Bin rust/wheelwell rot repair pics
 

Well - here's project beater!

In this thread I'll be detailing my (very VERY extensive) attempt at reparing a probably-too-far-gone FB for winter use. The upper link mounts on both side had cracked the body and started to go off on their own way - I over-engineered new patches for these. The lower link mount is starting to rot pretty badly on the driver's side - but I think I've got an idea on how to deal with that. It's about the only concern I have with the car right now - the lower link seems to be pretty stressed.

If anyone's got any ideas on what I can do about it I'm all ears!

At the time of this writing the passanger side is about 90% done - just some more welding left - and the driver's side about 75% done - a few small patches to make and then weld it all in.

pics, in no particular order:

My new side- upper link brace. Made out of THICKASS steel... not sure on gauge exactly, it was one of those gigantic stop signs at one point in its life.

I made a second brace to go infront, drilled some big holes in it, and MIG-welded the shit out of it onto the upper and lower link mounts as you can see in the pic. Inbetween it and the floor there is another (thin) piece of steel that replaces the floor underneath. I've welded the whole shebang together - it's WAY strong now. Once I get the fender in (forgot to take pics of the new fender I made) - and weld the other brace onto that - it should be really really strong.

this car actually had NO holes in it when I bought it! But once I started poking around - it was pretty clear that the body was crap. Good thing it runs EXCELLENTLY! even starts fine without the choke. slow though :( Header and full exhaust coming soon! (like, next week)

It's been previously rust-repaired once - but it was done badly and their repairs rotted away too! I've removed ALL the rust that I can get to - and killed the rust that I couldn't. I've used an angle grinder with a wire wheel (WAY powerful tool), naval jelly (kills rust dead! but don't get it on your hands), and a sawzall to cut most of it away.

I've sanded the car down for a repaint - I'm either going to paint it dark green or light beige (almost cream-colored) - I can't decide which. Since I'll be doing the paint in my garage with a crappy $60 canadian tire spray gun - I'll probably go with the one that will be easier to do.

Anyways, here's more pics: the first one is what I had before I cut the rust away, in the front of the car. 2nd is the rear - the pass. side is pretty much the same.

doesn't look too bad...I mean as not bad as I've seen rear fender wells...and besides theres no such thing as too far gone...hell if that were the case I would have stopped a year or two ago...haha...good luck !!

I'm interested in more pics. I did a half-assed repair job on something that wasn't quite so bad a couple years ago and feel the need to do a better job.

nice sig pic. wonder where you got it. :|

well I got the wheelwells in and the side-braces on too - but I'm too tired to deal with resizing pictures and crap so I'm going to bed - more pics tomorrow, the rear is pretty much done.

well my first reaction, GOD DAMN, second glance, not too bad, but why wouldnt you just find a junkyard with wheel wells? could cut them out and just paste them on your car, then just rhino or dupli color it to ensure not to have a problem again.

I have the same problem big time... I have the rust cut out in the back right now for the most part but im trying to locate a mig welder that I can maybe rent.... (I would buy one but money is a little tight right now)

equipment rental shops have one - the mig saved my ass.. this would've taken FOREVER and sucked TOTALLY with my arc welder.

I was lucky enough to be able to borrow one :)
first pic is the passanger side wheelwell in, with the new suspension brace too
second pic is the whole car
third pic is the wheelwell on the inside, with the big plate I also welded in...

The more I see the storage bin rust and people trying to fight it, I get kind of sick at all the complete rust free first gens out here in CA that are crushed because they cant pass smog.

choopa -cars crushed because they can't pass smog? AGGHHH!! Suggest you buy them cheap and resell in east.

yeah
and then people get mad at canadians on the forum that ship them up here, not understanding that we're only saving a car from the crusher...

no fb's in canada even have to pass smog now - we only do smog for 20 years.

Its True,

Right now I am in vegas. I see complete rust free cars, and it is not uncommon to see them with under 100k. I found a 81 awhile back that looked super clean, nice paint and interior. It even had the original owners manual and Mazda service paperwork in the glove box. I have a house around Sac, and the same thing there. Heck, there was a complete Rx2 that Smeagol found out at the pick n pull there in Sac. I just purchased a 85 GS that had runs great, has the fender flares, 16" SSR wheels, Spoiler. All for 500 hundred because the guy couldnt get it to smog. Had I not bought it, it would have sat and then eventually got sent to the wrecking yard.

Terrh, You MADE that fender?! WOW . You have done well and get an A+. It looks like you are doing a great job.

I obtained a fender from a donor car for my repair...
I can't figure out how to post a picture damnit

making the fenders was a Huge pain in the ass... they're done now and welded in!

I did both sides - I can post pictures of the other side if people want.

making the fenders was a Huge pain in the ass... they're done now and welded in!

I did both sides - I can post pictures of the other side if people want.

Your welded fender looks amazing... We now just need someone to mass produce these suckers as a weld in peice... I would be all over that....

what gauge of metal did you use and where did you buy it from?

I used... I dunno, but it was a steel desk at one point! and that's where I got it from.

if I was to sell these I don't think I'd sell them cheap, I have about 12 hours into the first one and maybe 8 into the second one... I have an idea on how I could mass produce them but it still wouldn't be THAT easy...

the new upper link braces I made were THICK steel.. 3-4mm thick I'd say.. they aren't ever going to rust though, ever

Ya I am in the same situation you were in and I can clearly see how much work is going to be involved. I just need to locate some thick metal I guess and start trying to shape it. How did you shape it so well anyways? Just a hammer anvil and some beers? lol

Thanks

yep!
hammer, anvil (actually an old piece of a rail), piece of plywood, 2x4, bench vise, tin snips... that's about all!

it was seriously a ton of work.
I work 3 days a week. I worked on the car 12 hours a day 4 days a week for 2 weeks to get it to where it's at now.
I had to rebuild the one rocker panel too - that was actually EVEN harder to get that curve perfect... (took less time- but was a pita).

as far as metal goes - the stuff I used was thick but not really really thick... it was probably the same gauge as regular body metal is.. I can weld it without blasting holes in it! so it's not that thin.

my lower link mount on the drivers side still concern's me... :( I hope it doesn't break.
I was going to cut up an ugly steel FC hood that I had around - but then I found this stuff.

here's another picture of that fender - for some reason I only took one of the other side and it's crappy! oops.

oh well, you'll get the idea..

btw, when you make the second one - don't just make a direct copy of the first or it won't quite fit! if you do make a copy, make it bigger!

for some reason my second one was too short vertically and too long horizontally... oops! (I made it fit though... it was pretty close but not as exact.

Nice work. What did you have to do with a rocker panel? Got any pics of that?

the passanger side rocker panel had rotted from the inside..

I will take some pictures of the new parts I made for it tomorrow.

When I bought my car I looked under the storage bins briefly and didn't see anything. I should have been a lot more thorough but it was babied by the same owners (which were in their sixties) its entire life, so I didn't think to look deeply at it. There are two spots on rust on the wheel wells all the way through, granted they are relatively small it seems like everytime I fix something then something else goes wrong with it. Then the more I fix on it the more I love it. I just recently stripped out all of the interior of my car which is how I found it.

Cool. My driver's side panel is bad and I've been wondering what to do about it. Looking forward to seeing what you did.