Strut top repair.....advice please!!!

[fezza]

Just wondering how people do small repairs? i have a very small section behind both strut tops that i need to repair,what

im wondering is what the best way to do it,im thinking on somthing this size im better off just welding the hole ive got

one picture but the other side is pretty much the same just a little wider,any ideas or what would you do ????

 

[jimbo]

I guess there's three trains of thought to a welded repair.

 

1) Get a full panel repair done - excessive in this case I reckon.

 

2) A repair panel fitted - Not pretty, however you dress it up.

 

3) A small patch - nibble it square and step the edge, then drop a patch in.

 

If it was my car, I'd go for option 3 or........drop in some chemical metal and tidy it up, then (in both cases, waxoyl the area)

 

But then I intened to do a full body rest in two years. Also, I am strictly road use and drive like I'm chauffering Miss Daisy.

[alladdin]

i would make my decision based on the state of the cup underneath ? does that need work ? if not i would grind (dremmel style) out to good steel and but weld pieces in then dress back smooth.

[Tom]

yeah mate, that hole has ruste through from underneath between the cup and the top.

 

mine were much the same but i opted to grind out the thin metal as much as i could and let a new bit in.

 

In hindsight i should've replaced the cup and top but ho-hum, just means that it may rust through again

[fezza]

Yea thats it Tom,ive already gone further with the bay than i had origonaly intended(you know where im coming from mate )and i could end up bloody changing everything,i need to get this motor on the road

So,im now thinking along the lines of triming round the little hole until i find good metal,then replace

[Tom]

try gettin under the wing and scraping out any rust inbetween the two and treating it. The hole i had was about the size of a 10p and after digging it all out it was the size of a cigarette packet. not hard to do though mate, get a bit of metal to fit inside the hole, weld it in then grind it flush, a skim of filler and you're away

[jimbo]

So,im now thinking along the lines of triming round the little hole until i find good metal,then replace

 

Whoah! I thought you'd dug back to the good metal when I suggested a blob of chemical metal....If it's any bigger than that forget it. Sounds like a little plate is required. Especially if you want to get on the road.

[fezza]

try gettin under the wing and scraping out any rust inbetween the two and treating it. The hole i had was about the size of a 10p and after digging it all out it was the size of a cigarette packet. not hard to do though mate, get a bit of metal to fit inside the hole, weld it in then grind it flush, a skim of filler and you're away

Will do,cheers Tom

So,im now thinking along the lines of triming round the little hole until i find good metal,then replace

 

Whoah! I thought you'd dug back to the good metal when I suggested a blob of chemical metal....If it's any bigger than that forget it. Sounds like a little plate is required. Especially if you want to get on the road.

Thers no rust on the top now,thats all good metal ,i meant metal underneath ,there is probably a larger patch of rusty metal under where the hole is

[16super]

This is just a thought but if you're gonna put a Cosworth in it would it not be an idea to reinforce the top mounts like an RS2000 if spot welded in place no dressing to be done you've got top mounts that look the part & your struts won't pop through when you drive over the first rough road you come across. That said it does look like the cup underneath could do with replacing though (time & money allowing).

[fezza]

Yes mate i am going to get some RS2000 top plates too i do want to do a proper job of it but in the same breath

funds and time dont allow me to start pulling everything apart,once you start it just goes on and on

 

Once on the road i will use the car for around a year or so with standard....ish power then it will be coming back

off the road for big power overhaul,if theres anything that needs attention it will get sorted then

[flyingbanana]

if i had that, i would chop the whole lot out and put a new panel(s) in...will only carrying on rotting away

[16super]

if i had that, i would chop the whole lot out and put a new panel(s) in...will only carrying on rotting away

 

Absolutely that was my point about the cup looking like it could do with being replaced, but nothing worse than sitting in a ditch with your shock absorber poking through the bonnet wishing you'd done it properly!!!

[fezza]

if i had that, i would chop the whole lot out and put a new panel(s) in...will only carrying on rotting away

 

Absolutely that was my point about the cup looking like it could do with being replaced, but nothing worse than sitting in a ditch with your shock absorber poking through the bonnet wishing you'd done it properly!!!

Im going to investagate this further although im hopeing its a small localized patch where the top had gone,fingers crossed anyway

[deluxemk1]

If thats clean under there a good mig plug weld will sort that or as you say a small patch.The underwing turrets are not to bad a job but from what I can see it looks ok. weld it then spray some rust treatment between em mate.Its easy to go mad with it all been there a million times only fix whats broke in this case I think!