The Chronicles Of Mercules - Body Repairs

I always knew I was going to have some fun working the panels back to their former glory - funny how a quick burst from a hail storm can create so much work - but I am happy to live with the dents in my 450 SEL for the time being.

My first week of ownership of this magnificent specimen saw me clock up many kilometres and wear a sizeable hole in the ozone layer whilst doing so... funny how that hole almost matches the hole in my wallet when the cash used to be! $25 a fortnight in the LPG Magna pales in comparison to almost $100 a week in the 450! But it is a small price to pay for the pure enjoyment this car has given me.

The fuel economy will be dealt with in another thread though... I will be knocking up an electronic fuel injection system, piss off the Bosch 1000AD-jetronic and tune it for optimum power & economy. Whilst i am in the mood I will be buying a bunch of steam pipe bends and making some extractors as well - I know I said i wasnt going to modify this one but you just can't beat the rumble of a V8!!!

Anyhow, back to the body...

During this last week of indulgance, any Sydney-sider would have told you that it has been honking down rain and I have noticed a smell... a smell i have not smelt in years... a smell I haven't smelt since... I washed my old dog many years ago...

The misty windows whist sitting in the sun were a dead give-away, the boat was taking in water and I needed to bail it out! Passenger carpets - perfect! Drivers carpets - sodden! The wheelwells in the boot had turned into... water wells! Initial inspections indicate rust is present in all the usual spots and, being the tight arsed handyman I am, I just have to fix it myself.

I have a Dremel and I'm not afraid to use it.

So begins the Chronicles of Mercules...

Ahhhh the famous water ingress and rust. Check the door rubbers, on my white SEL they were past use by date, replacing them helped the water leaks, didnt stop them, but lessened them. If it has a sunroof, the drain tubes may be blocked and water does leak in from the roof too. (I have to pull the back seat cushion out and let the wool soundproofing dry. Theres also a hollow box area under the cushion area thats part covered with what looks like tape, the plumbing for the central locking to the fuel flap and boot go through that to the floor and then run up the side of the car. That traps water as well, I use a chux to soak up the water. If its before 78, the fuel overflow tube may block up,this exits right next to the back wheel arch. If you pull the lining out of the boot you'll see what I mean. On my SE, under the foam pad beside the spare wheel, there could be some surface tinworm there. theres rubber bungs in the boot on both sides, they clog up and dont help in releasing water. Yep, I've investigated where water gets in and where it can get out. Good luck!

Water goes downhill. That said, water also surges uphill to some extent with body roll while driving, braking and squat under acceleration.

The two areas I have had problems with are rust starting in the firewall in the engine bay corner (LH side my case) - (go the Dremmel!), and the windscreen seal is not sealing.

Car is soon to get all new rubbers as they are all original.

Get rid of the infernal soundproofing under the front carpets unless you are sure it's dry, but your description Mercules indicates that it won't be. This stuff stinks when it's wet and it never dries out. The tar on the floor pan in the back gets cracks that admit moisture too. Chip some of it up to see if there is rust underneath.

Also ckeck the front footwells where they slope up onto the firewall. The black insulation stuff has a foam backing that holds water.

Some of the carpet in the back has an underlay (check the transmission tunnel) with a gooey moist glue under it - sort that out too. If it's generally a bad situation, consider removing the seats so you can squat in the car and have a good look and work on it because usually you'll be upside down with a torch peering in under the seats.

See also my comments about air-cond condensation elsewhere.

Take no prisoners as this is where the rust starts/will be.

Mercules

Good luck....

For those like me who didn't know what a Dremel was

http://www.dremel.com.au/html/home_fr.html

Very interesting tool for the DIY person..

yeah good luck with it Cam, been there done that with many mercs and rust and its not pleasent, welding upside down with things catching on fire makes for a very grumpy trimmer by the end of the day

Hahah... knew it wouldn't be long. You can't help yourself!!

$100/week for driving enjoyment is money well spent!

I know the smell you're talking about, not pretty. But great to see you get back on the DIY horse! Cant' wait to hear more about the other little 'sub' projects too!

Cam2.

Well, Mercules is at it again and whatsmore, he is in full flight. However, this time it's bodywork and not mechanicals - for the time being. I'll not steal his thunder by disclosing what he has found, and what he is going to do about it. I will leave that to him. Needless to say, if I can be helpful, I am at his disposal.

When you read about, or come to know, of the various problems some 116 owners are faced with, I often ask myself as to where the fortitude comes from in tackling various issues, whether they be mechanical, body or trim wise - especially if they have alternatives at their disposal.

To those, I cannot offer anything other than my fullest respect and, whenever possible,my fullest support. Regards Styria

Can this be from the same man who said he would not modify a single part of his new Chariot?
Zagato eat yr heart out?
Regards,
BenzBoy

Hi BenzBoy, well, I don't think he is talking about body modifications at this stage other than building up a nice and dry nest when he is inside the car and water is bucketing down from heaven as has been the wont in Sydney Town during the last few weeks.

As far as mechanical mods. are concerned, I guess the fuel consumption put a damper on his enthusiasm, or it lit a flame to do something about it. The boy has got the know how, and I don't blame him if he is to use it. I am certainly keeping a watchful eye on his future movements ! Regards Styria

Big day today... I drove out to Carlton to my brothers mates panelshop - the owner is away for a few weeks so I am able to store and work on the body for some time.

First things first, removed the bonnet and the right guard to get stuck into the rustholes letting the water in...









The rust around the fusebox & under the scuttle is extensive to say the least, so to do this job properly, the dash and wiring was gonna have to come out...





I cut out a few rust holes that turned into a peephole for under the scuttle panel & look what I found...





Well the wiring had to come out so the firewall repairs could continue and after 10 seconds evaluation it was clear that the fuse blocks needed to be removeed and the engine bay wiring harness pulled into the car



(I have posted my notes on the fuseblock layout on PAGE 2 for anyone else wanting to do this)

So after much chopping & grinding the result was a gaping hole. This picture does not really illustrate the amount of work done today - inside the car you can see just how much metal came out but I don't have a pic of it yet





Now that the cancer has been cut out, I can start making some metal pieces to go in and fire up the MIG... next weekend!

Cam

Fantastic effort Mercules -

There is only one way to fix rust and that's the proper way...you are an inspiration. Thanks for all the photos - they are very instructive. I wonder how many W116 owners could actually say they don't have problems at the base of the A-pillars or in the firewall region. A wet interior is a clear indicator as you've discovered.

6.9forever said:

Fantastic effort Mercules -

There is only one way to fix rust and that's the proper way...you are an inspiration. Thanks for all the photos - they are very instructive. I wonder how many W116 owners could actually say they don't have problems at the base of the A-pillars or in the firewall region. A wet interior is a clear indicator as you've discovered.

Click to expand...

You know, I reckon the only W116 that DOESNT have rust here would be one that has been repaired! To John S's credit this car is in fantastic condition throughout and this rust was to be expected.

I am looking forward to driving the finished result to work in the rain with full confidence I can get back in after work and not smell the wet dog!

This is 1 day's work?!?!

Great pics, great content. True that about 116's that don't have rust there.

"you are an inspiration" is an understatement. You're f*kn machine!

Hi Mercules, well I did say that I wouldn't steal your thunder, didn't I ? That's a sterling effort to remove all of those parts in the one day - if you have the time and inclination, tell us a little more as to what you found easy, what was hard and/or difficult etc. etc. You've been somewhat unlucky that all of this rust is on the right hand side of the car - on my Gleaming Beauty, most of it was on the left hand side. In fact, I've not had to touch the right hand side.

Now that you've gotten this far, double check the left hand side as well - in any case, it is the far easier of the two. Also, have a good look in the area of the anti-roll bar mounts and behind the internal soundproofing that abuts against the firewall. Good luck with all that work - Regards Styria

Hi Cam2, in no way am I belittling Mercules' efforts in the one day - one needs to remember how long the day was ! Pulling apart is the easy part - putting together is another story, but it is surprising how much can be achieved if you really get stuck into it and that's exactly what Mercules has done.

If you have a look at the photos, you will notice that the craddle for the heater controls and the bottom of the heater box are still in place. Any work in that area is really another chapter again and very awkward and hard on the body as forever you seem to be lying sideways and/or sitting on an uncomfortable gearbox tunnel. Yes, he's done extra extra well. Regards again, Styria

I am sitting here at 6.30am shaking my head with amazement.

This impressive Mercules....

Can't wait for the rest of the story

HUGE EFFORT CAM!!!! well done mate

Mercules, what a fantastic effort! I can hardly believe that there was so much rust in that / those positions. Soon after I bought the car (11 or 12 years ago) I had Axel at Vehicle Color Design cut out some rust from the firewall and under the mudguard at the rear, and I thought that the rest of the body was OK!! How wrong I was!!

Thank goodness you have the car now, as I am certain that the amount and quality of the work you are detailing would be too much for the other 99% of us!

Here is a little diagram I made of the fusebox layout... not sure how it translates to other models & build dates but hey, it could save you a lot of crying if you mess up the wiring!!! (DIAGRAM IS LOOKING FROM UNDERNEATH AT THE WIRES & SCREWS THEMSELVES)



(first colour deontes wire colour, second & third colours denote tracers)

1. red/blue
2. black/red + black + black 5 wire
3. black/red x 2 + black/yellow/green
4. black/green + black/purple + black yellow
5. black/purple + black/red + black
6. red x 2 + red/white
7. red/black x 2 + black/red
8. grey
9. grey/white
10. black (sheathed)
11. red + red/yellow + red/grey + red/white + black
12. blac/green + black/pink/green
13. grey/red x 3
14. grey/black x 2
15. grey/green/yellow
16. white/blue + white
17. yellow
18. red/yellow + red
19. white
20. yellow
21. red/blue
22. white/black
23. yellow/black
24. red/white + red/black

Thanks for the comments guys - very encouraging!

Don't fret just yet John - there is some more to come! The passenger side needs a little tidy-up then its into the boot floors.

NOTE: High definition rust porn has been updated on page 1