Hi, Ned -
Most of the severe rusting that we find on unrestored cars occurred when
they were just everyday vehicles and not pampered classics. Once repaired,
it's very unlikely that the car is ever going to see much usage in snow/salt
or rain/mud that can cause rusting, or get caught frequently in rain with
the top down. I would suggest that you get yourself some special
rust-converting paint such as that sold by Eastwood ("Rust Encapsulator",
which I think was formerly known as Corroless). Make the repairs, then use
the rust encapsulator as a primer and it's very unlikely to do much rusting
afterwards -- even without a sealer between the surfaces. You can force
the primer in between the surfaces, but what I preferred to do when
repairing my floors was weld them up solid to replace the stitch welds.
This should help stiffen the structure as well.
Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
Havelock, NC USA
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-healeys@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-healeys@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Ned Smith
Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2005 1:50 PM
To: Austin-Healey List
Subject: Rusted Part
It turns out that the part with the holes is the gear box cover flange. The
part is welded to the frame for one inch every 4 inches. This seems like an
invitation to corrosion where the two parts touch but are not welded. Is
there some kind of sealer that can be forced into the joint either before or
after welding to prevent future problems like I am seeing now?
Ned Smith
BJ8
near Chattanooga, TN
N34.98 W85.5
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