Club 80-90 Forums

I've recently bought a '90 holdsworth that is generally in superb condition.
However when i look closely at the panel seams i can see that the sealant is slightly cracked and in places there are traces of orange where there's obviously a bit of rust underneath.

There is absolutely no sign of bubbling etc, and the only orange discolouration is where the sealant is cracked - no bubbling etc anywhere else.

I'm trying to work out exactly what i need to do about this.
I've read a lot about how seam rust can often start from behind (i.e. inside the van), but am reluctant to start taking out the inside panels etc when there is a chance that a bit of elbow grease with some polish and a decent waxing could be all that is needed here.

In a nutshell, is it likely that this rust has started on the inside or is it more likely that it's started from outside, so a good clean up should do?

(or am i just delaying the inevitable interior removal by posting a hopeful question... )

Update - seems ok, a mate "in the know" has looked at reckons its from outside, so I'm gonna leave taking the interior out til winter and settle for rubbing a load of wax in the seams to keep the weather out for now i think

do some searches for 'seams' there are loads and loads and loads of posts about this youll not be stuck for advice

Yeah thanks, definitely loads of useful stuff on the forums.

What i really wanted was clarification of whether seam rust really does "always" start from the inside of the van as the threads i read have suggested. I'm sure they often (usually) do, but it just didnt seem that way on my van and i didnt want to remove the interior unnecessarily.

Cheers for the reply

My opinion would be it starts from inside the seam, not inside / outside the van.

Treating both sides basically doubles the time before it comes back. (about 2 months instead of 1 )

sorry your mate is wrong , its its not starting from the inside , its already there and showing through on the external visible area
if you remove the interior you will see a little or lot of evidence , but I guarantee it will be in ther e. sorry but you asked
mm

Cheers for your frankness. I guess I'll be taking the inside of the van out sooner rather than later then