Just to follow up on the sidelamp question, another thing I discovered while
under the fender where the charcoal canister is, was the vapor pipe leading
back to the fuel tanks – it goes behind the top end of the suspension and is
squeezed against the inside fender wall. In our car, though a Calif beauty,
it was rusted noticeably in the hidden area. I removed all the rust, hit it
with Rustoleum primer and baked a coat of black enamel on it later. Then,
before putting it back in place, I sprayed undercoat into the secret space and
put a piece of shrink tubing over the length of pipe that would be hidden
again. Another undercoat spray finished the job.
Also, check for spaces between the fender and the rubber flaps that are
supposed to seal it with the body structure. Ours had some spaces, one, thumb
sized, leading back toward the passenger side of the interior. I used a wire
brush to get off the grit and then black silicone/latex house caulk under the
flap edges to make a nice, fexible seal – good old undercoat spray a day or
so later.
Finally, check around for rust in the bottom flange of the front fender and
behind the charcoal canister (I removed the whole thing for cleaning and
repainting), and the steel brace that goes out to the bumper end. A good
cleanout with an eletric wire brush, then priming and undercoating may be a
long-term help. The drain for the fender flange is on the inside edge and can
easily fill up with mud, so I may cut a hole out toward the middle to drain
better.
Alex
79xj6