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Rust Repairs & Restoration

Started by Mforcer, 23 October 2011, 09:53 PM

TJ 450

I'm about to remove the sunroof frame from my 6.9 for restoration... I think I will get it powder coated if that's the best option.

It is a very good idea to drop the frame if there is the slightest hint of rust... Good frames are few and far between even now, so it's best to preserve the good ones before it's too late.

Tim
1976 450SEL 6.9 1432
1969 300SEL 6.3 1394
2003 ML500

Mforcer

Bugger. More work ::) I suspected I would need to take out the sunroof. This simple rust repair is becoming a much bigger job than I ever expected!
Michael
1977 450SE [Brilliant Red]
2006 B200

Big_Richard

w116 rust repairs are rarely a quick and easy activity  8)

Welcome to the "what the hell have i got my self into club"  ;D

Mforcer

#33
That is exactly how I feel! I hope it is a friendly club :)
Michael
1977 450SE [Brilliant Red]
2006 B200

Mforcer

I know no one could sleep last night in anticipation of another set of photos of the weekends fun so here it is!

Rust on my sun roof frame:

You can also see some of the silicone in the second photo.

The main job for the morning was stripping the floor pan of the existing sound deadening material.


I believe the black painted metal of the front left floor pan is previous rust repairs with a rust preventative painted on. It seems to have held up fine.

Most of the rear floor pan looks great but I am glad I did strip it as it revealed a drain hole that wasn't factory standard:




I don't know what that carpet like material from the cross members is designed to do but it was easily removed.
Removing the rear floor pan insulation was very easy with the heat gun softening the adhesive.
The insulation along the inside of the side sills was frustrating as the adhesive didn't come away cleanly and I will have to work on that again next time.

Surprisingly, the left rear floor pan was relatively rust free while the right side had the significant rust holes. I guess the additional drain hole prevented further build up of water and so was never noticed. I am a little concerned now about whether there is more rust on that side of the fire wall or if it was just water coming from the blocked A/C drain.

More rust of which I was already aware but clearer now after a vacuum to remove the loose rust:


The exterior rust in the sills and doors:

There really isn't too much and still have hopes that they are an easy fix.

Finally, I removed the trim around the rear windscreen ready for removal this week:

I am not sure if I broke two of the clips or if they were already like that but it is probably a good time to replace all the clips.
Michael
1977 450SE [Brilliant Red]
2006 B200

TJ 450

Nice work with the sound deadening removal... Was it scraped of with a metal scraper once heated?

The sunroof frame looks a little crusty. FWIW, if any welding needs to be done, just get a 126/201/124 etc frame as a donor. The front section is either the same or very similar.

The other rust is to be expected, unless you are very lucky... those are all typical location for rust.

Keep it up! 8)

Tim
1976 450SEL 6.9 1432
1969 300SEL 6.3 1394
2003 ML500

Mforcer

Removing the insulation from the rear floor was actually very easy using a metal scraper once heated. I was able to soften the material and adhesive with a heat gun enough that it lifted up cleanly in large-ish sheets rather than chipping away at it when it was stiff and well bonded to the floor.
The insulation on the inner sills remained incredibly sticky after heating and I will need to try something else to remove the residual adhesive.

The rest of the sunroof frame looks near perfect and it just seems that top edge has rust where it would have been most exposed to any water trapped by the seal. I will not be surprised, though, if the rest of the frame that I haven't seen yet is completely rusted through ::)
Michael
1977 450SE [Brilliant Red]
2006 B200

1980sdga

It's looking good!  I don't see anything horrorshow in the floorpans.

Where exactly do the plastic ducts on the floor lead to?

john6007

Toluene might help with the residual adhesive

79 - 450SEL 6.9 #5628 &  #6466, 92 - 300CE-24, 98 - MX-5, 89 - Ducati 906 Paso

Mforcer

Quote from: 1980sdga on 28 November 2011, 06:05 PM
Where exactly do the plastic ducts on the floor lead to?

What plastic ducts are you referring to?

There is the one black hose that runs from the right hand drive park brake into the transmission tunnel.
Michael
1977 450SE [Brilliant Red]
2006 B200

1980sdga



You can see them in the bottom of this picture. Kind of flat, running from the console to under the seats.

Mforcer

Those are the A/C ducts that run down the side of the transmission tunnel from under the A/C unit under the dash. The outlet runs through the cross beams under the front seats and should blow into the rear footwell if not blocked by the carpets and anything else under the seats.

This photo shows where the ducts run up the transmission tunnel under the center console:


You can see the large opening on the right side of the (right side) cross member where the duct passes through before venting into the rear:


This is very clear once the seats are removed but the ducts need to be removed to allow the sponges insulation on the front floor pan to be completely removed.
Michael
1977 450SE [Brilliant Red]
2006 B200

Big_Richard

what a very thorough job.  8)

Are you going to paint those bare metal surfaces before applying deadening material? even though they are inside the car they will rust from air exposure.

Mforcer

#43
I will not waste my time doing anything but a thorough job :)

Every bit of bare metal will be painted although I am undecided if I will bother with the body colour or just the black rust inhibitor. I am not too worried about the colour of panels I will never see but don't ever want to deal with rust again (if possible).

I have even been thinking about drilling more holes into the cross members under the seats as well as the sills and the box section under the rear seat to allow me to get good paint coverage inside them.

Another area I have my eye on is the interior of the doors. I will try to get as much rust inhibitor paint in there too without having to completely remove all the lock and window mechanisms. Is the black material on the inside of the doors just more sound deadening even though it only covers a small part of the door panel?:


I am also thinking about adding the sound deadening in the doors, especially considering the doors don't weigh enough already, but need to know if I should just remove that black material. What is it?
Michael
1977 450SE [Brilliant Red]
2006 B200

Big_Richard

Sound deadening in the doors is a very good idea, i would ensure they are very clean inside before hand and make sure water isnt trapped inside the door in future.

Perhaps its time to consider chemical dipping the doors  8)