71 Aussie Squareback

[Franke]

Hi all, just got this off my uncle, first project car and basically first car i've pulled apart at all. Found some nasty stuff just today that i haven't taken pics of yet but that will come. Basically the fella who sold it to my uncle decided to fill up a hole with expanding foam before bogging it. Wanker.

First day, took out seats and trimming. Seats are pretty much in tact, bottom of front seats split at seam... (is this repairable with out re-lining it?)
Second day took back side panel and did a few other things.

Because of the expanding foam there is rust in the top corner above the vent at the back and above the back door fairly bad, the part where the hinge is welded to has rusted through and come off. is it possible to just weld a plate in there and then weld the hinge to that plate? Will take pictures tomorrow arvo.

any help would be greatly appreciated

[volkswalker]

Basically the fella who sold it to my uncle decided to fill up a hole with expanding foam before bogging it. Wanker.

great response..

looks great project this

the welding hinge question should be quite do-able....ill wait to see pics

[Editor]

I think there was some expanded foam used in the back corners of the later Squareback, just as in the Fastbacks - it does terrible things when trapping the water, but it may not have been a previous owner.

[Franke]

I think there was some expanded foam used in the back corners of the later Squareback, just as in the Fastbacks - it does terrible things when trapping the water, but it may not have been a previous owner.

Interesting to know, seems a bit silly to me though haha.

There are a few of these along the edges of these panels:


right hand side, this hinge seems to be ok:


Left hand corner, from inside:



Outside:



Left hand bottom, where the bumper bolts on to:



Just behind the left rear wheel:


Inside front wheel arch:


Left hand corner of the boot:


Other side of that:


Battery area:


Right rear wheel arch:


right side under the panel:


Judging from simply looking around this doesn't seem too bad :S

Battery area i figure is easy, cut and then put a plate down and weld both inside and out.
Hinge area I'm a little less confident about being that i have done very little welding and certainly not on any car,
Boot i am also hazy, as i don't know what it's actually supposed to look like haha

Is it best to overlap the steel when welding? or should i cut to fit and weld from the back and then use filler?
Also do i use the same thickness steel for all?

What is the best way to get rid of the rust along the bit just under the window and other places you can't remove to get to...just pour some rust remover or converter down there and hope for the best? :S

Any help would be awesome!

Cheers,

Francis

ps... is there a trick to getting the windows out, i took the metal bit out which i figure should have loosened it, but no luck.

[Editor]

Don't rely on chemicals to get rid of rust. The only certain way is to cut and replace metal. However, the lengths you go to depends a bit on how long you expect to have the car!

The other thing to remember is that one big hole is less work that several smaller ones - as long as you have enough left to see the shape it needs to be.

Great thing about Type 3s is all the external panels unbolt, so what you do behind them won't show eventually. That doesn't mean do a poor job - you just don't have to make it perfection, but looking on here, most of us seem to get as close as we can.

Windows - if they're safety glass (toughened/tempered, as the side and rear ones are, you can simply lie on the seat and push on them with your feet and they will push out - have a helper support them as they come out! If your rubbers are bad, you can use a Stanley knife to cut the seal, but make sure you can get better rubbers first! You can try peeling the rubber on the inside away, but your fingers will suffer.

Some windscreens are toughened, and can be treated the same, but don't do it with laminated as they will crack.

The windows are installed with rubber and bright trim in place. Use 1/8" cord or insulated single core wire to pull the inside lip of rubber over the edge of the frame. Keep the pull along the glass surface towards the middle. Use soapy water or rubber-kind lubricant (KY jelly I'm told is good - certainly vaseline is no good for this job either!).

[Franke]

Thank you very much for that Certainly good to know that the majority of the windows are toughened.

So sections like these; along the inside where the bolts are undone for the panels, and down the inside after the panel is removed, basically just try and rub back as much as possible and then repaint?



Its only surface rust, but i would like to keep the car for as long as possible so i'm wanting to do a thorough job within the funding constraints that i have haha

Cheers

[volkswalker]

if it doesnt need chopping dont chop!

[Editor]

Tricky to clean rust from inside - I'd be inclined to slow it down with some waxoyl where you can get it inside, after you've repaired any bits that have actually got rust through.

[Franke]

Is that something similar to fish oil or whatever? Supposed to seep into all the grooves and joins etc?

Cheers

[Editor]

I hear a lot about fish oil from the USA, but Waxoyl is a clear chassis cavity wax we can get in the UK. I've not compared them though. i think an oil might be a problem if it can come in contact with interior trim. Could be Waxoyl is a bit inclined to run in hot weather - not a problem here, but might be with fierce sun.