Rust repair - sills and front bar

Nasty!
Looks as bad as my crossmember did on both SuperS and SLX, prevention is best cure, best advice, if you buy a new ca,r underseal it, if you buy and old car, underseal it, basically underseal your car!
 
you ca underseal the sills all you like. it rusts from the inside out. i've just removed my interior and put some 'locktight rust stopper' on the inside of the sills.
 
goldstar0011 said:
Nasty!
Looks as bad as my crossmember did on both SuperS and SLX, prevention is best cure, best advice, if you buy a new ca,r underseal it, if you buy and old car, underseal it, basically underseal your car!
Click to expand...

LOL, took you a while to work out what to say there...hehe
 
Didn't say it won't happen but if it's rusting from inside rather than both sides you'll end up with a few more years from the car.

I'd love to get a full sill replacement so can treat both sides , just knowing how element safe they are would keep me happy
 
Repair status

Now I am finnished with welding the sills! I need now to do ned cosmetic finnishing!

It looked like this:
CIMG2222WEB.jpg


Cut out:
CasioExilim135WEB.jpg


Repair inner sill:
CasioExilim154WEB.jpg


Repair outer body:
CasioExilim163WEB.jpg
 
The front crossmember doesnt look that bad compared to what mine was like...there wasnt any solid metal left along the back side and both ends (front and underneath) had gone (with a little help from a screwdriver), no idea how it was staying kept together to be honest...lol

As youve shown you can weld so youre more than half way there to sorting it :)
 
yeh looks good... use some primer and filler to smooth it out... then respray it?!
 
i waxoild my micra the day it back 2002. wasnt even a day old so no wetness got the chance to get in. shes 4 yr old now, so i'll check it all this summer and touch up where its needed
 
Reluctantly, due to a job change we are selling my GFs 42K Green 98R Facelift Twister. It has just sailed through the MOT.
I thought I would have a look round it before putting it up for sale. There is rust in both corners on the crossmember. I was going to have a good look today but it's raining in Manchester!
I have read a few posts on here and other sites. If it is bad, is it possible just to get the crossmember or is it the whole front panel that needs to be changed? I have only seen the whole front panel for sale.
How much do I need to remove to have a good look. I was hoping for just the undertray and possibly bumper.
Any ideas on value? I have seen them for sale/guide price from £800 upto £2000. Other than needing a set of new wheel trims and some very minor scuffs on the bumper it is in great condition. Thanks
 
yup just need to remove the bumper, headlights (i think theres a couple of bolts that are hard to reach if you leave them in iirc), grill and the undertray parts to have a proper spy...though the bottom and back of the crossmember are the areas that go, so you could just have a reasonable look just by lying on the ground...and then remove the rest if needed.

lower crossmember can be bought seperate but there is alot more messing about as you have to remove all the spot welds that run up from the rest of the front panel aswell as not bending bending the remaining metal when you remove the rusty one...not that hard to do though.
 
Thanks Solarice.
Headlight removal essential.

Have taken some photos
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/3262964

Can I patch this up or is it too far gone.?
On the right where the worst rusting is, the top and back have no rust at all.

The car has air con and the condensor sits on the crossmember, so replacement might require a degas/regas.
I don't want to sell a duff car but also don't want to spend money which will not be recouped in the sale price.
A new crossmember/front panel would probably not be a plus point to someone who does not know Micras and their common problems.

Advice and opinions appreciated.
 
mmm you might be able to patch it, image 4 does look like its headed a fair way up but depends if theres decent metal to weld to really...ive seen crossmembers patched in same areas as yours have gone.

If you could get away without removing the condenser and if youd be welding it yourself...id be a cheap job. Think a crossmember is about £20 or so.

When me and my brother did his, we just tied up the radiator while switching them over so we didnt have to disconnect anything really. The crossmember wont fallout once cut free -- takes a bit of persuasion.

Maybe someone on here whos patched one, may be able to give you a better idea :)
 
Mine started in the front of the rear arch, where all the mud collects and corroded a fair way up the sill.............pic of a mate spot welding the lower section into place.
 

Attachments

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Its not just the mud, behind the rear panel inside the car..theres a drain tube that i think comes from the roof (havent traced it yet) when it rains all the water and anything that can get down decends into the sills causing the rusty areas you (and probably every other micra) had.
 
Mine don't run into the sills, they were relocated into the rear arch area as it's a stupid design. This is where mine failed initially.
 

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goldstar0011 said:
Nasty!
Looks as bad as my crossmember did on both SuperS and SLX, prevention is best cure, best advice, if you buy a new ca,r underseal it, if you buy and old car, underseal it, basically underseal your car!
Click to expand...

why? if you buy a new car you will sell it on before it rusts anyway

best advice is ..dont buy a rusty car.



and..all new cars are protected inside the sills anyway
 
trouble is rik the sills go from inside --> out so unless you strip down the guys car to check inside the sills before buying, youre not likly to know if theres anything lurking...as even solid looking / feeling sills are probably gonne be on there way.

and if you protect your new car, then it'll live on longer overall.

personally i dont even see why they put in a drain tube anyway, the water draining off surely cant be that much that it'll distract the driver...when you figure the overall roof dimension.
 
98twister said:
Can I patch this up or is it too far gone.?
On the right where the worst rusting is, the top and back have no rust at all.

The car has air con and the condensor sits on the crossmember, so replacement might require a degas/regas.
I don't want to sell a duff car but also don't want to spend money which will not be recouped in the sale price.
A new crossmember/front panel would probably not be a plus point to someone who does not know Micras and their common problems.

Advice and opinions appreciated.
Click to expand...

This looks like it might be the easiest solution to weld in a new cross member if you want it done proberly.
My crossmember was not nearly as bad and I did acually not weld on mine. The rust damage hadn't gone to far. I only used rust sealer and som plastic padding with fibres to close the rustdamage underneath on each side. After painting, I have filled the inside of the cross member with soft, greasy underseal to prevent further rusting.

The left and right hand side sills are welded properly, as seen on the previous pictures.

Her are some pictures of the result. I havent rubbed and polished the car yet, so the car is dirty and with a lot of stains from the underseal spraying. When polished, i'm sure the new paint will look more or less similar to the old paint.

CasioExilim278WEB.jpg


CasioExilim277WEB.jpg


CasioExilim258WEB.jpg
 

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