dealing with rust - GSA lives!

basil40 · Post by **basil40** » 17 Aug 2005, 18:20

Astonishingly as it may sound, my recent acquisition - 1983 GSA Pallas is only realistically showing signs of surface rust. In only a few cases is it in fairly advanced stages. Does anyone know ( apart from Waxoil) any good join sealers, good primers and rust killing products?

Rob Marshall · Post by **Rob Marshall** » 17 Aug 2005, 18:53

Pressure injected Dinotryl is great once you have got rid of teh rust in the box sections. Order up at: www.rustbeater.co.uk
I used it on my old GSA, and it's still going!

Post by **Peter.N.** » 17 Aug 2005, 19:02

Congratulations! Waxoil is very good on flat surfaces not prone to errosion but doesn't penetrate seams very, well so for box sections and inside doors, sills Etc, flood them with engine oil and when most has run out, then waxoil. For the underside, wheel arches Etc, there are several spray on under body sealants that set to give a reasonably tough finish that do not dry out completely, I think Waxoil make one. My Son has cleaned and painted the underside of his Capri with Hammerite, but that sounds like hard work to me!

Post by **Peter.N.** » 17 Aug 2005, 19:04

The suggestion that Rob gave while I was typing sounds good.

Rob Marshall · Post by **Rob Marshall** » 17 Aug 2005, 19:31

Waxoyl is great for sticking under the car as extra protection, but it does tend to get washed off. Hammerite is OK, but does tend to chip off.
Personally, I prefer to strip the underbody down (you are lucky as the GSA has a flat floor!), paint in red oxide, seam seal where they were done originally; then spray with sonechip, finished off with a coat of waxoyl.
Dinitrol is great for the box sections. There was a bulleitin in the Citroen GSA workshop beeok (the genuine Citroen one) which showed you where to go when rustproofing a GSA (plugs in the rear arches etc). Theer is a box section towards the rear of the floorpan that always rusts where the rear floorpan meets; anddon't forget the front tray! (oh the GSA memories are flooding back!)
R

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 17 Aug 2005, 19:43

You can (or at least used to be able to) get proper underbody sealant, it's a tar like thick paint that doesn't dry. The tin my Dad has had for 30 years hasn't dried out, its by Holts, I don't remember the exact product name.
My mother's old Jetta (which didn't rust at all despite being 15 years old when she finally got rid) had some sort of gunge on its undersides, the gunge was dry to the touch because it had dust stuck to it, but if you poked it with your fingernail it was still sticky underneath.

czenda · Post by **czenda** » 17 Aug 2005, 19:57

I fell victim to Hammerite ads once while trying to stop rusting of a front wheelarch.
"Right on rust, no undercoat needed thanks to its great rust-stopping formula" - sounds great, huh [8D]?
Guess who had to scratch the useless stuff next spring and give it a proper wirebrush-primer-black gunk paint treatment when next spring came[:(!]?

basil40 · Post by **basil40** » 17 Aug 2005, 20:27

I can get hold of a lot of body sealers, but they are oven cured usually in ecoat processes ( 140 oC ) I think Henle and Orbseal do a lot of sealant products but usually for virgin surfaces. I guess the best thing will be to rub down to clean metal and apply primer and paint. The paint will be stone chip grade for front fender and wheel arch areas. I thought red oxide was banned now for lead content? A lot of hexavalent chrome compounds have been banned for toxicity. I'll have a go anyway and see what happens. I thought about using "yacht" grade marine sealants and rust prevention products!

uhn113x · Post by **uhn113x** » 17 Aug 2005, 21:08

I tend to use Shell Ensis rather than Waxoyl - it is stickier.
Chainsaw added to any of these is good, as well.
For actual rust removal before priming, Fertan is unbeatable - do a google.
Instead of seam sealer (expensive) a good thing is strips of Flashband, used for flat roofs <i>et al</i>. It is a bitumen-like layer with a thin metal foil on it. You apply it like adhesive tape, then cook it with a hot-air gun so the black stuff runs - no moisture or air can get in. [:)][:p]

basil40 · Post by **basil40** » 17 Aug 2005, 21:12

that's it!! I can get that stuff. Cheers. I have a water leak going into the driver foot well, but it's probably due to either the underbody floor pan flange join or door seal. Are there any plugs directly under the foot well or just outboard near the dash panel which might be letting water in? Must have happened on all GSAs!

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 17 Aug 2005, 21:36

For outdoor structural steelwork that is exposed to the elements, a good zinc phosphate primer on clean bare metal, then some micaceous iron oxide and finally your favourite paint on top (to make it look nice) seems to be the way to go. I don't know whether the same combination is recommended on cars, but thats what I did to the plate on my towbar and it's lasted a year and a half so far, I didn't get the paint application right the first time around, I'd used a sponge to put the MIO on and MIO paint is gritty so the sponge soaked up the liquid part of the paint and only seemed to apply the gritty part (the MIO) so it was a bit powdery.

Rob Marshall · Post by **Rob Marshall** » 17 Aug 2005, 22:23

Basil, my GSA had a nasty water leak on the passenger side floor. The cause was water leaking behind the bottom vinyl trim panel on the inside of the door, and the water was going through to the inside of the car. It was literally a resonable tricle on heavy downpours.
My GSA still survives today: it is a bright orange Special estate!! I missed it so much, I went out and bought 2 BXs!!
Rob

basil40 · Post by **basil40** » 17 Aug 2005, 23:30

Arrrghh, that sounds like it - might get some foam door sealer and add it on. Thought it was something like that. Thanks Rob. Incidentally, I looked up the Fertan stuff, sounds good to me. Will be buying some of that stuff. I still think even with all the primer and paint, the film that you create is still permeous to water MOLECULEs and that will re initiate the dormant rust process ( differential aeration I believe). The best thing would be a pure zinc (galvanised) coating! last forever then.

Stinkwheel · Post by **Stinkwheel** » 17 Aug 2005, 23:30

Anyone want a GSA at all? I know where to lay my hands on a couple needing attention (to say the least) they are for repair and use though, not breaking.

madasafish · Post by **madasafish** » 18 Aug 2005, 00:40

Halfords stock both Dinitrol for box sections and for panels.. In aerosols. tested as far better than Waxoyl by Car Mechanics I think. I agree 100%. Creeps better and lasts far longer in expsed situations. Waxoyl tends to sit on top of rust : and allows it to continue rusting. I speak from 20 years of treating Minis.. a never ending job:-(
Hammerite is a waste of time on rusty metal in my experience (learned that in 1971 on a Morris Minor. Nothing has changed since . It's not very good even on rusty cast iron.I have 100s of metres of rusty cast iron fencing I paint every 5 years..

. Underseal with Waxoyl lasts well but is no good on rusty metal.
Dintrol on top of rust penetrates and stops it.. unles it's flakey rust in which case.. cut out and weld is the only answer imo.
Of course if your car is kept in a heated and dry garage with a dehumidifier and only used on dry summer roads and never in winter then rust should never be a problem .. not even on a 1970s Fiat:-)