the joy of welding

I reckon if you are going to weld you may as well make sure it's going to last a few years cant wait till all the holes look like the drivers foot well.
 

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You sir have obviously never drove a 1980's ford!!! Lol I am looking forward to doing the job, the rest of the car is very good. I think I have always lived too close to the sea for welding to not feature at mot time. The1988 zx is up for mot tomorrow, I really do prefer the older stuff
 

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You sir have obviously never drove a 1980's ford!!! Lol I am looking forward to doing the job, the rest of the car is very good. I think I have always lived too close to the sea for welding to not feature at mot time. The1988 zx is up for mot tomorrow, I really do prefer the older stuff
Suzuki rules ;)
 
Hi mate this project interesting please do a blog on your rebuild with plenty of pics especially the welding. Are you replacing the whole sills with new? B-)
 
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Hi mate this project interesting please do a blog on your rebuild with plenty of pics especially the welding. Are you replacing the whole sills with new? B-)
I have a drivers side sill coming from panels for u as no one in NI has any, there was a thread last October were a guy rebuilt the complete box section to an excellent original quality.. One tip I picked up recently is to use gas with the mig welder as rust sets in immediately without gas. The ZX passed first time yesterday, not bad for a1988
 
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You can't half see the damage the sunroof system does. Getting prepared.. Invested in a pressurised waxoyle kit and etch primer so it will be interesting to see how long the repairs last
 

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This is my first and only k11 with a sunroof and funnily enough the least rusty! My others have/had way worse outer sills! Inner sills weren't quite this bad mind . I've only just learnt how to weld in these last few months so still welder happy so to speak any excuse to get welding!


GT15 turbo cg10de(t) @ 7psi
 
You can't half see the damage the sunroof system does. Getting prepared.. Invested in a pressurised waxoyle kit and etch primer so it will be interesting to see how long the repairs last

Can you please post details and pics of the pressurised waxoyle mate! B-)
 
You can't half see the damage the sunroof system does. Getting prepared.. Invested in a pressurised waxoyle kit and etch primer so it will be interesting to see how long the repairs last

Blimey looks like your Micra has been parked on the beach in knee high water for years mate! :-o
 
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Funny thing is I am very impressed at how well the micra is lasting, at 22 years old it is way better than any of the 7 Vauxhall chevettes I drove which at 14 years old had very little good metal left to even weld to.. Some of the "80s fords I had were way worse to. Most people who I know that want an old classic head to the midlands of England to get cars that have never needed welded and have never been exposed to salt/sea water.
 
I commend you mate wish more would take on a rebuild project like you. I have been spoilt over the years and bought Micra's that just need minor refurbishment until my latest acquisition a 1996 SR which is more a rebuild project over a longer period of time then I am used to but hey it's a challenge to get it back to showroom condition lol! B-)
 
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Can you please post details and pics of the pressurised waxoyle mate! B-)
£35 plus vat I think, got a load of etch primer at the same time. I have the slx since August 2011 and it was welded before in a garage,, but they did nothing to preserve the metal inside the box section so if you want it done right etc
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It's happening WP_20160924_12_39_38_Pro.jpg neighbours without cars and the only garage in the street are good friends indeed
 

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The strength is coming back already though I am very glad no one ran into the side of the car while it was so badly weakened. I took the carpet out last October when it passed the mot due to water in the foot wells, most of the holes were there already ,, but I didn't dig them out til now.
 

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As each area is finished I am treating with hamerite Krust which turns black when cured then a coat of etch primer which is meant to burn itself into the metal.. It would be good to find something that works to protect the repair work... I think I am going to do the whole floor with grey stonechip paint as it is a bit like a plastic coat and shows signs of rust by discolouring. Most of the sound proofing had to come off so it should help to dampen road noise too,,,, fingers crossed got some rebuilding at the front completed too, trying ACF50 on all the bolts, meant to displace rust and coat metal against corrosion for a year.. Used on aircraft but expensive at £15 per tin just a thought,,, I hope it is ok to post all the photos in a thread!
 

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This is turning out to be a really interesting rebuild project, have you a pic of the etch primer container so I can locate some for myself? I used to work in the aero engineering sector and we used to prime components with a similar product to ACF50 which was a light green colour and worked well. I am really interested in how you are going to weld the new sill skins because the ones on my SR need doing!
Thanks for the fascinating updates!
Cheers
Andy B-)
 
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Method in the madness inside dropsill built to good metal, inner support replaced, all kurusted and primed ready for outer sill. 10 foot of seam weld to go
 

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Personally I think you're bonkers trying to save that car :confused:
But I admire your effort, and it's a good way to learn welding for sure.;)
Lol, it has served me well for 5 years and I suppose,, it's mine. just got my insurance quote in for £150.70p I'll be spending about £300 ish on the work. Another micra would just have all the same problems. At least I will know exactly what I have
 

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That was a long road! Now I have a cv boot ready to go on, the brake lines to clean and the rebuild after the waxoyle kit is done.. a floor pan to be proud of no more daylight or road to be seen from inside the car, just metal. Painted her through with hammerite stone chip paint just for the hell of it
 

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I didn't want to drill holes in the sills so I fed the sunroof drains through the large rubber door electrics bung.. The waxoyle kit just about did the two sills but I'm going to buy more just to be sure. The pressurised jobbie works well on wide spray but not so good on the long fine pipe which is essential to get to the rear of the sills it was good to get her out tonight for petrol got my new insurance for £150 and taxed too!!
 

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In Northern Ireland we have government run mot centers, all the slx needed were the front indicator bulbs replaced as the orange was flaking off, :) done as soon as I got home of course :)
 

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I didn't want to drill holes in the sills so I fed the sunroof drains through the large rubber door electrics bung.. The waxoyle kit just about did the two sills but I'm going to buy more just to be sure. The pressurised jobbie works well on wide spray but not so good on the long fine pipe which is essential to get to the rear of the sills it was good to get her out tonight for petrol got my new insurance for £150 and taxed too!!

Hi mate I bought the Waxoyle pressure spray today did you warm up the Waxoyle and dilute it by 15% before using it?
 
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Hi mate I bought the Waxoyle pressure spray today did you warm up the Waxoyle and dilute it by 15% before using it?
I left the can in the kitchen sink covered in kettle boiled water for half an hour then added 10%ish white spirit.. I have a camp stove and kept the container over heat in a container of hot water while I was spraying .. In the time it takes to swap between the wide spray nozzle and the long white pipe for the back of the sills, the waxoyle was congealing in the black hose already. It just dribbles when not hot but sprays wide and really well when still hot.. Too hot to get on your skin type heat but not boiling:)
 

Fujiwara-Ben

Site Supporter
Wow, just been reading though on all the work you've done to keep your K11 on the road!
Fantastic effort mate :) It's nice to see someone keep a Micra on the road then just say "too rusty i'm scrapping it"
 
great thread, makes me think "It cannot be THAT bad" in mine case :D

funny thing- mine corroded also at the firewall/ water drain, behind the blower inlet hole :mad: I think the leaves and dust kept the water in this place. Also I think this is reason why the passanger floor (RH in mine case) corroded more than other. Bad thing is theres no place for welding. I painted it with rust killer and put huge amount of Reinz silicone, this body is for scrap anyway :oops:...

I recomend to check this place if someone removing the dashboard for some reason
 
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Hi Se@n, the kit is definitely worth the money and effort, the black is just an additive to colour the waxoyl for underneath the car. I have used the kit in the photo many moons ago on a Cortina and my only reservation is that hand spray is a bugger. The autofactor I use told me you can no longer get the manual sprayer, all the new kit comes in the pump pressurised tin which I found to be far superior though remember to keep it hot as I explained above makes your life far easier. The only attachment I didn't like was the thin pipe for the inaccessible sill areas... I still have to buy another drum to make sure everything is coated. The pump tin is refillable.
 
Hi Se@n, the kit is definitely worth the money and effort, the black is just an additive to colour the waxoyl for underneath the car. I have used the kit in the photo many moons ago on a Cortina and my only reservation is that hand spray is a bugger. The autofactor I use told me you can no longer get the manual sprayer, all the new kit comes in the pump pressurised tin which I found to be far superior though remember to keep it hot as I explained above makes your life far easier. The only attachment I didn't like was the thin pipe for the inaccessible sill areas... I still have to buy another drum to make sure everything is coated. The pump tin is refillable.
I'll have to just hope the hot water will do the job as I don't have a fire ( Don't think the missus would be to pleased about me making a fire outaide house either ) I'm going to drill hole I sill and put a drain plug in there so that any future water can escape. Doesn't look like the kit I'm buying comes with a pipe just sprayer. I'll buy a pipe from somewhere, hopefully it will cover it enough and not be to thick that it won't go through the pipe :confused:
 
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I used a gas camping stove and tin of hot water to maintain the heat but if you don't like naked flames I used to fill an old electric deep frier with water and keep the waxoyl at the lowest heat (below boiling) if you spray over old underseal, make sure it is not hiding rust. If you can, clobber anywhere suspect with a rubber mallet, loose underseal should fall off. I cleaned the rust off with a drill and wire brushes then treated with a combination of hammerite rusteater, etch primer, stonechip paint finished with 3 or more coats of clear lacquer. The waxoyl was used up in box sections. If you are painting, keeping the tins in warm water after the 1 minute shake will give better adhesion and finish. By warm i mean you should be ok holding the tin in your bare hand.
 

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Low Rider

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Nice idea putting it on warm. For panels, I mix Underseal with white spirit to make it sprayable. Goes on easily and once the white spirit has evaporated it leaves behind an excellent finish. Since it goes on thin it's easy to see any rogue spots underneath developing so they can be tackled quickly instead of going unnoticed under thick coatings.

Anything else including fastners and parts on show get a liberal coating of T9.
 
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Had to go look up what the boeshield t9 was there :) the acf50 is similar used for aeroplanes, a bit cheaper. Though I mainly use it on the bikes
 
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Nice idea putting it on warm. For panels, I mix Underseal with white spirit to make it sprayable. Goes on easily and once the white spirit has evaporated it leaves behind an excellent finish. Since it goes on thin it's easy to see any rogue spots underneath developing so they can be tackled quickly instead of going unnoticed under thick coatings.

Anything else including fastners and parts on show get a liberal coating of T9.
What do you think of this price? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boeshield-...&qid=1479913292&sr=8-1&keywords=boeshield+t-9
 
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