Red'n'Black
Forum Supporter
- Messages
- 779
- Location
- Malvern, Worcs
Little'un's MoT was due in a few weeks, so I thought I'd give it a going over.
I knew it needed a new back box, it sounded like a bag of spanners at idle. Just for a laugh I opened up the old one, not much left of the innards.
While I was under there something caught my eye.
Oh dear.
No idea what that bracket under the wheel well was originally for, but it's acted as a trap for road crud and started the rot.
That was the worst of it, a fair bit of surface rust all over the underside but not too far gone yet.
I thought I'd stand the best chance of welding it from inside the boot, to keep the wind away.
Doesn't look too bad from the inside.
Chopped out, cleaned up and a piece of Zintec welded in. A piece of ally plate wedged underneath as a heat sink helped with the thinnest bits.
It then got flap disc'd as much as I dared and a coat of zinc primer inside and out. Top coat to follow when I get a minute.
The other bits of surface rust got wire wheeled and slathered in black underseal, not ideal but access is quite poor and it's a 20 year old snotter not a restoration project. Eldest's 106 got the same treatment and that went through another 3 MoTs.
The other bit needing attention was the rear bumper, one of the brackets had completely rotted away.
A piece of 50 x 70 box was a nearly perfect fit. Welded in, primed and put back on.
Last job was a new water pump, it had started weeping. Nice easy job, plenty of space in the engine bay with only 3 cylinders.
MoT today, it did fail on a wheel bearing, I left that with the garage to do. Judging by the bill it was a bit of a swine to fit so I think they've earned that one.
MoT man happy, little'un happy and it gets to live another year
I knew it needed a new back box, it sounded like a bag of spanners at idle. Just for a laugh I opened up the old one, not much left of the innards.
While I was under there something caught my eye.
Oh dear.
No idea what that bracket under the wheel well was originally for, but it's acted as a trap for road crud and started the rot.
That was the worst of it, a fair bit of surface rust all over the underside but not too far gone yet.
I thought I'd stand the best chance of welding it from inside the boot, to keep the wind away.
Doesn't look too bad from the inside.
Chopped out, cleaned up and a piece of Zintec welded in. A piece of ally plate wedged underneath as a heat sink helped with the thinnest bits.
It then got flap disc'd as much as I dared and a coat of zinc primer inside and out. Top coat to follow when I get a minute.
The other bits of surface rust got wire wheeled and slathered in black underseal, not ideal but access is quite poor and it's a 20 year old snotter not a restoration project. Eldest's 106 got the same treatment and that went through another 3 MoTs.
The other bit needing attention was the rear bumper, one of the brackets had completely rotted away.
A piece of 50 x 70 box was a nearly perfect fit. Welded in, primed and put back on.
Last job was a new water pump, it had started weeping. Nice easy job, plenty of space in the engine bay with only 3 cylinders.
MoT today, it did fail on a wheel bearing, I left that with the garage to do. Judging by the bill it was a bit of a swine to fit so I think they've earned that one.
MoT man happy, little'un happy and it gets to live another year
