MoT FAIL: Front inner wheel arch to chassis joint rust

[PeteP]

How common is this? Judging by the matching set and the obviously poorly placed drain hole, I'd guess they all do this eventually. Definitely a Waxoil treatment once the repair is done.

The most annoying thing about this is that it was an MoT fail that I didn't see coming. I'm also a little suspicious that this has gone from not even being an advisory last MoT, to being a proper fail in under a year.





I'm lucky enough to have a brother who served his time as a welder and who has a workshop full of big boy toys. I'm especially looking forward to having a play with the plasma cutter, and although I'd like to do the mig welding myself, it just makes a lot more sense to let him do that on a structural area.

We also got a fail for a rear wheel bearing but I was going to replace them soon anyway. It's just a little annoying to be forced into the job earlier than planned.

[kaiowas]

It's incredibly common, I'd probably go as far as saying TADTS.

It rots from the inside so once you've cut the bad stuff out have a good look at everything else you can see through the (inevitably rather large) hole before blocking it up again.

Whilst you're there you may as well lift the carpets out of the footwells and check the inside in that area and check the chassis legs all the way forward from there up to where the front suspension mounts to it as the whole front end tends to go in unison. It's all repairable but best to get it all taken care of in one favour

[PeteP]

I had a look under the carpet on one side and it was nice & clean, and quite standard looking. The pillars are also in good condition (on the outside).

The problem is that I don't have the time to do more than the immediate problem area, and although I've got great kit at my disposal I don't have good enough access to spend days under the car - not with my knee & back - so it has to be the essentials only this weekend. The plan is to have a 2 post lift in my own place when we move house so Jolly will get a good winter overhaul that will undoubtedly include some more cutting, welding, rust treatment and painting.

Does Waxoil do anything other than protect areas from further water exposure or do I need to use a rust treatment chemical beforehand? The inside of that chassis member must be in a state if this is what's become visible.

As a slight aside; we usually rest cars on railway sleepers rather than axle stands. They are great for raising the car higher than stands and are obviously a lot more stable. Is the MK1 ok to sit on these under the sill seams given that the weight is spread along pretty much the full length, or should I make sure it is sitting on its axles? Bit late now of course.

[PeteP]

One significant thing that I completely forgot to do - and for this I'm blaming my brother for rushing ahead with the first plate before I'd finished the profiling - is drill a drain hole in the new plates. This means that not only is here existing surface rust in there, but now there's no way water can get out.

The metal we used is quite heavy gauge so drilling in situ is going to be a right pain. Perhaps the plasma cutter is going to see the underside of the car.

[kaiowas]

Drilling it can't be that hard, I've been messing with 3mm plate lately as part of a roll cage install and my cordless drill can put 10mm holes through that without too much bother, a little drain hole should be easy.

[PeteP]

We're you drilling from under the car? The problem I have is that access underneath is restricted to the point that here's only about 18" from floor to plate.