Another question here regarding hard-to-reach surface rust on a Mini. I'm currently in the process of bringing my shell back to bare metal, but I realize that there are a lot of spots that cannot be accessed.

The two examples that I would like to present would be surface rust on the inside of the lower door sill or even surface rust that may be present on the inside of the floorpan crossmember that's under the front seats.

My question is, short of doing a chemical dip and derusting solution, is there anything else I can do to either retard or mitigate this surface rust that's inaccesible (anything short of the obvious brute force solution which would be to cut up the body to access that area)? Another question would be, is it even important to worry about slight surface rust in these areas?

I have two pictures here of the areas I'm talking about:




Opinions and your own experiences would be appreciated:)

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- Merrick
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3/71 Morris Mini K

Personally I'd say ignore them for the present but if you're putting it on a rotisserie spray as much rust proofing stuff into them as you can and leave it sit for half an hour , turn 90 degrees , sit for half an hour , turn 90 degrees etc to get a good coating . Not sure what people reccomend at present but avoid fish oil , even the non smelling stuff stinks if it's inside the cabin .

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insaide the cross member there isnt to much you can do about that one... Just get some sort of rust killer and try and spray it in there then let it dry and cavity wax the poo out of it... In the door get it sandblasted... Dont want it coming back now do we?? Best to do it right the first time
Mike

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If it cant be fixed with a hammer it cant be FIXED!!

A good rust converter would be my choice. There's several good brands out there which convert rust to into a hard black plastic-looking coating (Dad said it contains phosphoric acid or something). I painted some on the suspension turret in our Galant which had flaky rust - that was three years ago, and it's still great. It was a stop-gap measure, but it's lasted so well I think I'll leave it until I need to do something else to it (i.e. when it's more convenient).

You can then let it flow into those gaps and it should be sweet - get a recommendation from a good body shop supplier.

whats wrong with the fish oil.you leave the car in the sun for 2 days and its gone, you dont spray the oil on the carpet and you dont put the carpet back over the sprayed area before the 2 day period,

whats wrong with the smell.............. well maybe that smell doesnt like you

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any parts for a 76 clubby pm me or ring 0405 329 326

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=44717

I agree, fish oil is good- I've done some weathering tests on exposed rusting Clubby panels with both fishoil and rust converters. The fishoil won.
As buztoy says, the smell goes after a while.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Maybe they have improved on the stuff we used in the late 80's then , it was dry reach material after 6 months still ....

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You can get deodorised stuff, if you look for it.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Can you get hold of WaxOyl up there ?
It's made by the same people who do Hammerite (ICI ?) I think.

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'98 Mpi Sportspack + 7 port alloy head

If you don't like the smell of the fish oil, you can get some lanolin sprays which are supposed to do the same thing. I have never tried them, but I read in a caravan and camping magazine and they reckon that they are really good.

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Before you judge someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you judge them, you are a mile away and you have their shoes.

Wurth make an excellent body wax. You can spray it into any concealed areas such as the seat box section using a body wax spray gun and tube with a spray nozzle. Quite runny when first sprayed , then hardens to leave an impervious wax coating that protects from further moisture feeding rust areas. Great for protecting inside sills etc.
Check out http://www.wurth.com.au/autoproducts.asp
Cheers wild_willy

^^^ Wurth's Cavity Spray sounds very much like WaxOyl.
How much does it cost Wild willy ?

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'98 Mpi Sportspack + 7 port alloy head

I have seen products like that used in restorations. They are highly recommended by professionals.

Now correct me if I'm wrong but the rust should be neutralised or converted before using a body cavity wax (a term used here in the automotive sense and not a medical sense ). Which is why I like the rust encapsulators - they turn the rust black and cover the whole area so it's impervious to water.

I used that stuff the other day on a truck, perfect - wish I'd know for the mini. The only part with this product I didn't like was that the panels had to be damp. Could make it hard to apply in these bits.

Works great! (from memory can even go 12 months without paint ontop. I used an acid and wire wheel - again and again on mine, but once again had to wet / wash the areas.