Rotten Sill!

[patrolman pete]

What a way to celebrate my 500th post! My 52 reg tourer is due her MOT at the end of the month , so i thought i'd have a quick look underneath at the brake pipes and when i was on the ground ready to jack the car up noticed a rust stain on the n/s sill near the rear jacking point. I scraped at the underseal and put a small hole in the sill! I've cleaned it up a bit and have now got a hole the size of my thumb. It appears that this winters salt water has got behind the sill pad and sat inside the sill and eaten through. It is localised and not spread that i can see, so i've bought some paint and clearcoat and i'm off to my mate in the morning to get him to mig a patch to hide my shame.

Everybody now get on your hands and knees and have a look as this has shocked me!

Now off out to buy some Waxoyl!

[chris75]

I am just thinking about waxoyling those areas too , but have come up with a possibly silly thought :o If I am too late with the treatment and I subsequently need a bit of welding , does the waxoyl go on fire :confused:
This did happen to my brother's A60 , but he had been soaking the sills in old oil !

[throwback]

i've just noticed a rusty patch appearing on mine tbh.not good, does anyone know how much it costs to get it fixed?:shrug:

[jonathan63]

I am just thinking about waxoyling those areas too , but have come up with a possibly silly thought :o If I am too late with the treatment and I subsequently need a bit of welding , does the waxoyl go on fire :confused:
This did happen to my brother's A60 , but he had been soaking the sills in old oil !

I seem to remember that waxoyl is very flammable, especially shortly after application.

Soaking anything in old engine oil is never a good idea. It is full of nasty contaminates and not good for the environment.

If rust is starting to be a problem on the 75s i might start treating the sills.

[patrolman pete]

All fixed now. We welded a patch inside the hole sprayed with zinc primer, then filled, levelled and painted. I've filled the inside with waxoyl but i think i'd better buy a big tin and fill both sills and anywhere else i can find. It's been a bit of a wakeup call! :(

[ProfDave]

:twonk::twonk:

YES IT DOES

had an amusing incident 10 years ago with a Wolseley 1500 sill on fire on the inside. Much swearing and running about did not help. Mrs W had the presence of mind to bring me a powder fire extinguisher along with eight gallons of scorn.

[1gp]

I seem to remember that waxoyl is very flammable, especially shortly after application.

Soaking anything in old engine oil is never a good idea. It is full of nasty contaminates and not good for the environment.

If rust is starting to be a problem on the 75s i might start treating the sills.

it is , plenty are now starting to get the rust worm , the rear of the inner sills are becoming a problem , all the road muck from the rear wheels seems to attack it...:(

[Trevor1975]

Had a few Mazda's which were very tidy except for rust at the rear of the sills.

My 75 is very non - rusty except, a patch at the back of the off side sill.

Going to strip it back shortly before the weather closes in :eek:

My thought was to rub down and treat / paint the sills, then pour some jenolite or Kurust inside the sills and let it work, then waxoyl them a bit later.

Don't want to Waxoyl until I'm sure that its all protected with no welding needed!

For 14 years old and 155 k shes in pretty good shape! :D

[trikey]

I must have broke all the good ones, I have never seen rust on a 75 shell?!?

I find a weekly dose of the jet wash in the wheel arches and along the floorpan works wonders.

If you want to be really sure, remove the front wings and see how much mud gets inside there, you will be very surprised!

[BIG LEK]

I must have broke all the good ones, I have never seen rust on a 75 shell?!?

I find a weekly dose of the jet wash in the wheel arches and along the floorpan works wonders.

If you want to be really sure, remove the front wings and see how much mud gets inside there, you will be very surprised!Oh yes you have seen rust, remember my conni that needed its sill and rear arch repaired:shrug: the one you broke was better than mine lol:D

[trikey]

Oh yes you have seen rust, remember my conni that needed its sill and rear arch repaired:shrug: the one you broke was better than mine lol:D


That's what I said, everyone I have broke has been perfect ;)

[webbnos]

:twonk::twonk:

YES IT DOES

had an amusing incident 10 years ago with a Wolseley 1500 sill on fire on the inside. Much swearing and running about did not help. Mrs W had the presence of mind to bring me a powder fire extinguisher along with eight gallons of scorn.

There's nothing worse than watching a fire spread where you can't get to it to put it out!

[Trevor1975]

... My 75 is very non - rusty except, a patch at the back of the off side sill.

Going to strip it back shortly before the weather closes in :eek:

For 14 years old and 155 k shes in pretty good shape! :D

Got under the car, took out my key and poked a hole straight through the sill :getmecoat:

Bit of grinding, welding and protecting required then... :(

Well for a 14 year old car that cost £350 it is to be expected :shrug:

[dentricrio]

Yep the sills seem to harbor rust, My 75 is currently sitting in bits waiting to be re-built and noticed alot of rust on the sills where its been dented by a trolly jack in the past because the jacking points haven't been used.

Another spot to check is the sub frame braces, the sub frame itself, behind the front wheel arch liners and the rear suspension bits and bobs, got them all off and sanded/chipped/painted waiting to be refitted.

[Mike Noc]

Offside corner leading edge of the bonnet has as good as rusted through from the inside on mine. :getmecoat:

[Father Ted]

Is rust a major problem with 75s?
I remember chasing rust round on previous cars I've owned, but I thought those days were long gone.
Looking to buy a 75 as my next car, and don't want to start chasing rust again.

[Dashiel]

Dont use waxoyl on anything other than clean surfaces. It sits on top of anything and doesnt soak in.
Dinitrol ml is an oil with a little bit of wax in it. Excellent for box sections on old cars and is highly recomended. It will soak into anything permeable and get into all the cracks.

[Trevor1975]

Is rust a major problem with 75s?
I remember chasing rust round on previous cars I've owned, but I thought those days were long gone.
Looking to buy a 75 as my next car, and don't want to start chasing rust again.

No worse than anything else... I saw a Mercedes C class a year newer than mine and the arches were rotten! also better than the Mazdas I previously owned, however all cars will rust eventually and meticulous TLC is the only option to keep them going.

Although I poked the key through one small patch, the rest of the sills seems solid.

I feel my 75 is worth the effort, (or money if I pay to have it done). It is a real classic, lovely to drive and worth it. :D:D

[Saga Lout]

I haven't seen any signs of the tin worm on the ZT as yet, I've been valeting it panel by panel, by hand of course! I knew there was a nice car under all that tree sap.
If I find any rust I'll simply do what I've always done, cut back to solid metal and put new metal in and repaint the area, when you have a Cortina MK3 you know about rusty sills.
The best advice I could offer is not to despair when faced with rust, it's only a problem if you let it become one. If anyone has to weld anything, clear the area of carpets and wires Etc, and most importantly shield the tank and feeds or remove them completely. It's always a good move to have a second person as a fire watcher with an extinguisher handy. I've taken to putting soft earplugs in to stop ear frazzles happening as well as a good mask for the eyes.
I can't post in the help section as yet but I'm not bad with the bodywork and, I can give many tips to anyone that is in anyway unsure about how to go about welding a repair section. I've always believed it's simpler to go to a breakers, and cut a section from a breaker car than to sit bending metal to fit, you get the same profile and metal quality and less finishing off to do.
Regards.

[Father Ted]

No worse than anything else... I saw a Mercedes C class a year newer than mine and the arches were rotten! also better than the Mazdas I previously owned, however all cars will rust eventually and meticulous TLC is the only option to keep them going.

Although I poked the key through one small patch, the rest of the sills seems solid.

I feel my 75 is worth the effort, (or money if I pay to have it done). It is a real classic, lovely to drive and worth it. :D:D

That's what put me off getting a C Class, all the write ups about rust. My current car is 20 years old and there is no rust at all on it ( other than the usual surface stuff on cross members etc). I was hoping for the same with the Rover.

It still won't put me off though :D Maybe Saga has the right idea, cover it with tree sap to protect it :getmecoat:

[Trevor1975]

Also I wonder if there was any difference between the Cowley models and early longbridge cars.

Should be the same spec of materials and 'body in white' corrosion treatment before paint... but is there any difference :shrug:

[Saga Lout]

I just saw a 2001 CDTI with the front nearside top skin of the bonnet bubbled through, just above the headlamp, it had original paint on it but it's rotten. The seam must be a moisture trap so I'll get some rust preventer into my car. I'm having the wing liners out and giving it a good soaking I've decided, back and front.

[Trevor1975]

Mine has bubbled up above the headlight on the bonnet too... needs sorting!:getmecoat:

[andy willi]

all the LWB cars rot where they have been stretched have see a few like it but never any on a standard car


andy

[Dashiel]

Dinitrol ml for sills... It soaks through dirt into rust. Which is where it needs to be. Waxoyl will sit on top of the dirt and it will keep rusting underneath.

[Father Ted]

all the LWB cars rot where they have been stretched have see a few like it but never any on a standard car


andy
I didn't know there were LWB and SWB versions. Beside the obvious, how can I tell the difference?
I'm a bit scared of rust ( I had a Vauxhall Viva once), I'd rather deal with mechanical failures, they're easier.

[Mike Noc]

Longer rear doors, far more legroom in the back and the rear seat passengers get their own roof console.

And from what Andy has seen a fair bit of tinworm. :getmecoat:

[Father Ted]

SWB it is for me then. Don't care if the kids are cramped! :D

[Trevor1975]

SWB it is for me then. Don't care if the kids are cramped! :D

You will find that about 99% of rover 75's are standard (wheelbase).

The LWB limosuine was a special coachbuilt version with the 'chopping' of the standard shell carried out seperately. These are more expensive to buy and aparently more rusty :eek:

[trikey]

My LWB was as good as any shorter version. You have to watch the doors though as they can go a little rusty!

[Trevor1975]

Uh-Oh!

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt171/mricemantoyou/IMAG06483.jpg (http://s609.photobucket.com/user/mricemantoyou/media/IMAG06483.jpg.html)

The white stuff is Kurust...

I can see why they go rusty here. At the front of the hole is a stiffener that seems to be sealed off. In the middle is the jacking point with a 30mm open hole and just behind this is a small 6 mm hole for drainage. I found a lot of mud / dirt in there. It was dry thanks to the recent weather but it seems to be a trap for dirt and moisture here.

Will have it welded up on Wednesday - currently covered over with masking tape...

Do not fear... its not a big job to fix this and the rest of it seems pretty solid. If they are welded properly and then protected they should last quite a while longer...

[patrolman pete]

Oops! that hole is a bit bigger than mine was, but quite straightfoward to fix if you can weld. I've squirted waxoyl into all those drainholes along the sills and i'll keep topping them up every year now. However my 75 is still the least rustiest car i've ever owned! :cool: