Front suspension box channel rust repair

DarrylD · 02-08-2006, 06:27 PM

Another milestone on the old '66 912 restoration passed today!

The box channel between the front torsion bar support pads had a bit of rot in the floor of the channel. The fuel tanks support was also suffering from some rot along the front edge. Here's how they look tonight!

I cut out the rotted sections and made my own replacement panels, doing all the tin-work from a sheet of 20-gauge cold rolled steel:

All that remains is a thick coat of Wurth High-Build Underseal and these repairs blend back into the patina of the 40-year-old car.

I'm trying to find the Zen of my MIG welder on this hidden stuff before moving on to the floor and rocker-panel replacement!

I hope to have this roller ready for paint by June! As usual you can get your fill of bodywork at my project blog: http://members.aol.com/darryld/912.htm

Zeke · 02-08-2006, 06:45 PM

And, as usual, you did a fine job. You also saved a bunch of work considering the overall length and shape of a complete gas tank support.

DarrylD · 02-08-2006, 07:34 PM

Thanks Zeke!

The majority of the metal in the front suspension pan was solid so I wanted to preserve as much of it as I could. According to the maintenance log that came with the car, it was sold from a dealer in Seattle in '66 and has never left the Puget Sound area so it has the classic Seattle rust pattern.

There's no snow or road salt used here but we get constant rain so the rust forms from the inside out at the lowest part of the channel where the water pools when the drain holes get clogged. For being over 40-years-old, I'm actually surprised at how much healthy steel is still left. Not something you see in most areas of the country on a car this age.