My New (old) rx7

[marked]

I definately put the battery terminals on the wrong way around (feel like a muppet...) so hopefully just replacing the fuse will sort it. I'm hoping for some to get delivered tomorrow and I will see.

Now in regards to my rust issue in the area adjacent to the sill, what is the best way to access that from above? Is it possible to remove the rear seats to get access down in to that area?

Cheers

[ian65]

Could you post up some pictures of the affected area? That would help show us the rust damage and give you the best advice on how to fix it

[marked]

Sorted out the electrics with fuse link as codge suggested, connected battery up correctly and everything working. At this point I couldn't resist trying to start it but it just does nothing, not even a click! Anyways we can deal with that later...

Now you know when I said I thought it didn't have much rust? I was very wrong.

Right side in front of rear wheel arch



Left side in front of rear wheel arch



Left side sill



Left side wheel arch hole with a view down the sill!



Any thoughts on way forward? I'm still thinking I will scrape off all the flakey rust then aqua steel as much as possible so it all hardens up, then get someone to come weld some patches in.

Also as a side note I've taken the rear spoiler off. I like the look better..

[Chud]

Pretty heavy rust there but still nothing that can't be fixed with enthusiastic welding. Regarding the starting - if she's been sat a while might be suspect solenoid. If you've got a test lamp/multimeter then unplug the small cable with the spade connector off of the starter and with a glamorous assistant see if it is getting voltage when key is turned. Then you know which direction to take your investigation.

[spoddy]

ooohhh, lot of rust, the guys on here will know more about repairing rust like that.

i doubt that stuff you were talking about would be more for surface rust as it's very deep in those pics
and i think the fb was 1.5-2.0 mm thickness of steel in those areas, but salty roads and the years are against
you with these cars.

steve was good at repairing his gold fb and it was in similar areas, so check out his thread for an idea of
what to do. you need to cut it out and weld it all up, you can get rear sills and panels for the outside.

keep us informed of your progress and add pics as you go along. best of luck mate.

[codge]

X 2 for that advice.

Find posts from 'Steve-A' and Cliff ='chc'. (Look in 'Members' to view their posts). They both did miracle work, making new bits and welding on.
Maybe Cliff's work was mainly on MRC?

Dave

[ian65]

the sill is a simpler repair than the floor but both need doing properly. The end of the sill below the B post has a strengthener inside it which needs repairing as well.... a common bodge is the just do the outer sill but the strengthener is in there for a reason and should be part of any welding work.
The floor is more tricky... it's double skinned and can only be done from below.... I'll dig out some photos from when mine was done on my old car.
Any corrosion within 300mm of a suspension mounting point like this is an automatic mot fail so repairs need to be spot on .... the mot tester will have a good poke around any repairs within the fail zone.

[marked]

Cheers for responses all. Getting welding done is definately outside my comfort zone, so I will need to get someone to come do this for me. Anyone have any suggestions of mobile tradesman for this sort of fix in or around the London area? I found www.weldfix.co.uk and www.rustandrepairs.co.uk so far, if you have experiences of them I would be glad to know.

[ian65]

I'd be surprised if a mobile welder managed to do a quality job without getting the car up in the air.......plus this is an easy repair to bodge, just plate it up over the rust but it's definitely not an easy job to do right. Personally, I'd try to find a classic car restorer with a workshop and get a quote off them.
I'll post up the pictures of the same floor repair that was done on my series 3 last year....... I'm very fussy when it comes to welding repairs and the guy who does mine is absolutely top drawer but even then, it took a good few hours to assess the corrosion, cut out the rust, fabricate repair panels and weld them in.

[syebba]

I'd be surprised if a mobile welder managed to do a quality job without getting the car up in the air.......plus this is an easy repair to bodge, just plate it up over the rust but it's definitely not an easy job to do right. Personally, I'd try to find a classic car restorer with a workshop and get a quote off them.
I'll post up the pictures of the same floor repair that was done on my series 3 last year....... I'm very fussy when it comes to welding repairs and the guy who does mine is absolutely top drawer but even then, it took a good few hours to assess the corrosion, cut out the rust, fabricate repair panels and weld them in.

Can you remember what your welder charged?
I'm guessing £75 an hour + mats & gas.