BUILD THREAD 86 MCSS - Rejuvenation Project
- Thread starter ed1948
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Nice project. The extra money you paid for a clean G body will be worth it. Who ever rust proofed it went the extra mile...LOL. That stuff is caked on there! When my car was new it was rust proofed by rust proof Dinol. Several years ago I removed most of it only leaving it in areas and corners that aren't visible. Like yours, the car was never driven in the snow. With all that under undercoating your chassis is likely nice, shiny smooth steel underneath like mine was.
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Seems like most of my work will not be visible when looking at my SS. Did some rehab behind the rear bumper cover.
-fixed some rust:> behind gas filler
-maintained welded studs:> removed rust and treated with rust converter, gear oil/tar mix
-and, treated seam filler;> sprayed with WD40 to seep into cracks, coated with gear oil/tar mix
-oversprayed worn paint at tail light housing/body meeting areas
-consumed my gluten-free pizza
I make my own GF pizza, mostly vegetarian but this one had some pork sausage bits on top.
-fixed some rust:> behind gas filler
-maintained welded studs:> removed rust and treated with rust converter, gear oil/tar mix
-and, treated seam filler;> sprayed with WD40 to seep into cracks, coated with gear oil/tar mix
-oversprayed worn paint at tail light housing/body meeting areas
-consumed my gluten-free pizza
I make my own GF pizza, mostly vegetarian but this one had some pork sausage bits on top.
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-after pic:
The body seam filler cracks from age, flexing and response to temperature changes. These minute cracks can allow moisture to enter seam and attack the metal edges and after many years, rust bubbles are formed. My method is to clean the seam, spray with WD40(thin enough to flow into cracks) and then cover with a thick oily layer fortified with tar to keep it in place. The idea is to have a flexible coating/barrier over rust prone areas that seals out the environment and be 'self healing'. Perfect method for the hidden areas IMO. Whoever buys my car will never notice the minute details to preserve the body. I used the same technique to maintain the floor section. I covered the oily layer with tar spray and then a thin layer of fiberglass insulation to absorb any oil. (Crazy, I know - I can't stand rust!) I have been accused of taking better care of my cars then I do of myself.
The body seam filler cracks from age, flexing and response to temperature changes. These minute cracks can allow moisture to enter seam and attack the metal edges and after many years, rust bubbles are formed. My method is to clean the seam, spray with WD40(thin enough to flow into cracks) and then cover with a thick oily layer fortified with tar to keep it in place. The idea is to have a flexible coating/barrier over rust prone areas that seals out the environment and be 'self healing'. Perfect method for the hidden areas IMO. Whoever buys my car will never notice the minute details to preserve the body. I used the same technique to maintain the floor section. I covered the oily layer with tar spray and then a thin layer of fiberglass insulation to absorb any oil. (Crazy, I know - I can't stand rust!) I have been accused of taking better care of my cars then I do of myself.
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With the help of some good friends named jack, hoist and building materials I mounted and adjusted the driver's side door. My Wife did help also by staying away, far away!
I can't understand if only the bushings and pins were replaced why did the hinges need adjusting at the body? This was the front to back and the vertical alignment. The hinge bolts on the door adjust the vertical angle and position. I assumed that worn parts just let the door sag but it was more involved than that.
Re: door striker pin. Would the 'good' adjustment be that with the door closed it just nudges the door upwards at closing and lending a little support to the hinges?
I can't understand if only the bushings and pins were replaced why did the hinges need adjusting at the body? This was the front to back and the vertical alignment. The hinge bolts on the door adjust the vertical angle and position. I assumed that worn parts just let the door sag but it was more involved than that.
Re: door striker pin. Would the 'good' adjustment be that with the door closed it just nudges the door upwards at closing and lending a little support to the hinges?
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looks good ed. The adjustment on the doors on these cars were always a mystery to me. They flex and the metal fatigues from being leaned on compounded by being so heavy. They are hard on bushing and pins, you see the way the metal cracks from the stress in some cases. Then you get into window adjustment. Ughhh !
Does the tar not bring a certain odour when the temps climb ? A friends dad did a little body work as a side job. He would swear by Roofing Tar Patch for coating the rear frame sections on the gbody or anyplace under the vehicle where it was prone to rust. He had a 3 gallon pail and a big old paint brush to literally slap it on LOL I never liked the smell that lingered. 20+ years later he's gone but his truck is still virtually rust free and rolling.
Does the tar not bring a certain odour when the temps climb ? A friends dad did a little body work as a side job. He would swear by Roofing Tar Patch for coating the rear frame sections on the gbody or anyplace under the vehicle where it was prone to rust. He had a 3 gallon pail and a big old paint brush to literally slap it on LOL I never liked the smell that lingered. 20+ years later he's gone but his truck is still virtually rust free and rolling.
I have used both roof tar and rustproofing tar, both mixed with gear oil and I can say when I restored my 95 GTI 10 years ago that there was no smell in the interior with windows closed. I did the roof tar/Fluid Film/chainsaw bar oil combination on my new car's underbody and the smell lingered for a few days. On my new car I added a layer of only roof tar under the back seat for sound insulation. That bad smell lasted for a few days - no trace of smell with window closed.
Ed, I do think the striker needs to ever so slightly support the door when it closes. If you look at the latch there is what appears to me to be a 'ramp' that helps lift the door as it shuts. You don't want the striker to do too much but my experience with these long doors is that the hinges can't do it all alone. Somebody please chime in if you disagree.
The previous owners let the striker pin do all the work of supporting worn hinges. Did some welding to the crack and spot welded the backing plate around it's perimeter. The backing plate seemed wobbly. A larger washer from a Safari Van will overlap the cracked area giving greater support for the next 30 years.
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