Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ray White]

I suppose it could have been worse.? Fortunately there are no holes. Someone has spent a great deal of time welding the near side wing of "Trundles" my 1930 Austin Swallow. At least being an Austin Seven there is not much of it but I can see me spending hours on end trying to restore the appearance. So far I have removed all the filler and much of the surface rust but I suppose, realistically, bead blasting is on the cards.

[D4B]

That repair is a work of art!

I would keep as is for all to admire

[MikeEdwards]

You could have a go with electrolytic rust removal, if you've got a big enough tank to put it in. I used to use an old bath tub (not a metal one) for doing subframes, but it must be a scrap one as it gets heavily stained.

[Rootes75]

That is a lot of repairs, and quite neat too!
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[Ray White]

I thought you guys might like that one! I cannot recall ever seeing anything quite like it - and yes, most of the welding is pretty neat for what is likely to have been a d.i.y. job back in the 1970s. There is an issue with one of the welds, however, that seems to have not gone as well as it should but I intend to cover it up. What I am hoping to do is correct the 'line' of the wing and bring it up to better match the off side.

That brings me to the issue of filler. The previous restorer made what I consider to be an excellent job of shaping and covering. It must have been good because it lasted 40 years! I only hope I can do as well. I have decided on a professional light weight epoxy filler by Upol and I have armed myself with a plentiful supply of quality spreaders. Dry blocking with fine sand paper will be best, I think.

I am inclined to repeat the previous restoration which meant a total covering with filler and I hope I will be able to achieve as good a job as the previous restorer.

Before I can get onto the filling, however, there is the issue of rust removal. I have got rid of what I can mechanically although, ideally, I would like to have the panel bead blasted but it is very thin in places so perhaps that's not the best option. I don't have a suitable container for submersion or I would have given it a soak in molasses. What I have done is to treat the entire surface with Fertan which I have used before and had some good results with. I will need to pay particular attention to the small areas which have suffered pitting. I need to be sure all the rust is gone or dead.

My choice for surface treatment then is red oxide - and plenty of it. I have chosen a high build primer although the filler will need to do most of the work of levelling out the surface. Just to be sure, I plan to coat the filler in red oxide and use it as a guide coat. I am sure there will be a fair bit of trial and error before I can go onto cellulose.

Wish me luck - I am going to need it!

[ukdave2002]

If the welds were done with gas you could planish them and use a body file to get the contours close, so that minimal filling is require, if mig welded don't planish as the weld bead is very hard and can crack.

Use a good production paper rather than sandpaper; Mirka or 3M or good. When flattening the double curves, don't follow the line of the curve, go at 45 degree's otherwise you can lose the crown of the curve.

Red oxide is often oil based, you will be asking for trouble using a high solvent content paint like cellulose over an oil based paint, cellulose red oxide is available.

Cellulose primer and filler will absorb moisture out of the air, so its really important to get the top coat on quickly, don't leave it several day after after the first coat of primer goes on, this will avoid micro blister that can appear months later and has spoilt many a good paint job.

Dave

[ajlelectronics]

Current thinking for bodywork is to clean off the bare panel, scuff at 120 grit dry and then give it a couple of coats of epoxy primer. This seals and waterproofs the panel and gives a superb base for fillers and stoppers to be applied. Repair as required and flat to 320 grit dry. Apply a couple or more coats of epoxy primer. I tend to make the last coat a different tint as a "warning" coat when flatting the guide coat to 600 / 800 dry ready for topcoat. Epoxy primer is inert and will not react with any topcoat of your choice. It is also iso free and so can be sprayed without air fed breathing equipment.
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[Bitumen Boy]

[Ray White]

Rather than make a mistake from the outset and try to correct it afterwards I have changed the red oxide primer to Bonda which is a resin based product that won't react. I know Bonda is O.K. as I have used it for 30 years or more.

[ukdave2002]

[Bitumen Boy]