rust spot, then i decided hrm... let's hit with a hammer and that is what I got. I just scraped away all the underbody guard, and that is the only spot that is rusted... Nevertheless i'm sadened (SP?). Hopefulyl my friend will lend me his new lincon invertec tig welder.

Clean the grime off the underside of the car and check that there aren't anymore spots like that one, above the fuel tank is another spot where that can happen too.



The pictured spot should be easy to weld up from one side, but the other will involve a bit more wrench time, the metal is double thick where the strut tower meets the inner fender well, after the repair I would use some really good rust inhibitive primer and then lay several coats of truck bed liner from bomb cans on the inner fender wells.



edit: do they use road salt in your part of the country? It seems like brake fluid would take eons the etch through the metal right there.

do they ever use salt

it was only 4 years of winter driving that did that. the original owner from 89 till 98 never drove the car in the winter, the 2nd owner picked up the car for a bargin and drove it for 4 years in the winter and sold it to me in 2002. The car was oil sprayed every winter too. I haven't driven the car in the winter since I purchased it in 2002

damn time expired to edit my last post. I wanted to ask how I should weld the hole up.



Should I place one panel in the engine bay and seam weld it there? Should I then place another panel on the exterior? (so two panels sandwiched together?)



Or one panel on the exterior?



I'm thinking one panel in the interior (engine bay). Have it oversized so it overlaps part of the frame rail and shock tower, then seem weld it there, and them seem weld on the exterior. Coat both sides in POR15 and spray paint everything white to match the car again. And rubber undercoating ofcourse.

no rubber undercoating, that stuff is worse, it holds in the moisture and traps it there



do the 2 pieces

[quote name='Rob x-7' date='Mar 26 2005, 07:32 PM']no rubber undercoating, that stuff is worse, it holds in the moisture and traps it there



do the 2 pieces


[/quote]



rob, if I do two peices, then will the metal corrode from the inside out, since I would have no way of coating the metal after I finish the job.

I would do one thick piece, then both sides could be protected from rust



Undercoater and bed liner are two different products, besides undercoating is brown, looks like ****, and doesn't last, a product like line-x is more what I am referring to, chemicals can be sprayed on it for cleaning and it won't budge.

Hmm, thought I replied to this post last night.





Make a reenforcing plate with lots of holes punched in it. Those holes will be PLUG-WELDED to add strength to the repair.



The perimeter weld will be complete, bu perform it in 1 1/2"-2" long welds, allowing the metal to cool in between welds (to prevent warping)



I would make the weld using 75/25 gas, and .030 wire

[quote name='banzaitoyota' date='Mar 27 2005, 08:09 AM']Hmm, thought I replied to this post last night.

Make a reenforcing plate with lots of holes punched in it. Those holes will be PLUG-WELDED to add strength to the repair.



The perimeter weld will be complete, bu perform it in 1 1/2"-2" long welds, allowing the metal to cool in between welds (to prevent warping)



I would make the weld using 75/25 gas, and .030 wire


[/quote]



John so basically made the patch plate into swiss cheese. Tack it into place, run 1" seems around the panel in opposing side until done. Then fill in the swiss cheese holes?

[quote name='Cheers!' date='Mar 27 2005, 09:56 AM']John so basically made the patch plate into swiss cheese. Tack it into place, run 1" seems around the panel in opposing side until done. Then fill in the swiss cheese holes?


[/quote]





I would tack it in place and start with the holse in the center, it will be easier to keep the patch panel tight.



I wouldnt make it look like swiss cheese, a 1" spacing should be sufficient

[quote name='banzaitoyota' date='Mar 27 2005, 01:27 PM']I would tack it in place and start with the holse in the center, it will be easier to keep the patch panel tight.



I wouldnt make it look like swiss cheese, a 1" spacing should be sufficient


[/quote]



I wish i had more rx7 buddies near by, starting to lose my motivation I once had.

Come on down. I need a COMPETANT Engineer to work with. On the other hand, My Company (SHAW) has 30 openings in Toronto, Whats going on up there? Chalk River up to something?

[quote name='banzaitoyota' date='Mar 27 2005, 07:00 PM']Come on down. I need a COMPETANT Engineer to work with. On the other hand, My Company (SHAW) has 30 openings in Toronto, Whats going on up there? Chalk River up to something?


[/quote]



Thanks buddy.



- Hand

[quote name='banzaitoyota' date='Mar 27 2005, 07:00 PM']Come on down. I need a COMPETANT Engineer to work with. On the other hand, My Company (SHAW) has 30 openings in Toronto, Whats going on up there? Chalk River up to something?


[/quote]



Come to Toronto, Toronto isn't that much colder than where you are right now. No idea what Chalk River is up to now... Last I heard they were thinking of closing down the reactor there. A buddy of my used to work up there his forum nickname is IAN over at the "other" forum, he has a 10AE with a big fat single, he surfs here occasionaly I believe.



The action right now is at Bruce Power, they are thinking about starting up units 1 and 2, which means they have to replace the pressure tubes and calandria tubes in the core of the reactors for both reactors, both the steam generators, the boilers AND they have to breach the containment buildings on both unit 1 and 2 by cutting out a wall that is 6 stories tall to remove and reinstall a new boiler.



est cost of 2 billion CDN dollars

AHHHH, A Steam Generator Replacement Job!, FUN FUN FUN





G2G: You arent even degreed yet, back to your books!

[quote name='banzaitoyota' date='Mar 28 2005, 06:59 AM']G2G: You arent even degreed yet, back to your books!


[/quote]



Who thinks more like an engineer, myself or the EIT's you work with?



- Hand

Never said anything bad, just get back to your books and Graduate already

they have weld through coatings you can brush on before you do it

if you can find one thicker piece then use that., no matter what you do one day the welds will rust. I still prefer a painted metal, at least if it starts to rust you can repair right away versus some heavy textured coating that hides all sins underneath it until its too late.

I agree with Rob on the painted repair area

[quote name='Rob x-7' date='Mar 28 2005, 05:26 AM']they have weld through coatings you can brush on before you do it

if you can find one thicker piece then use that., no matter what you do one day the welds will rust. I still prefer a painted metal, at least if it starts to rust you can repair right away versus some heavy textured coating that hides all sins underneath it until its too late.


[/quote]



I better give my foundry and chemical plant customers a rebate for the paint jobs on thier tanks, cranes, dust collectors, millions of miles of duct work, etc., I should have never used a three part epoxy to treat the rust after needle gunning and/or sandblasting, and cover it with a 15 mil dry high-gloss industrial finishing system, I would have been much better off using a 3-5 mil dry automotive finishing system, then it would only have lasted 6 months, instead of 5 years and counting with only minimal surface corrosion from particulates in the industrial enviornment https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683664.gif



The industrial finishing system carried over to the fender wells = no rust, guaranteed, but what do I know, I'm just a dumb ass painter

your comparing a industrial 3 part coating to something he wants to pick up in Pep Boys?



you should have stated what you were talking about from the start



****- while we are at it, why not use a piece of titanium and call it a day.

https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/dunno.gif

89rag, what was the name of the product? I should be able to source that in Canada's biggest city no problem (I hope).

[quote name='Cheers!' date='Mar 28 2005, 07:18 PM']https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/dunno.gif

89rag, what was the name of the product? I should be able to source that in Canada's biggest city no problem (I hope).


[/quote]



Pittsburg paint offers a DTR epoxy that will produce the same results as the three part for half the money, a half gallon kit will be enough to do all four wells

if your going 2 part epoxy then you could also go with US PAINT AwlGrip 545 grey mil spec self etching epoxy primer

none of these coatings mentioned is weldable right?

I guess you could use a weld thru coating first, then spray/roll something else on after.



the whole thing is overkill for what your doing, you might be looking too much into this

So a little update. Took out the power steering so I would have space to work on this rust problem and move the engine harness out of the way. Took me about an hour to take out the power steering pump which I had never done.



I started tackling the rust by cutting the jagged edge out... here are some pics.



I found some 1/16" hot rolled sheet metal, but I'm thinking that might be too thick. Should I cut deeper? (ie cut the hole out bigger still?)