Well you'd think that a good deal of rust proofing and a good amount of welding work I'd be on top of the rust, no chance!
Been doing a bit of maintenance, adjusting the value clearances, changing oils etc , etc.
Decided to clean the three way rubber moulding that fits between the plastic air intake pipe and the air filter box.
Refitting it was easier with the filter box removed. But one of the bolts for the filter box is under the fuse box so I decided it was easier to remove this to gain access.
The joint between the top front suspension mount and the inner wing panels is now visible.
The mastic on this joint looked like it was hiding something. Sure enough a large lump of it came away with a little prod of a screwdriver.
Further prodding with the screwdriver revealed a corroded area about 20mm square with a tiny pin hole going all the way through.
The rest of the mastic on the upper part of the joint came away easily but whilst there was a bit surface discolouring there is no surface pitting - thank goodness.
Currently coated it with some Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 to stop progress of the rust whilst I decide what to do
I guess I should be thankful I spotted it now rather then later when the panels were more significantly corroded.
Seems like a very odd place to rust but this panel was repaired after significant front off-side accident damage 25 years ago, just after I brought the car.
So maybe the panels weren't closed properly underneath or have opened up over time . Its just beyond the wheel arch liner so it's exposed to some of the elements from the otherside.
I'm thinking anything other than a proper repair will return to bite me later on.
I was looking for somewhere to do the bodywork in South Devon anyway so now I've got another reason to get on with this task.
Oh as for the valve clearances, well the Haynes manual says you have to do this every year or 12,000 miles. My records show its not been done for 25 years or 100K miles (Sloppy very sloppy
)
I had 2 exhaust valve clearances 0.025mm down on the minimum clearance and 2 inlet valve clearances up 0.025mm on the maximum clearance - not too bad.
As soon as the new gasket sealant is delivered, to do the camshaft cover gasket, I'll be able to see if it's made any difference
