Door Rust

[artyfartymarty]

Well, i got 15 or so years out of the bottom of the doors being reskinned but as expected it back.
may have a go at the rear dog leg sections also and remove the bog.
will def hand it over for the paint but diy for the chop and weld?

[ardiesse]

"DIY for chop and weld", you ask . . .

The rule of icebergs applies here. What you see bubbling through is minuscule in comparison with what will be lurking under the surface. And the bottoms of the door frames won't be free of rust either. You'll have to undress the doors to make an honest appraisal of their condition - take the paint off the perimeter of the skins, take the trims off inside and have a good gaze at what's going on inside the doors. It looks to me like the body shop who painted the car last didn't rust-proof inside the doors. And you've got salt air to contend with too.

The two passenger's side doors will need the bottom of the skin replacing. The driver's door appears to have cancer pretty much all the way along the bottom and up the B-pillar side. Your RHR door may be the best of the four. Rare Spares sells half-door skins for FE-FC. The skins for the rear doors will suit FB-EK, and I'm pretty certain the skins for the front doors will also suit FB-EK.

My two cents' worth: unless you have experience welding thin sheet metal and are confident enough to re-skin a door, take the car to a panelbeater who specialises in restoring classics. They'll be able to get your panel gaps right too. But you'll need deep pockets.

Rob

[FireKraka]

Hey Marty if you want to talk to somebody about doing some work for you that won't cost an arm and a leg give me a pm and I can put you in contact with Keith that did some work on the outside of my Ute and painted it.
Neil

[EK283]

I
Hi Marty,

I agree with Rob, what you see is probably 5 times worse underneath. No such thing as surface rust when there's bubbles.

These cars need lots of attention to rust proofing and draining.

Have you thought about finding some replacement doors, will be quicker and may be cheaper as well.

Regards Greg

[Errol62]

Have to agree, get the best panels you can, but it is getting hard to do.

Half skins can be done, but beware of rust behind the door handles where there is double skin. Rust holes in the inner flat sections are easy enough but corners and sides are trickier.


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

[Blacky]

John Gilbert is a whiz at rust repair , he is in Malaga.

[artyfartymarty]

I
Hi Marty,

I agree with Rob, what you see is probably 5 times worse underneath. No such thing as surface rust when there's bubbles.

These cars need lots of attention to rust proofing and draining.

Have you thought about finding some replacement doors, will be quicker and may be cheaper as well.

Regards Greg

yes . agree, one bubble is what has made it t the surface from the other side with lots more ready to pop through. will poke around and see if its crumbly red flakes or if theres any metal still there.
i did consider replacement doors and saw a full set of 4 for $600 plus shipping from east states but they looked worse than mine with rust coming through the frame.
i'll take to it with a wire wheel and poke around to asses how much has to be cut before chasing replacement parts
can't get that much cheaper than a bit of time on a welder and grinder in iso I'm tempted to have a crack at it, have a stripped spare door i bought from Blacky years ago that could do with a small patch to practice on... welding is something i really need to get onto for other things also, sick of paying hourly rate for someone to wave the hot glue gun around.

[artyfartymarty]

Hey Marty if you want to talk to somebody about doing some work for you that won't cost an arm and a leg give me a pm and I can put you in contact with Keith that did some work on the outside of my Ute and painted it.
Neil

Cheers Neil
Im thinking of having a play with a spare door and a welder... see how i go, if it goes well enough, i would be keen to do a bit myself to save cash but also for the satisfaction ... but will def need someone to spray bottom strip pf the car. i have no patience for paint

[ardiesse]

Wander down the hill to Osborne Park - there's sure to be a sheet metal fabrication company there - and see whether you can persuade some small offcuts of 1.2 and 1.0 mm steel sheet out of them for welding practise. Then you can try in earnest on a panel.

The main things to watch for are blowing holes in the weld (use a quenching block underneath) and distortion (put in tack welds every inch, planish the weld with a hammer and dolly while it's still glowing, use a damp rag to cool the welds down, and weld in half-inch lengths).

The first twenty years of welding sheet metal are the hardest.

Rob

[artyfartymarty]

Wander down the hill to Osborne Park - there's sure to be a sheet metal fabrication company there - and see whether you can persuade some small offcuts of 1.2 and 1.0 mm steel sheet out of them for welding practise. Then you can try in earnest on a panel
Rob

Ahhh, we seem to think alike Rob, a step ahead of ya