Rust prevention
Although I would like to brag that before I had my car repainted, it had not one spot of rust. Actually the car was in good shape for an 18 year old car. However I found a design flaw that can lead to a catastrophic rust problem. The car had developed some rust in two areas on the driver's side quarterpanel where the curve meets the flat section of the quarterpanel but not around the lip. The passenger side quarterpanel was ok. After some inspecting, I found that the inner fenderwells are a three piece design. Instead of welding the seams completely shut, Pininfarina simple spotwelded them together, then undercoated the panels. Water finds it's way through the cracks which settles between the panels which eventually rusts from the inside out. I also found some sections where the undercoating had separated from the metal. One area had water trapped behind it! Take a look through the trunk area at the fenderwells for any tell-tale signs of rust.
How to stop it:
This was the techinque I used. First push on all undercoated areas underneath the wheelwells and see if any of it has separated from the metal. If so, it will pull off easily. You may find rust underneath where the undercoating has separated. Remove any loose particals with a wire brush and blow the fenderwell clean with compressed air. Coat all rusted areas with Eastwood's Corroless. Repair any rustholes with fiberglass. Take acrylic or laytex caulk (used on windows) and run a bead along all edges where the panels are welded together. Whatever you use make sure it does not contain acetic acid (smells like vinegar) because the acid will leach out over time and will cause the metal to rust. This is why the truckbeds are so rusted out on 80s Toyota pickup trucks. Take your finger and smear it so that it packs between the panels. Eastwood and Company also sells a seam sealer which may be better. Recoat any exposed areas with rubberized undercoating. Repaint entire wheelwell with a gloss black paint (mainly for looks).
This problem is not subject to 124 Spiders only, so no matter what make or model you own, it's a good idea to seal all seams within the rear wheelwells and check for undercoating that has separated from the metal.
Afterwards, I sprayed a combination of mineral oil and paraffin wax dissolved in mineral spirits into all the cracks and crevices (anywhere water can stand and cause rust) using a pump sprayer. These areas include:
Lower trunk area.
Area behind taillights.
Rusted area above rear wheelwells (visable through the trunk).
Behind rocker panels.
Area behind fenders (via courtesy light switches).
After the mineral spirits evaporate, the wax and mineral oil are left behind which form a barrier against water. The reason for using mineral spirits is because paraffin wax dissolves fairly easily in it. Wax will not dissolve in alcohol. By shreading the wax with a cheese grater and soaking the can of mineral spirits in hot water speeds up the dissolving process. I used about 2 pounds of wax, one gallon of mineral spirits and a 16oz bottle of mineral oil. I think I went back later and dilluted the mixture because some of the mineral spirits wouldn't hold all the wax.
Then I took a product called Solution One which is a red oily substance and sprayed it around the trim items. Then I sprayed Solution Two which is a yellow sticky substance and sprayed it underneath the car and into the rear wheelwells. For more information check out this website.
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