Best approach to cleaning up a body panel

[tipo158]

All of my significant bodywork experience has been on fiberglass cars (Lotuses); I haven't done much with metal bodywork.

I finally have my TR7 in the garage where I can work on it. I have started looking at the rust on the panel above the radiator and the panel with the headlight openings. Where I see a bubble, I have been hitting with a coarse wire brush wheel. Once I get to the metal, most of the metal is good. However, there are areas of heavy rust pitting and a few places where it has gone through to form holes (pinhole to, say, 5mm). None of this is structural, right?

What is the best way to return this to a smooth surface? I would prefer a way to do this with metal as opposed to a filler if that is possible. Pointers to books or websites would be appreciated.

Also, as I take the paint off, what should I be putting on the bare metal to protect against corrosion before I get ready to prime it? As I said, all of the metal bodywork stuff is new to me!

[scotty]

Hi fella.
Welcome to the world of rusty Leylands!
I have similar problems with my TR7 and I'm currently welding / restoring a rustier than first thought Mini.
A couple of options you could try for the pitting and pinholes. Open up the holes, just a touch with a drill bit, just to get rid of the rusty feathered edges, then braze up the holes, then kill the rust with rust converter and use a metal filing reinforced filler to flush the pitted areas. This should give a metal-like finish.
My preferred method would be to use a diy sand blaster attachment (cost under AUS$20) for your compressor, to clean the panel and then lead load the problem area. The lead chemically bonds to the steel and will bridge small holes. Takes a bit of work to flush it with a dreadnought file and sanding blocks (use a face mask), but the results are excellent, permanent and beats cutting out a whole section & grafting in new metal.
To protect the clean metal, either use etch primer (in dry climate) or cheap red oxide primer (might be better in damp humid climate), which can be sanded back before priming proper.
Check out "how to restore classic car bodywork" by Martin Thaddeus (Veloce books). Lots of Triumphs, mostly Stag & Spitfire, but there are a few TR7 references.
Best of luck.
Scotty.
Adelaide
South Oz.

A pessimist is never disappointed!

[Marko]

hello

one great tool for removing "unwanted material" of bodywork

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... 8MKQ78L5bl

its great for welding preparation because it doesn't remove metal ( it will if you force it but it will take a lot of time to do any damage)

[Underdog]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Marko</i>

hello

one great tool for removing "unwanted material" of bodywork

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... 8MKQ78L5bl

its great for welding preparation because it doesn't remove metal ( it will if you force it but it will take a lot of time to do any damage)
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Yes, those work great when a sandblaster isn't an option. I always keep them on hand. I use with an air tool. Regular drill would be a lot slower.

72 MGB BRG
80 TR8 Persian Aqua
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

[Marko]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Underdog</i>
Yes, those work great when a sandblaster isn't an option. I always keep them on hand. I use with an air tool. Regular drill would be a lot slower.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

sandblasting is great , but by the time when you get to the other side of the bodywork the place where you started is rusting again.

[Beans]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Marko</i>

...sandblasting is great , but by the time when you get to the other side of the bodywork the place where you started is rusting again.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Not if your workshop is dry [:p]

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)
1981 TR7 DHC (not very well known yet, but back on the road)
Also a 1980 TR7 DHC, 1980 TR7 DHC FI, 1981 TR7 FHC</font id="blue">
<font color="red">http://tr7beans.blogspot.com/</i></font id="red"></center>

[Underdog]

Moisture in the airline will do that too, as well as clog the blaster. Anything that doesn't fit in my cabinet gets done outside on a dry day. I then make sure it gets a coat of epoxy before it sits overnight. As Beans says, it will stay OK if the shop is dry. We get a lot of humidity here in the summers though which is why I try to get things primed up ASAP.

72 MGB BRG
80 TR8 Persian Aqua
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

[Marko]

i was trying to be sarcastic but forgot to put a smiley face in the end.

what i meant is that is slow , very slow. its better to invest that time in other things , grab the angle grinder and off you go

airline moisture can be easily resolved with an inline air filter that separates water/oil/dust from the air. its a must have for doing a paint job.

[Underdog]

Ahh yes, a race with the tin worm...I get it.[;)]

72 MGB BRG
80 TR8 Persian Aqua
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

[richards]

This panel is available in fiberglass, would this not solve 2 problems in 1?

Get a lifestyle
Get a TR7!

www.ttr7.co.uk

[saabfast]

The 3m remover looks interesting. I always us the 'knotted' disc type wire brush in an angle grinder, pretty viscious but then you have to be to get rid of the rust, although the holes are always bigger than anticipated. I then protect with a zinc weld through primer as it is sometimes a while before I can get back and weld in the new metal.

Alan
Saab 9000 Stg 1
Saab 9000 2.3 FPT Auto
'81 TR7 DHC

[tipo158]

As far as rusty TR7s, I think that my car is relatively rust free. Aside from the panel below the hood/bonnet (should one speak American or English in a TR7 forum?) and the panel above the radiator, the latch area on boot lid is pretty bad, the battery tray is missing some material (which is a nice start on taking the whole tray out because I am moving the battery to the boot) and there is the occasional bubble here and there.

Before this TR7, my previous three TR7s were California cars (including the one that I had in New Mexico, which is high desert country) so rust wasn't an issue. Uh, except when I drove the New Mexico car to Georgia. The southeast US is notoriously hot and humid and I couldn't believe the degree to which things rusted in the month that the car was there.