JIMMY54

iTrader: (2)

I thought since i havent seen a post like this yet, i'd post up the most common rust places, BESIDES the bins....Not sure if many people are aware of these areas which rot out just as quick as the bins. Recently i picked up another rx7 (mint) and as i started working, turns out wasnt as mint as i thought.

Areas to Watch out for:

1) Behind the Bins/rear wheel well area
2) When you remove the rear carpets, beside the spare tire well, there is a seam which runs on each side underneath the tar cloest to the sides...you'll see what i mean if you take a look.
3)On the front frame, behind the idler arm (remove idler arm)..It may look like only slight surface rust, but on all 3 of our cars once u start to remove this "surface rust" chances are you'll go right through.
4)on the other side of the idler arm (passenger side frame still), same problem. Remove that plastic cover that has 3 bolts, and take a look even if it means scraping some of the undercoating off.
5) Same as #4, but on the drivers side.
6)on the driver and passenger footwell areas, but in the actual front wheel well....If its bad enough it will be on the opposite side aswell...meaning inside the car under the pedals, and computer.
7)Inside the car, in the foot wells, where the foot well, meets the side panels, there is a bead of silicon....becareful as i've seen it get rust behind there since on the opposite side (outside of car, right next to #6) it isnt sealed very well from factory and water can eventually get inside.

*NOTE* Just because the undercoating may still look intact in those areas, doesnt mean its not rotten underneath.

Hope this is useful for someone!
If theres any other areas to know, please add them!

autowagon

i have a big rust spot behind the gas filler door. although that is obvious and evident

Felgar

Hmm interesting thread...

- Underneath the front window trim can be brutal... I think the main problem is from the paint being scratched during window installation. But by the time it creeps ever so slightly out from underneath the trim it's aweful underneath. If you see ANY rust coming from underneath pull it out and attack the rust before things rust through.

- The passenger side sunroof "clip/holder" that is screwed to the roof on the front. THe sunroof is inserted into the hole. Anyways, I think the factory had the left screw too tight and cracked the paint because 4/4 7's I've had rusted there and it always starts with the left screw. That rust will creep around the corner and continue from underneath also. Would have to remove the ceiling carpet to get at the back.

- Rear quater panels, behind where mudflaps would attach. You may notice some of the rocker guard staring to discolor. The rust goes through the inner wheel well layer and continues to rust the outside layer (which is painted and has rocker guard) of the quater panel from the back. In my most recent project I cut away the inner layer to expose the back of the lower fender. The rust actually continued from the inside of the quarter panel at the place where the inside vertical metal (that the gas tank neck goes through with the large rubber seal) meats the outside quater panel metal - it was rusted all the way to the back bumper. ** It happens on both sides and the passenger is harder to deal with because of the extra support for the trailer hook.

- Not rust per se, but the electrical contacts on the fuel level sender corrode over time which will cause the guage to stop working. If your original guage still works, peel off the guard behind the rear wheel and clean the contacts and any exposed copper. I'm not sure the best way to protect these yet...

82transam

iTrader: (18)

Just finished fixing ALL of the above mentioned spots on my project car. Lots of welding wire and lots of sheet metal. took me a good 3 months to fix all of it. Funny you should mention those particular spots, I figured other people had to have rust on that seam in the back by the spare. funny....

brownmound

Hatch:

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...ght=mound+rust

I still haven't fixed/delayed this rust and it's only getting worse. Dang.

Right on.

Anex 570

I say ditto this, and the earlier models have a bad tendency with the pait as my 79. It makes spot rust all over on the outside, but isnt bad because it wasnt driven winters ever. I have a bad problem with the front of my car behind the bumper and around the actual frame part with tubes. This is all rusty and I'm fixing all this stuff as we speak. Oh yea under your feet on each sides is BAD. Mine got owned. The bin rust is small though. Note I had bad outside window seals and the water got down the doors and owned both their asses. The rear end isnt bad, and I do have the paint off so I know. I do have bad rocker panels and right behind the rear wheels. Above the wheel is perfect except how thick the factory primer/filler is. This is because it wasnt driven in winter or even cold spring. ALL of the fb's and 1 SA i've looked at forsale have been mutalated in all of those aread, and under neath beyong anyones amagination. I almost cried at how bad this 85 GSL was, the guy got the "rust fixed and paint job" and that thing just might as well never been painted from the factory. He even was so kind to leave the windows down for 2 years with ALOT of snow. First time I called he said $850. I took a better look at it this summer and its not worth anything, theres not 1 part worth any penny beside rims and rearend. He said $700 and cant go anyless, I hung up in his ear.

Felgar

That hatch rust is wierd... Take a mirror and look at underneath from inside the car. If it's not rusted underneath then fix it... I don't see the point of wating so long to fix it. For a spot like that which is not going to get chipped or have standing water on it you can fix the rust pretty easy and have it last.

On my project RX I used POR-15 for the first time and love it - I think it will work very well but only time will tell. For that hatch rust I'd grind it down to smooth metal (not quite bare, I leave the pits) and then do the whole POR-15 regiment. You should get pretty good results... I use a dremel to grind.

P.S. That poor dremel got the short end of the stick with my car - I bet it's seen more use on my 1 car than 90% of all dremels ever get. I think I'll return it once I'm totally done cuz it's definately starting to crap out and there's a 1 year warranty. Anyway, I digress...

rbf41182gt

On the 79 I just got both sides of the sunroof are rusted through... One of the drain holes must've been plugged or something. Also the left rear hatch area looked like swiss cheese after about a half inch of bondo was taken off it. Whoever did the bodywork did not know what they were doing

Rx7carl

Definately under the rear hatch area, and like Felgar said, open the hatch and use a mirror to inspect the metal back there. ANother spot Ive seen is the cowl. If you remove the cover you can see that Mazda put sound deadening paper in there, that can trap water and cause rust as well. Also down at the bottom of that area by the rear of the front fenders is the drain for the cowl area. It gets clogged with leaves and debris and needs to be cleaned from time to time.

Felgar

I'm going to stop reading this thread or I'll find more rust spots that need fixing and it'll be 8 more months!!!

Aviator 902S

All of the above, plus a few other places:

under the rubber body side mouldings, and in the body seams under the rear bumper. Also check the inside bottom edge of both doors.

Felgar

Yup great catch on the doors - spent a few days on them and forgot all about them.

The seams too - actually the best way for those is to look up from the bottom and you can catch it before it comes out from underneath the car.

Sgt.Stinkfist

iTrader: (6)

i have whats soon to be a small rust through on the driver side floor board, a small hole on the rear of the driver side kick pannel(side skirt area?), small speckles/bubbles all around the lip of every one of my wheel wells, and a 3" hole in the front area of my LR wheel well(possably the storage bin spot people talk bout, but i got a 79 so i have no storage bins so IDK), thats bout all ive seen