Rust where you cant quite get to it

[Oldjets]

While investigating damp carpet syndrome in the heater cupboard, I discovered rust on the inside of a body seam which is letting in the rain. There's only one to get at it without removing the whole kitchen...

I was feeling pretty smug about lack of rust on the van's bodywork up until this point, but hopefully I can delay the inevitable for a few years yet.

[chuckle-bus-tom]

Find any other treats down there?

[Daisy]

I love the colour co-ordinated soles on the shoes and upholstery

[CovKid]

That'll be the area I'm poking around in today. Chances are its a lot more extensive than you think.

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=47493" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mine was leaking between seam from panel side (ie opposite sliding door) and the sill below but its a bigger hole than I bargained for as its rotted out the panel below. I may well have to bodge this year as it looks as though it will eat up money I just don't have right now. Best you can do is wirebrush what you can get at and give it a coat of Vactan in the short term but long term it will need cutting out and doing.

[weldore]

its like the lion ,the witch and the wardrobe
your not a meter reader by any chance ???

i can imagine you saying to your mate/partner....take a pic of me while i wriggle into this cupboard

[AngeloEvs]

Unfortunately, gven the area you are looking in the corrosion is probably well established but you have to examine it thoroughly to see how bad it is and the the complete interior has to be removed and the floor taken up. Covkid has linked to a thread (and a very interesting one too!) that shows the extent of the area affected. Once the interior is removed the repairs are relatively straightforward. Water can also leak into that area from the sliding windows if fitted.

[Cruz]

Yep. My van had a bad case of nappy rash

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w103 ... dfloor.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sadly the panel to fix it, that incorporated the outer sill and the part of the floor that had rotted is now obsolete

[CovKid]

Not sure its relatively straightforward though. Mine has cavenous holes at the bottom and not much to attach side panel to sill that I can see. Will investigate more in morning but think I'll be looking at a temporary fix as I'll need a lot of metal to replace whats gone and none of these panels are cheap. Deffo can't do it this year unless I win the lottery. Might have a chat with chickenkoop and see if he can help me on this. If I had a folder of some kind it might help as I'm sure I could fabricate much of what needs replacing. It won't get better thats for sure. I've splodged it all with vactan to slow it down in the meantime.

[HarryMann]

If I had a folder of some kind it might help as I'm sure I could fabricate much of what needs replacing

That makes two of us - looking for a sheet folder, (or bending bars). Trouble is once you get above 2 feet, they cost arms and legs.
Been making up inner and outer sill sections (~1.7mm) Trouble is, where they flare out at front & esp. rear j/p means individual tapered sections welded in and getting them to line up takes time and a modicum of metal bashing experience. Done front and doing rear - not fun as it runs up and over the thick (once upon a time) rear jacking frame



from: Wiki - Areas that rust

I'm sure we could get some basic sill outer/inner and other straight-line panels folded up for general use... ? I usually template up whatever I bend or fabricate, on card or paper, just for posterity - as if

[CovKid]

I need some sheet steel for starters then. Is it expensive raw? And what guage?

[Oldjets]

Thanks for the kind comments on my footwear. Those soles are actually red not pink! Went like this: Other half comes out with cup of tea - "For **** sake, what the **** are you **** doing now?" - my mumbled reply not appreciated (head was jammed in cupboard, after all) - so she goes and gets camera, takes pic etc etc.

As far as I can see, on the inside of side panel seam and floor seam there are just a couple of tiny areas of rust showing. Have scraped out and worked in the Vactan for now. I know this means there is rust coming through the seams though and I will be moving on to treat the outside area now to minimise the damage. Floor and panels are really sound though, no holes. Factory rustproofing is still doing its job, pretty much.

Original water leak was getting in via the sliding window and dripping on carpet. Have PU sealed round the window rubbers and that has stopped it for now. Had to clean off almost invisible bead of silicone which previous owner had applied though. Tip: DO NOT use silicone sealer on paintwork! Nothing sticks to it and its a b**** to get off. Worth carefully prising up window seals to check for rust under - I had a few bits which I've Vactan-ed. Means the window will have to come out when funds permit, and have the Claytonrite seal replaced to completely cure it. Still had a tiny bit of water getting in when parked up which I've tracked down to the vertical panel seam - hence the cupboard antics. Once the seam is done, hopefull it will be dry inside for a while.

While I was at it, I took the Electrolux fridge vent cover off to check inside bodywork in that area, and all is good - a small mirror on a stick is a useful tool. Vent cover is fibreglass and had warped with age and heat, so glued (with Silkaflex) a narrow alloy reinforcing strip on the back and refitted with new sealant and stainless screws.

They are the best vehicles ever, but its going to be a constant battle from now on with the rust. Everyone's comments are right - it will always be worse than it looks! Will post a few more pics up if anyone's interested.

Oldjets

[CovKid]

Oldjets, this should give you some idea of what happens when you leave the rust down there - just cut the side out of mine today.

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.p ... 8#p7386948" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;