there are more spots that i am surprised no one else has mentioned....


the front fender bottoms, behind the front wheels. they gather crap there and hold it between the body and the fender on the inside. this causes both the fender AND the body to rust.

you can help this by making sure to get the crap out of that spot. things like dirt and leaves will build up in there if you let them.

 

thanks, if thats the problem im gonna silicon that **** together

 

Wow.

Your FC's have rust .

 

Bitch!

I got

- Sunroof
- RockerPanel
- Rear "skirt" area close to rear well.
From driving in the snow.


After cleaning off the rust, I used that rust spray, makes it all really hard so it stops spreads.

If you have oil leaks, most likely your underbody is rust free.

 

the sunroof has been shot on ever fc ive seen. i fixed mine with some bondo and duplicolr. looks good from 10ft away.

 

Mine was awesome... Now it's carbon fiber though so I don't have much to worry about...

 

ya the sun roof is starting to rust on my turbo II...... around the edges but its starting to travel inward...

 

My sunroof rusted off the sides.
I epoxied them and bondo.

But the sunroof won't open.
I can hear the motor. It tries to open. so it's not shot
Im guessing it's one of the rails?

 

Rust has probably fallen down into the rails, and is stopping it from sliding...

 

To prevent all the rust.. I got my car painted (moldings and all)

 

I didn't read the whole thread, so not my fault if I'm repeating.

I have WAY too much experience with rusty RX-7s.

Common areas are:

-front fendenders where the bolt to the wheel well area. Crud collects and rust the fender panel from the rear

-wheel well at the firewall and floor in that area. Remove the plastic wheel well cover and look towards the back of the car. Holes form where the firewall meets the floor due to the moisture from above and all the dirt that collects

-pinch welds. The take a lot abuse and since they are layers of metal they trap moisture. Especially around the jacking areas where they get crushed

-Front corners of rear wheel wells. Several pieces of metal meet in that area, as well as the pinch welds. There's a little "box" that is formed around the outisde area where the subframe bolts on. That almost always rusts through and forms a big hole that is visible from the underside of the car. The outer metal then begins to bubble and before you know it there's nothing left.

-rear of the rear wheel well. Same sort of deal a the front. There's an enclosed space that traps moisture

-rear wheel well lip, quarter panel. The ledge traps crud and moisture, and it gets between the layers of the metal. This rusts out the entire lip of the wheel well.

-Gas filler area. The gas filler area underneath the car has the same trapped space and layers of thin metal. Mosture gets in through the gas door and gets trapped, rusting out the inner structure. Not visible from inside the fuel door, but clearly visible underneath

-Behind the license plate. The plastic trim traps crud and moisture.

-Fuel pump area. Crud and moisture again. Kills the screws and causes intermittant electrical problems

-Higher up, the lower edge of the doors. Common since the drain holes get plugged and crud stays at the bottom.

-Rear of storage bin area. Lots of water and stones get thrown up under the car, and the unused seat bolt holes allow it in between the layers.

-Cowel under windshield. Forms a ledge. This can also extend into the interior where the firewall meets the floor

-The floor. Low spots collect salt/water from boots and can rust out the sills and rear of the floor.

The best defense against rust is to keep the car clean, dry and undercoated. Oil sprays yearly go a LONG way to stopping rust. If you're serious, coat the bottom of the car with something like POR-15 and oil spray the hidden areas. You can almost rust proof a car if you know how.

 

^^^ Nice addition to the post... You actually covered a few that weren't touched on yet...

 

yea, thanks Aaron, i personally experienced a few of those. When i changed my fender last i rememeber how rusted it was under there, i actually broke both fender bolts underneath.

 

Aaron, when you can I'd like to see pics with the use of POR-15. Based on what you've told me and my research of It I went a head and ordered a catalogue from them. I am a believer of this product thus far...

It's a nice added touch that It Is a Canadian based product too. We'd know rust better than any other country.

http://www.por15canada.com/can/index.htm

 

lets not forget the exhaust system
from the Cat on back I've got swiss cheese
the only thing holding it together is the heat sheilds
sounds great though

 

There's some info an one picture in my thread:

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showthread.php?t=468413

If you want some more pics, I can take them. Remember those rusted seat brackets in my Insight you pointed out on the way to CP a few years ago? I have since coated them with POR-15 and had not a single problem with salt or rust. Tried many things before including several "rust paints" and VHT. Lasted a month at most.

 

Thanks man. On a side note I need your mailing address again. I need to sent you your x-mas gift.

 

Does anyone here have any idea how well/long that rubber undercoat stuff lasts? I assume not too long but i wanan knwo if its gonna come off when i get the car pressure washed.

 

Rubber undercoat can last years. The problem is that if moisture gets underneath it, the moisture will be there forever as well.

POR-15 is special in that it forms a non-porous coating that bonds strongly to the metal. It actually dries by absorbing moisture (not sure how that works, but that's according to the spec sheet) and thus any minute bits of moisture on the metal are absorbed by the drying process. It's also flexible and will not chip or crack.

I've also heard very good things about Rhino lining.

Remember that no matter how you undercoat the bottom of the car, you still need to protect the other areas. Oil sprays are really the only way.

 

Well im only gonna be doing the high rust and already rusted areas. As for the rubber stuff trapping moisture, Im onyl planning on leaving it on for winter to protect from salt and snow then stripping it and getting it properly coated when i get it painted.

 

I just finished redoing the whole body on my 88. your definitly going to want to protect your gas tank where the two skins meet in the middle if you want that to last for very long. asweel in the spare tire well at the bottom there tends to be some rust. just to add to whateveryone else has said.

 

u just reminded me about my spare tire well that was bad lasat u checked.