[E-Type] Rust at radius arm connection

Gentlemen and ladies,
I have some photos posted at
http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap_view.php3?id=1101996995 showing rusted
metal around the IRS front radius arm mounting post. I’m looking for
suggestions on how best to approach this repair. I’m not a welder, but this
looks like the type of project that I might use to gain some experience!
Or, maybe not.
For now, I’m concentrating on getting part of the IRS torm apart for a
partial rebuild. So far, so good. Except for the rust in the photos.
Let me know your thoughts and suggestions on the rust repair.
Regards,
Randy
1969 2+2

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Randy, those are depressing pictures:( What is the rest of the car
like? It looks like it is going to take some serious work/time/money to
that baby fixed. I have a hard time imagining that this degree of body
rot is isolated to just this area, I sincerely hope I’m wrong on this
but I think you will have to get the undercoating off to get a better
feel for how much damage is there. If it is any consolation my '68 had
to have the floor pans, sills, and trunk floor cut out and replaced.
The good news is that all the panels are readily available.On Monday, December 6, 2004, at 04:39 PM, Randy Olson wrote:

Gentlemen and ladies,
I have some photos posted at
http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap_view.php3?id=1101996995 showing
rusted metal around the IRS front radius arm mounting post. I’m
looking for suggestions on how best to approach this repair. I’m not
a welder, but this looks like the type of project that I might use to
gain some experience! Or, maybe not.
For now, I’m concentrating on getting part of the IRS torm apart for a
partial rebuild. So far, so good. Except for the rust in the photos.
Let me know your thoughts and suggestions on the rust repair.
Regards,
Randy
1969 2+2

Good Luck and best wishes!

Lynn G
73 2+2
68 ots
Boise, ID USA

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In reply to a message from Randy Olson sent Tue 7 Dec 2004:

I think you’ve got some major repairs ahead. The rust that
you see surrounding the mounting post seems to affect several
important structural sections – most certainly the floor,
probably the inner rear bulkhead, the mounting member for the
rear suspension, and (as a guess) the inner sills toward the
rear. I’m wondering what the lower inside bulkhead (behind
the seats) looks like.

I think you should clean off the rustproofing and sand blast
what you can. I’m not sure what I would try to tackle first.
I think most, if not all, of the parts you’ll need are still
available. I was faced with a little less in the rear area
than you have cooking here, but I had to flip the entire car
over and replace much of the lowest half foot of the car.

m–
Mark DeLong
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Randy,
I would start looking for a donor tub, seriously. I’ve seen 2+2 tubs go by on Ebay with really low opening bids and no reserve (like under $1K). This leads me to believe that they are readily available with just a bit of leg work. You have a very rusted tub. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if it needed inner and outer sills, floors, as well as repair to those rear stiffeners over the wheel arches. You’d spend more than $800 just on the sheet metal alone, as well as having a years long headache ahead of you.

I also would refrain from taking apart any more of the car until you have this sorted out. It’s generally not a good idea to start unbolting E-types unless you have a roadmap for finishing the project, or you end up with nothing more than a garage full of parts.

I don’t mean to pry, but did you buy this in this condition?

Eric

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The car, in general, seems to be in good shape. I’ll try to post pictures
later. It certainly looks good, runs well, and shows no signs of rust on
the body or mechanical parts (IRS, engine bay, etc.). It’s possible there
has been rust repairs prior to my ownership. The outer sills are in good
shape. The sheetmetal under the seat is good. But, if you look into the
access holes below the back seat near where the IRS front radius mounts are
attached you can see rusted metal. The rusted area needs to be fixed, and I
want to do this in the most practical manner. A complete ground up
restoration is most likely not in the cards. I just want to make the
repairs necessary to safely drive the car.
Randy

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In reply to a message from Randy Olson sent Tue 7 Dec 2004:

Randy, what you’re showing us in those fotos is seriously bad
rust, and not at all going to be an easy fix. I can almost
guarantee it’ll take a complete floorboard/inner-/outer-sill/inner
stiffener replacement to fix. I could be wrong, but…I dun think
so…;(–
The original message included these comments:

For now, I’m concentrating on getting part of the IRS torm apart for a
partial rebuild. So far, so good. Except for the rust in the photos.
Let me know your thoughts and suggestions on the rust repair.


Paul Wigton, keeper of Tweety!
Keenesburg, CO, United States
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In reply to a message from Wiggles sent Tue 7 Dec 2004:

Randy

You must be pretty depressed at all those comments, but I think
your original suggestion is right - yes, use this as an opportunity
to learn welding. I’ve done it myself on my Mini and it wasn’t
that difficult (OK, somewhat simpler construction, but same
principle). Provided you’re not looking for a concours finish,
what have you got to lose? It’s ‘only’ a 2+2 (and I can say that
because mine is as well) so not really worth getting a professional
job done, and the good thing is, most of what you’ve got to replace
is out of sight. Invest in a decent MIG welder, a spot welder
(essential on a Mini, with external seams, maybe not so on an E-
type) and build or borrow one of those ‘rotisserie’ frames that
I’ve seen several times on this forum.
Good luck!–
'69 Series 2 2+2
Hertford, United Kingdom
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In reply to a message from Tim Roberts sent Wed 8 Dec 2004:

Randy,
I agree you’ve almost certainly got a big job ahead of you.
That kind of rust never appears in only one place. As for welding,
get a good Mig welder, and get some scrap panels from a wrecking
yard to practice on. It’s really not that hard. But, use the
rivets to attach the new radius arm cup to all the new metal. I
don’t think welding alone is a suitable way to attach that piece,
as it needs to be securely attached to all (four, I believe) layers
of metal in that area.–
Ray Livingston - '64 OTS Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz, CA, United States
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In reply to a message from Ray Livingston sent Wed 8 Dec 2004:

Randy,

Don�t let these guy�s make you nervous. I did the thing (admittedly
my car had a lot less rust) this summer and allthough seeing
massively up to it, I actually enjoyed the job. I had very good
replacement parts, mostly by Martin Robey (through a 3rd party) and
it all fits very well. My Mig welder is far from profesional but my
trick is to use practice parts every time you are going to weld. So
never get to the job ‘‘cold handed’’. Remember : your allways in a
less then perfect position under the car, and if you have just
welded, then the position the the problem, not the welding. And
after a short while you accostumed to the position and there is no
problem at all. But be sure to practice, be sure to get the metal
as clean as possible and enjoy the sound of a good welding being
made. And before tackling this problem, just go and see a pro do
his job. Try to acknowligde the difference between too much
material being fed into the weld, or too little gas. There are on-
line guids to mig welding, and I�ve learned a lot from them. You�d
be supprised how fast you�ll reconize a good weld.

I wish you lost of succes, and let us know how you fare.

Willem.–
62 FHC
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