Rust and Dirt - Gleaming Beauty

[Styria]

Here we come to talk about our friend "RUST" again. It had been about ten years since she was resprayed in Petrol 877 Blue (well, green) and rust was becoming a problem. In those years of out in the open parking, the doors and roof took a bit of a hammering so to speak, as well as in some other areas. Parks had welded the section in the left hand side of the firewall (much subject to rust), and we also repaired sections of the two front doors with some temporary success. However, eventually matters started to get out of hand. Enter Jerry, Michel's bodyman - well, that's what he calls him anyway. Jerry was itching to get into Gleaming Beauty (well, he needed the money) and he really decided to go all out. Just take a look - don't think these pics have been published previously.










....and there was, of course, the roof area - quite nasty.



There were other areas as well, and even the filler cap did not escape his attention....



To be continued. Regards Styria

 

[Styria]

So, those were some of the rust repairs. Now, some of you may recall that I went out and bought 4 liters of Fish Oil - I was really going to swamp Gleaming Beauty with the stuff, but in the end I used about half, to spray inside the sill panels and also behind the wheel arches INSIDE the boot of the car.

First of all, I removed the rubber bungs on the top of the internal sill panels, as well as the ones that are underneath the car. I really gave that section a thorough clean with compressed air, and I decided to 'save' some of the evidence.



....after all. it might be useful at some future time - yeah, sure - what's next ?

Next, I replaced the rubber bungs, and taped up all likely holes on the underside of both sill panels in an effort to keep all of the fish oil where it was supposed to be - inside the sills. I didn't of course take into account the splitting of the seam, so as a result a fair bit of the good stuff did run out and left a sticky mess on the concrete. All in all though, I was happy with what I had accomplished and I am hoping that rust will no longer be a problem in the foreseeable future. Regards Styria

 

[Oversize]

You should try 'Oak' on the rusted areas as it's pretty tough on "hungrythirsty"!!!!

I'm quite surprized by the extent of rust in these cars, which seems to suggest that any rust prevention method is ineffective after 30 odd years. However could it be due to the fact that many have been left in the weather for the last few decades? Does anyone have a vehicle that's been outta the weather all it's life? If so, is there a similar amount of rust apparent?

 

[John S]

Styria, is one of those photos showing a bit of rust on the rear fill-in panel, between the windscreen seat?

 

[Tony66_au]

Nice pics, I will see if i can find some of the rust pics and repairs done at the resto shop and post em up for interests sake.

Mark did you know that a common legal definition of a "Lifetime" is 25 years?

So things like the old Ming treatment only has to last for 25 years although often lifetime guarantees void when the item changes legal owners so id be betting on an lifetime warranty being factored in at 15 years on older cars.

This is also why I bought my 450 from one of the most arid regions in Victoria (And ofcourse brought it home to one of the wettest regions, Even wetter than Sydney ya know......) and ive had good results sourcing old cars from dry regions including an old farm ute where i bought it off the original owner (Bought in 1971 brand new) who used it as his daily.

when i got her she has very little rust at all in a ca that normally would have crumbling chassis rails and panel rust galore.

 

[6.9forever]

Hi Styria -

All that stuff might be good for the garden beds!

Cheers.

PS - we took the 6.9 for a lovely drive to West Head yesterday. She's running extremely well.

 

[Styria]

Hi Styria -

All that stuff might be good for the garden beds!

Cheers.

PS - we took the 6.9 for a lovely drive to West Head yesterday. She's running extremely well.

Hi 6.9forever, no well, I thought I'd chuck the stuff - I have other means of fertilizing the garden beds ! Hope to join you soon on a nice drive. Regards Styria

 

[Styria]

Well, I did undertake various steps to protect the car from our dreaded friend "RUST" by spraying the insides of the doors a couple of times over the ten year period from whence the car had previously been re-sprayed. Chances are that if I hadn't taken those precautions, matters could have been far worse. Besides, rust in the doors did not constitute any worry for me - I did have four spare doors waiting in the wings, already hi-filled and ready for painting. They had also been rust proofed internally.

As I have already said, the method of having the rubber retaining channels at the bottom of the doors is nowadays absolutely dumb. In fact I would recommend that each owner with a nice W116 takes the trouble and remove the rubber and treat the channel with some form of rust proofing. Naturally, another area is on the bottom corners on both sides of the firewall behind the soundproofing. This can be a real trap as well. Another 'dumb' thing is the method of mounting the side window moulds by means of the clips that are used. Absolutely vicious is the only way to describe them - the moment you tap them into place immediately you start exposing bare metal.

I have read on some occasions now that due to a steel shortage in the '70s, manufacturers were forced to use Russian steel of inferior quality. Well, that's the tale anyway, and I do accept the fact that our cars are now at least thirty years old. Something has to give, hasn't it ? What I find disappointing is that the rust seems to emanate from within - in other words, all of a sudden youi see a bubble or two, especially when you least expect it. Regards Styria

 

[BenzBoy]

That Soviet steel story has done the rounds for most manufacturers. The truth is probably vastly different from the myth.
I don't believe it.
Regards,
Benz-Boy

 

[John S]

From what I remember the Italian industry did a barter deal for Russian sheet steel (tyo build the Fiat 1500 in Russia), which was actually recycled metal and not actually 'pure' enough - i.e. it had an odd fraction of a % too much carbon or copper left in it - I cannot remember which. This caused electrolysis within the metal giving the 60's Italian cars a reputation for rusting.

 

[Styria]

Still on the subject of our friend "rust". Prevention of future rust problems on Gleaming Beauty are very much uppermost in my mind. As previously indicated, I really went to town with the Fish Oil in the sill panels (with mixed success) and one other area that caused some of my unsightly rust spots were the doors. Obviously, I have replaced all four, and I sprayed the internal door skins with a POR 15 like substance some two years ago.

Other than the rubber channels, most rust seems to start from the inside of the doors - mainly right along the edges where the skins are folded over to the outside panel. With all items removed from inside the doors, it really provided the opportunity to spray cavity wax all up and down inside those areas. If the product is any good, I reckon that these doors should be rust free for the next how many years !

 

[Oversize]

So should we be looking at listing areas of the 116 that are prone to rusting? This might help those of us looking to purchase one in the future (not me anymore)! I'd suggest design has as much to do with the progress of rust as exposure to the elements & rustproofing. Too many seams, channels for rubber seals & holes in panels to mount trim pieces, all contribute to the problem. Probably one of the reasons they use stick-on trims & badges on today's plastic-fantastic....

Unfortunately the 116 is full of these water/moisture traps. Add a sunroof & it's even worse. I washed my parts car yesterday (4248) & even though I was carefull, water was coming in from everywhere. The sunroof leaks inside the car onto the front seats. I removed the soundproofing in the LH corner of the firewall & discovered a dirty big hole (I'll add some pics soon). Is it likely that this hole directly exposes the interior, or is there a sub-firewall, similar to the 126?

Anyway, when I bought the car 7 years ago it was full of water inside. The carpets were missing (probably rotten) & I actually thought it'd been submerged in a flood! Apparently it'd been stored under trees for a length of time. The excessive moisture has led to small rust spots everywhere; even in places which are normally quite dry & most still look like the day they left the factory. Even some aluminium components under the dash are showing signs of decay. The engine was haemorrhaging from a blown rocker cover gasket, but it did seem to run ok. It was the cheapest 6.9 I'd ever seen at that point & I only wanted it for parts anyway, so I bought it. It still runs really well, but now both suspension control valves leak & I discovered one of the spark plug threads has been pretty much stripped. I should've known better, but I was new to the game & it did have that special badge on the boot!

Anyway, areas prone to rust on a W116 (in no particular order) include:

Doors (under the door seals),
Firewall (under the soundproofing),
Sunroof (frame),
Roof (around the sunroof frame),
Rear quarters (lower sections),
Sills (esp. at the front & rear),
Boot cavity (around the seal),
Tailight cavitys (around the seals),
Bonnet (in the corners),
Bootlid (in the corners & around the badges),
Front guards (lower sections),
Windscreen cavitys (lower sections of the seal front & rear).

Anyone care to add more (with pics)?

 

[Oversize]

Oh & I forgot to mention it's a really good idea to check under the plastic scuff-plates, because rust likes to hide there, on the top of the sills.

It's also a good idea to remove as many body seals as possible (if they're not glued in place) and give the seals & cavities a good clean with a toothbrush, carwash & sponges. I'd look at this preventative measure at least once a year.

And never leave your car under a tree.....