Back when I was working on my Lotus I heard a lot of talk about rust prevention treatments. Since the Europa has a fiberglass body I was only interested in the steel frame. All of the discussion boiled down to four alternatives, 1) Powder coat, 2) Por-15, 3) Zinc-chromate primer topped with a modern two-part top coat, and 3) Rustolium. My goal was to get my old Lotus roadworthy and enjoy it, so speed and cost were important. Since the frame was in excellent condition I decided to go with Rustolium. It brushes on easily and I have the option of spray cans for smaller, more visible parts. Clean-up is easy using mineral spirits.
While researching rust repair for my E9 I again found POR-15 mentioned. The word-of-mouth was not always good. People complained about the cost, health risk, and limited shelf life after opening. Some said it dried to a soft, delicate film easily scratched and chipped. Some just did not like the way it looked.
What really got me interested was some information on using the POR-15 family of products to repair rust damage. My E9 has a badly rusted area along the top edge of the trunk, leading Up to the rear window. It looks just like the examples I found surfing the POR-15 web site. Fabricating and welding in a new panel is far beyond my skill level, so I decided to give POR-15 a try.
I just got back from my favorite auto paint supply store, Redline Automotive, who happen to be one of Honolulu's leading POR-15 dealers. I picked up a starter kit and a tube of putty. This Sunday I'll try it on the trunk and report on the experience.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Digging under the dash
Soon after I bought this E9 I discovered that the electrical system had a few problems, and while pursuing those discovered the wiring under the dash was a mess. Somewhere along the way this car must have been fitted with a radar detector, a different radio, perhaps even a microwave oven. Non-original wire was hopelessly tangled up amongst the steering column, brake pedals, and original fuse block. The fuse block was not attached to anything, apparently because the bracket had rusted away.
The first thing I did yesterday was to remove the windshield. Happily, the rust under the rubber seal was not as bad as I had feared. Nothing like in back.
I decided that to inspect and treat this area properly I had to remove the upper dash panel. It seemed straightforward, except that it was stuck in the inverted "U" shaped piece that shades the tach and speedo. According to my book, that piece is held in place by one upwards facing screw on each side. I think that part of my book is actually about the Bravaria, because on my car that hood is attached by a forward facing stud and an 8mm nut. At least on the left. After removing the nut the piece still would not come off, but the right side was blocked by the center console, radio, and air vent.
I decided it was time to dig into the dash. Finally I would confront that tangle of ugly wires.
The radio came out easily. It was not original. I think it was an 8-track, and I saw some snarled tape in the load slot. Into the rubbish it went. I saved the mounting tray and front panel, as those were original.
Next I discovered my door window switches are not all the same. From the top they appear identical. Underneith, the front pair look like the ones in the book, with push-on terminals, but the wiring is not original. Well done, but all of the wires are red vinal. The rear window switches plug into sockets. I discovered that after removing the switches I could push the sockets down and forward enough to reach the screws shown in the book. Except only the left side had a screw. One PO must have subscribed to the philosophy that where two fasteners were used, one should do, as I have found this in other places.
As it turned out I had to remove three more screws not metioned in the book, which go through a pair of braces that connect the sides of the console. I also had to remove the glove box switch. Underneith I found the original sockets for the front window switches, with red wires neated tapped on.
Even before I had the console out, as soon as I lifted the thin wooden plywood "bottom" under the radio, I ran into a pile of wood shavings. I thought a mouse must have taken up residence. It turns out the mess came from a dilapitated pressed-board bulkhead that was once attached to the front of the console and prevented objects placed on the wooden bottom from sliding off into never-never land.
Anoth piece I took off was the access panel under the steering wheel. It has three switches mounted on it. The two large round switches are push-on/push-off, and when on the button stickes out. The one on the left is green, and I am pretty sure it turns on the emergency flashers. The one on the right is yellow and seems to be for the front fog lights.
My car has an "extra" rectangular red light in back, just inside of the left tail light. I think it is the rear fog warning light described in the wiring diagram. According to the diagram this light has its own switch, and I think that is what the small round switch on the right side of the driver's access panel is for. It is marked "8" and pops out when a small tab at the base is pushed. It reminds me of an aircraft circuit breaker.
There are times when I am working on the car that I feel as though there is too much to do, and that I will never get it all done. I have heard other people say that a major renovation such as this poses a uique challenge in that it takes so long without giving anything back. We humans are motivated by success. In the middle of a project like this one, success is scarce and setbacks, like my broken windsheild, all to common. I find it helps to imagine my car all clean and beautiful again, and to pause and reflect on the good work accomplished each day.
Time to remove upper dash
Panel under steering wheel contains three switches. Green is emergency flasher (?) yellow is fog light, small red switch might be rear fog light.
Back side of steering wheel panel. Note odometer reset along left edge.
Driver's side foot well. What a mess!
Console out. Wood dust is from dilapidated pressed board at front of console (see wood screws) possibly a PO repair. Not serious.
The first thing I did yesterday was to remove the windshield. Happily, the rust under the rubber seal was not as bad as I had feared. Nothing like in back.
I decided that to inspect and treat this area properly I had to remove the upper dash panel. It seemed straightforward, except that it was stuck in the inverted "U" shaped piece that shades the tach and speedo. According to my book, that piece is held in place by one upwards facing screw on each side. I think that part of my book is actually about the Bravaria, because on my car that hood is attached by a forward facing stud and an 8mm nut. At least on the left. After removing the nut the piece still would not come off, but the right side was blocked by the center console, radio, and air vent.
I decided it was time to dig into the dash. Finally I would confront that tangle of ugly wires.
The radio came out easily. It was not original. I think it was an 8-track, and I saw some snarled tape in the load slot. Into the rubbish it went. I saved the mounting tray and front panel, as those were original.
Next I discovered my door window switches are not all the same. From the top they appear identical. Underneith, the front pair look like the ones in the book, with push-on terminals, but the wiring is not original. Well done, but all of the wires are red vinal. The rear window switches plug into sockets. I discovered that after removing the switches I could push the sockets down and forward enough to reach the screws shown in the book. Except only the left side had a screw. One PO must have subscribed to the philosophy that where two fasteners were used, one should do, as I have found this in other places.
As it turned out I had to remove three more screws not metioned in the book, which go through a pair of braces that connect the sides of the console. I also had to remove the glove box switch. Underneith I found the original sockets for the front window switches, with red wires neated tapped on.
Even before I had the console out, as soon as I lifted the thin wooden plywood "bottom" under the radio, I ran into a pile of wood shavings. I thought a mouse must have taken up residence. It turns out the mess came from a dilapitated pressed-board bulkhead that was once attached to the front of the console and prevented objects placed on the wooden bottom from sliding off into never-never land.
Anoth piece I took off was the access panel under the steering wheel. It has three switches mounted on it. The two large round switches are push-on/push-off, and when on the button stickes out. The one on the left is green, and I am pretty sure it turns on the emergency flashers. The one on the right is yellow and seems to be for the front fog lights.
My car has an "extra" rectangular red light in back, just inside of the left tail light. I think it is the rear fog warning light described in the wiring diagram. According to the diagram this light has its own switch, and I think that is what the small round switch on the right side of the driver's access panel is for. It is marked "8" and pops out when a small tab at the base is pushed. It reminds me of an aircraft circuit breaker.
There are times when I am working on the car that I feel as though there is too much to do, and that I will never get it all done. I have heard other people say that a major renovation such as this poses a uique challenge in that it takes so long without giving anything back. We humans are motivated by success. In the middle of a project like this one, success is scarce and setbacks, like my broken windsheild, all to common. I find it helps to imagine my car all clean and beautiful again, and to pause and reflect on the good work accomplished each day.
Time to remove upper dash Panel under steering wheel contains three switches. Green is emergency flasher (?) yellow is fog light, small red switch might be rear fog light. Back side of steering wheel panel. Note odometer reset along left edge. Driver's side foot well. What a mess! Console out. Wood dust is from dilapidated pressed board at front of console (see wood screws) possibly a PO repair. Not serious.
Hello from nBlog
This little post is to flag my first use of the nBlog program to post blog entries from my Newton Message Pad 2100. I hope to make this my primary blogging tool so that I don't have to wait to be home to post.
I have been fiddling around with nBlog for a while. Without documentation, the only way to learn how it works is to hack with it. In the process I discovered that it and the companion program XML-RPC (for the Newton) were written in the old school style. If the user does the right thing they work, but the slightest user error triggers long and indecipherable error messages. At first XML-RPC kept crashing, leaving my Newt's Internet connection stuck open. The only fix was a reset. Painful.
In a future post I will detail my configuration, so that all my fellow Newtoniers can post to their own blogs. So far my biggest issue is posting links to photos on flickr. Those URLs are unpredictable, so the only way to do it is copy and paste, and as far as I know my Newton cannot access flikr.
I have been fiddling around with nBlog for a while. Without documentation, the only way to learn how it works is to hack with it. In the process I discovered that it and the companion program XML-RPC (for the Newton) were written in the old school style. If the user does the right thing they work, but the slightest user error triggers long and indecipherable error messages. At first XML-RPC kept crashing, leaving my Newt's Internet connection stuck open. The only fix was a reset. Painful.
In a future post I will detail my configuration, so that all my fellow Newtoniers can post to their own blogs. So far my biggest issue is posting links to photos on flickr. Those URLs are unpredictable, so the only way to do it is copy and paste, and as far as I know my Newton cannot access flikr.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Good day for Favre
I finally got to work on my E9 today. I got a late start because I wanted to watch Brent Favre tie the touchdown pass record. You see, in Hawaii Sunday football games are on live in the morning. I got to the shop around 11:00, stoked that I got to see it happen. I can't understand why in the U.S. the only athletic record that makes big headlines is the baseball home run record.
So, my big accomplishment was to remove the front bumper. It sounds trivial but the 13MM nuts and carriage bolts were a bit rusty. I had previously shot them with PB Blaster and hit them again today. Even so I had to work them bit by bit. I wonder why those bolts are so long.
When the bumper was off I moved on to the next thing on my list, removal of the windshield. That did not go well. According to the manual all I had to do was get inside and push it out with my feet. I managed to get the upper left corner loose, but I was using all the force I dared and that was as far as I got. One of the guys at the shop said I should cut it out, but I didn't want to damage the rubber. I decided to work a putty knife along the joint starting at the loose corner to separate the adhesive. I got maybe two inches and the glass cracked.
Well, that's life.
Front bumper being removed, nerf thing on floor.
Front bumper with nerf thing removed.
Front bumper on bench.
Front bumper bits, rubber pieces go at ends, spacers go between bumper and mount.
Rubber trim falling off
Metal strip on back of rubber bumper molding trim
Rivets holding rubber bumper trim
RH front bumper mount
LH front bumper mount
Oops. Cracked the windsheild while removing.
So, my big accomplishment was to remove the front bumper. It sounds trivial but the 13MM nuts and carriage bolts were a bit rusty. I had previously shot them with PB Blaster and hit them again today. Even so I had to work them bit by bit. I wonder why those bolts are so long.
When the bumper was off I moved on to the next thing on my list, removal of the windshield. That did not go well. According to the manual all I had to do was get inside and push it out with my feet. I managed to get the upper left corner loose, but I was using all the force I dared and that was as far as I got. One of the guys at the shop said I should cut it out, but I didn't want to damage the rubber. I decided to work a putty knife along the joint starting at the loose corner to separate the adhesive. I got maybe two inches and the glass cracked.
Well, that's life.
Front bumper being removed, nerf thing on floor. Front bumper with nerf thing removed. Front bumper on bench. Front bumper bits, rubber pieces go at ends, spacers go between bumper and mount. Rubber trim falling off Metal strip on back of rubber bumper molding trim Rivets holding rubber bumper trim RH front bumper mount LH front bumper mount Oops. Cracked the windsheild while removing.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Never enough time
For the second Sunday I did not get anything done on the E9, and I'm afraid this trend may continue for a few more weeks. My daily driver, a 97 Dodge Caravan, starting loosing water at an alarming rate. I traced it to the water pump and Sunday before last I replaced that and the accessory drive belt. Water consumption went way down, but not right. The radiator cap looked like it had gone through the war so I replaced that. Having pressure exposed a crack in the radiator header tank, so last Sunday was new radiator day.
The water pump was easy, but the radiator is a beast. In fact it's still not out. Extrodinarily bad design with no thought to maintenance. My Toyota Camry radiator required less than an hour.
On the 16th is the Na Wahine triathlon, which my wife is doing, and on the 30th I'll be doing the Honolulu Century Ride. Two Sundays with no car work. Oh well, better than sitting on the sofa watching Law and Order re-runs.
The water pump was easy, but the radiator is a beast. In fact it's still not out. Extrodinarily bad design with no thought to maintenance. My Toyota Camry radiator required less than an hour.
On the 16th is the Na Wahine triathlon, which my wife is doing, and on the 30th I'll be doing the Honolulu Century Ride. Two Sundays with no car work. Oh well, better than sitting on the sofa watching Law and Order re-runs.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Big patch or little patches
I started off today thinking I would pick up where I left off last week. After cutting away some more rust I decided that I really ought to fabricate a big piece of the rear end, pretty much everything below the tail lights, side to side.
What got me started down this thought path was the difficulty in making so many small patches and having the result turn out smooth. I am not a welder. I plan to teach myself how to weld with this project to practice on. With so many rustly spots so close together I am afraid the result will look like a cotton shirt that didn't get ironed.
As I looked more closely at how this part of the car is put together I began to have doubts. The entire rear panel is one piece, with several shallow but tight horizontal folds running side to side. It is a compound curve, with a lip along the bottom. Easy to make with a factory stamping die, difficult even with proper sheet metal tools (a beader and an English wheel come to mind). Lacking such tools and the associated skills, such a piece is beyond me.
I recalled a conversation I had with one of the guys at the shop back when I was exploring the front. Tom's advice was not to try to make perfect welded in patches -- let's call that artisian style body work. His suggestion was to make a "pretty good" patch, then blend it in with bondo. I decided to forget the dream of a perfect replacement and go back to making as small as possible patches. I keep promising myself that when it comes to bondo I will show more restraint that the previous owner.
One reason this approach should work well for me is the complete lack of accident damage. There is no practical way to repair a crushed rear end without splicing in a new section, but rust holes can be cut away without destroying the overall shape.
The challenge that revealed itself today is that the rear end rusted along the joint with the trunk floor. The edge of the trunk floor is flanged upwards and the rear end is welded to it. Dirt and moisture collected along this joint. As I cut away the rust I found that a lot of the weld is still good, but it needs to be removed to create clearance for the new skin. I'm thining maybe I need to buy a corser grinding wheel.
More rust cut from rear end below red light and extending right. Ground away bondo on remaining metal below tail light, looks like old repair using lead.
Exterior view showing rust at joint with trunk floor. Rear section is one piece with several shallow horizontal bends. Repairs will be built up. Area visible through cut-out is curved wall of spare tire well.
Rusted area cut away from trunk floor. Need to grind away places still stuck together to provide clearance for patch.
Inside view of bumper attach point. Note doubler, might not be original. Curve of spare tire well just visible. Trunk floor flange bends up, rear panel skin welded to it.
Inside view, more visible. Angled toward left side of car.
Inside view angled toward right. Rusty slot is above today's cut out area, which was below the trunk floor.
Close-up of rusty slot above trunk floor flange.
What got me started down this thought path was the difficulty in making so many small patches and having the result turn out smooth. I am not a welder. I plan to teach myself how to weld with this project to practice on. With so many rustly spots so close together I am afraid the result will look like a cotton shirt that didn't get ironed.
As I looked more closely at how this part of the car is put together I began to have doubts. The entire rear panel is one piece, with several shallow but tight horizontal folds running side to side. It is a compound curve, with a lip along the bottom. Easy to make with a factory stamping die, difficult even with proper sheet metal tools (a beader and an English wheel come to mind). Lacking such tools and the associated skills, such a piece is beyond me.
I recalled a conversation I had with one of the guys at the shop back when I was exploring the front. Tom's advice was not to try to make perfect welded in patches -- let's call that artisian style body work. His suggestion was to make a "pretty good" patch, then blend it in with bondo. I decided to forget the dream of a perfect replacement and go back to making as small as possible patches. I keep promising myself that when it comes to bondo I will show more restraint that the previous owner.
One reason this approach should work well for me is the complete lack of accident damage. There is no practical way to repair a crushed rear end without splicing in a new section, but rust holes can be cut away without destroying the overall shape.
The challenge that revealed itself today is that the rear end rusted along the joint with the trunk floor. The edge of the trunk floor is flanged upwards and the rear end is welded to it. Dirt and moisture collected along this joint. As I cut away the rust I found that a lot of the weld is still good, but it needs to be removed to create clearance for the new skin. I'm thining maybe I need to buy a corser grinding wheel.
More rust cut from rear end below red light and extending right. Ground away bondo on remaining metal below tail light, looks like old repair using lead.
Exterior view showing rust at joint with trunk floor. Rear section is one piece with several shallow horizontal bends. Repairs will be built up. Area visible through cut-out is curved wall of spare tire well.
Rusted area cut away from trunk floor. Need to grind away places still stuck together to provide clearance for patch.
Inside view of bumper attach point. Note doubler, might not be original. Curve of spare tire well just visible. Trunk floor flange bends up, rear panel skin welded to it.
Inside view, more visible. Angled toward left side of car.
Inside view angled toward right. Rusty slot is above today's cut out area, which was below the trunk floor.
Close-up of rusty slot above trunk floor flange.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Sticking together
When I decided to undertake this project -- mind you, I'm still in the feasibility phase -- I decided that the time had come for me to learn how to weld. The shop had a couple of welders, a huge old Miller tig welder and a new little Lincoln. It turns out the big unit, which had been donated, was so old it was hard to find the pieces needed to get it going. That left the Lincoln, a Wel-Pak HD flux-core rated at 35-88 amps.
After spending several hours trying to weld pieces of scrap sheet-metal together and getting nowhere I started to ask around. I was told that the Lincoln was not a good match for auto body sheet metal work. As soon as the work became hot enough to bond it burned through, and the flux-core wire was spitting gunk all over the weld area that interfered with the bond. One guy said it was designed to weld 1/8 in. steel, not thin sheet-metal.
One system recommended by GasPro that looks good to me is the Miller Millermatic 140 with Auto-Set. This unit can be used with inert gas, something the shop's Lincoln lacks, and is rated 30 - 140 amps. Miller claims it can weld mild steel from 3/16 in. all the way down to 24 gauge, thinner than the E9's body panels. Base price $789.00.
The slightly larger Miller 180 looks like a good machine. Same capabilities with more power but without the automatic setup, for about $200 more. Problem is, it requires 220 volts, and the only 220 outlet on the shop floor is nowhere near my bay.
Lincoln also sells a 120 volt MIG welder rated at 140 amps. The 140T uses a tapped transformer and is limited to a stepped output, while the 140C is continuously variable. The web page hints at why I am having so much trouble: "... for MIG welding on thin gauge steel, stainless and aluminum. Or, use gas-less flux-cored welding for deep penetration on thicker steel, even outdoors!" See that part about no gas and flux-cored wire? That gives better penetration on THICKER steel. We have to guess how thick thicker is, but it appears to be thicker than thin.
The July 2007 issue of Popular Mechanics, the engineer's bible, has a story on doing rust repairs using epoxy instead of welding ("No-Weld Rust Repair," John Decker, pg 119). The basic technique is the same. After cutting away the rusted area you install a backing plate, then install the patch. The difference is that in place of welds the pieces are stuck together using epoxy. Messy, but it saves buying a welder and eliminates panel warping caused by the heat of welding. Something to consider, especially since for years aircraft have relied more on glue than rivets. Here are some likely sounding products: Smooth-On and LORD Epoxy Adhesives.
Some old skool guys prefer to use gas welding for automotive body work. The attraction is that the weld rod can be so similar to the sheet-metal that after filing and sanding you cannot see the weld. The down side is the likelyhood of heat warping.
Whichever way I decide to go I need to decide soon.
After spending several hours trying to weld pieces of scrap sheet-metal together and getting nowhere I started to ask around. I was told that the Lincoln was not a good match for auto body sheet metal work. As soon as the work became hot enough to bond it burned through, and the flux-core wire was spitting gunk all over the weld area that interfered with the bond. One guy said it was designed to weld 1/8 in. steel, not thin sheet-metal.
One system recommended by GasPro that looks good to me is the Miller Millermatic 140 with Auto-Set. This unit can be used with inert gas, something the shop's Lincoln lacks, and is rated 30 - 140 amps. Miller claims it can weld mild steel from 3/16 in. all the way down to 24 gauge, thinner than the E9's body panels. Base price $789.00.
The slightly larger Miller 180 looks like a good machine. Same capabilities with more power but without the automatic setup, for about $200 more. Problem is, it requires 220 volts, and the only 220 outlet on the shop floor is nowhere near my bay.
Lincoln also sells a 120 volt MIG welder rated at 140 amps. The 140T uses a tapped transformer and is limited to a stepped output, while the 140C is continuously variable. The web page hints at why I am having so much trouble: "... for MIG welding on thin gauge steel, stainless and aluminum. Or, use gas-less flux-cored welding for deep penetration on thicker steel, even outdoors!" See that part about no gas and flux-cored wire? That gives better penetration on THICKER steel. We have to guess how thick thicker is, but it appears to be thicker than thin.
The July 2007 issue of Popular Mechanics, the engineer's bible, has a story on doing rust repairs using epoxy instead of welding ("No-Weld Rust Repair," John Decker, pg 119). The basic technique is the same. After cutting away the rusted area you install a backing plate, then install the patch. The difference is that in place of welds the pieces are stuck together using epoxy. Messy, but it saves buying a welder and eliminates panel warping caused by the heat of welding. Something to consider, especially since for years aircraft have relied more on glue than rivets. Here are some likely sounding products: Smooth-On and LORD Epoxy Adhesives.
Some old skool guys prefer to use gas welding for automotive body work. The attraction is that the weld rod can be so similar to the sheet-metal that after filing and sanding you cannot see the weld. The down side is the likelyhood of heat warping.
Whichever way I decide to go I need to decide soon.
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