window channel repair restricted budget

[metric Cwrench]

lots of feedback, cool.

i have a friend who welds and has offered help to work on some major rust-eaten areas (elsewhere on the bus besides the window channel- those are spots that require a welded patch), and panels for that will be on the way soon. so i will be learning something of welding in the very near future- just not with the windshield area.

once again, this is an experiment. experiments do sometimes fail, that's part of the learning process. but one way or the other, theories get proved or disproved (oh, sometimes there's "inconclusive results," yes). no experiment= no data= no learning= no good. so i'm "puttin' on the foil!!!" (-hanson bros.).

roofing tar (the cold patch, any weather stuff), i'd thought about using that for re-sealing seams (especially in the engine compartment area). think it might build up too thick for the window channel, and if/when i have to remove it later it'll be some kinda fun to clean it out (the rtv-foil patch should come out much easier, if/when the time comes).

painting the patch area today, will put up pics later.

thanks- phred

[bretski]

I like your attitude.

Just know that depending on the seal you have, it can be frustrating installing the windshield. Hence, you might end-up wishing that there will not be a need to remove it again for a looooong time. Good luck!

(For the record, I have issues around the bottom-lip of my windshield as well...I have been forestalling the inevitable repair for many years now. This is mainly because of a rock "star" in my windshield...I'm worried it'll crack when removed.)

[chitwnvw]

Roofing tar with its oil base is a natural deterrent to rust, whereas the foil and rtv could end up trapping moisture. Just sayin'.

[RussellK]

You do understand that not everybody has the resources to do it right? Whether it be time, money, skills or work shop? Like I said the steel foil tape lasts about 3 salty Cape Cod winters before failure begins. Even repaired with new steel and a welder the rust comes back, these 30 something year old cars rot from the inside out. Just do the best you can with what you have and expect to have to do it again every few years. Eventually you have to give up on that particular body. Hopefully you have made it mechanically sound, then you just go looking for a better body. Doesn't matter what shape it's in mechanically because you have a parts bus that is mechanically sound.

From the photos it didn't look like the sill would require cutting and patching. If he'd ground the rust down to bare metal and had floated in metal to fill the pinholes he'd get a lot more than 3 years out of the repair. Avoiding anything that picks up, traps or absorbs moisture is the goal.

[Amskeptic]

Avoiding anything that picks up, traps or absorbs moisture is the goal.

I have such a rag-tag collection of foil and crap all over my car that an official restoration shop would be rolling their eyes with contempt if they ever got down to the bare metal, "what's with this Diet Coke can stuff? paper towel and RTV 'fiberglass??' inch thick bondo back there???"
But it is withstanding the weather, and that is what it is about.
Colin

[metric Cwrench]

bretski- thanks. in my experience, sometimes all you've got is attitude. and it always makes an impact on any situation.

colin- your posts inspired me in this experiment, thanks a bunch. i'm eager to see how it'll turn out. and it's great to have options for "emergency situations." as they say: [/i]shite happens

[metric Cwrench]

before i started playing with my engine i put the first layer of aluminum foil patch on. layered the foil up 6-8 times, finding that it seems to help to put some rtv on the last fold to hold it down nice. rtv ring around each little hole, a bead along the edge of the foil, set the foil in place and smooth it out, wiping away any excess rtv that gets squeezed out.

sorry, forgot batteries for the camera again. pics tomorrow, i swear

[metric Cwrench]

pics as promised. here's views from both sides, showing the foil and rtv patches in place




will be adding another layer of foil and rtv on top, then some paint. the yellow is a trial-run to see if i like the color and to see how hand-painting (with a brush so far, but plan on using roller for most of it) might turn out, if i go that route with the rest of her. going to try spray-paint for the lower part of the nose for comparison. paint is $9/quart, not what i put up earlier (think it was $15). spray runs about $4-5/can, which will not cover as much area.

-phred