OT. Car restoration forum suggestions

[Mr Fixit]

Hi Group,

I know my question is OT. I will try and make it quick. I'm looking for a car restoration forum that will be like this group, friendly and willing to share knowledge.
I am doing my first car restoration, a very solid Morris Minor coupe 1957, I have OK mechanical skills, my shop is well outfitted now, and I plan to do as much as I can my self.

I am a member of a Morris forum but not as much in the way of help there, so I'm looking for another that deals with the DIY information.

My project is a full restoration, I've media basted and primed the car. I'm working on the small dings and repairs with good success. I'm concerned about the couple of places that I have to do patch panels 4"x 4" or smaller with only one side exposed to prime. I want to keep from having rust form on the inside and want to hear from the car people what works to protect this area. I know about weldable primer but at $30.00 a 12oz. rattle can I'm trying to find an alternative to coat the piece that I weld back into the cutout and have the rust prevention if possible.

Anyway I would appreciate any suggestions.

TX
Mr fixit
Chris

[dave_r]

Don't know an auto-restoration site, but you might look into paint/spray guns with various extensions on them to reach into crevices.

[Doc Nickel]

One of the best on the 'net is the Hokey-Ass Message Board, better known as the H.A.M.B. Leans toward "traditional" hot rods, anhd tends to be fairly technically oriented- less chit-chat and more how-to.

I've been a member for years, though mostly as a lurker- I haven't had a decent car project in a while (at least not one of their vintage) so I just read to see the guys that post build-blogs and shop tricks.

Be forewarned, the board gets a great deal of traffic- if you post doesn't get a reply right away, it can wind up on page 2 or 3 before the end of the day.

Doc.

[MattiJ]

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/

One of the best forums for British (sports) cars.
Want to marry BWM K1000 motorcycle cylinder head to your 998cc Mini engine? This is the place to go

Unfamiliar but worth a look:
http://www.morrisminorforum.com/phorum/

[BWS]

Metalmeet.com

Used to hang out there,great bunch of pros.Easy to get along with and no,my English wheel is bigger than yours.Actually,quite the opposite....they just want folks to shape metal.A baseball bat hammer and a stump is peachy.Some of the finest panel beaters on the planet hang out there.Best of luck,BW

PS,may have to register,but well worth it,and "buckle up"...it's slackjaw badarse work over there.

[MrFluffy]

Its a moggie, you wont ever stop the rust, its factory installed along with the flaky top ballscrew kingpin thread design on the front suspension and the terrible brakes and if your really unlucky uneven sag and rates on the torsion bars. If you bought the woodie variant of the shooting brake you got woodworm free too as part of the deal and the van's came with a pre rusted rear chassis section on the bit you couldn't access to check. However along came the italians with the lancia beta to show the world how self disintergration should be really implemented. Austin morris later attempted to claim their UK crown with the morris ital, but by then non self disintergrating cars had arrived on the market and cars where the paint flaked with rust underneath driving back from the dealers had gone out of vogue.

Just kidding, theyre not that bad for their age (a lot better than the unibody era vauxhalls etc), though I've never felt the desire to have another minor after my first van/pickup. Mine got sold on with a marina disc brake conversion and a upright conversion that yielded an actual top balljoint in place of that rubbish alloy nut thingie amongst other bits. I always wanted a 2000tc engine out of a minifora for it which was a common swap in the 80's when fiats were cheap. And it has the distinction of being the vehicle that really let me hone my oxy/acetylene welding skills with a portapack, as it ended up needing so much of it.
And who could forget nick mann's mighty morris minor special, once holding the crown for fastest road legal car in the UK.
http://www.beardmorebros.co.uk/websi...influences.htm

I would weld the panel work in and make provision to inject waxoyl on the other side of the cavity before closing it up with a bung if its a closed cavity. Then every few years I'd redo the waxoyl injection as cheap insurance.

[cameron]

I'll second metalmeet.com for anything to do with body work or any sheetmetal shaping.

But add allmetalshaping.com, as well. There's a lot of duplication, but a few of the best contributors are on or the other, but not both.

[BigMike782]

Not exactly what you are asking for but GREAT info,
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/...d.php?t=182565

[JRouche]

I am also on hamb for 15 years now. Very large wealth of info. JR

[Mr Fixit]

Hi Group,

I have read the suggestions and in fact was contacted by a member here that I had a profile in the garage journal that I forgot I had. So I'm updating my profile and checking out the other sites suggested. I am a member of the allmetalshaping but really thought it was out of my league as the work and experience there is awesome.
Again I appreciate the help.

PS. MrFluffy Yes the Morris can be a bit of a rust bucket project, but mine is solid and so simple that I feel I can be successful with this simple marque.

TX
Mr fixit for the family
Chris

[Erich]

I fully appreciate your desire to do a great job on your car. But, the original british steel survived for more than 30 years with zero rust protection and being driven in rain and snow and salted roads.
I imagine your vehicle will receive better treatment than that.

Bottom line anything you put on the bare steel will last the rest of your lifetime and probably the owner after you.
69 Mustang
66 Sunbeam Tiger

[vpt]

Where exactly do you need to patch that you can't get to the back side after your done? Can you get whole panels for the car instead of patches? Patches in the middle of panels are very very prone to rust even after being covered on both sides.

[Mr Fixit]

Hi Erich & vpt,

The area that I need to get to is the fender area at the bottom of the "B" pillar or dog lag of the rear fender body panel. I can get to it form the inside as the web framing of the body will let me get to it but not with a rattle can to prime it.

I did look up the Waxol as suggested earlier and this may be the answer. I do want to look more at the POR 15 products to see if they might work too.

Yes full panel pieces are available but when it's a 4" x 4" area to replace I have to try and make it. I have shaped a piece that looks like it fits exactly but I was wanting to coat this area before and when I have welded the patch in to keep it from rusting from the inside out. I'm sure water will get inside so I want to be safe since I have this car down for a complete restoration.

You are correct Erich the metal that I can see is in great shape for a 60 yr old car. I'm having fun shaping and welding this little car back to life and I'm hoping it will become my daily driver in the next yr or so.


TX
Mr fixit for the family
Chris

[JRouche]

I would weld the panel work in and make provision to inject waxoyl on the other side of the cavity before closing it up with a bung if its a closed cavity. Then every few years I'd redo the waxoyl injection as cheap insurance.

I dont know what waxoyl is, sounds like a german product I have some leather treatments that look similar in name Oh, and paint.

So not knowing the stuff, the application is exactly what I would do. Do a pre-treat with the weld through primer and follow up with your preferred product.

I have worked on car with voids. Only one I have welded on. My 62 Nova (yes, a 400). There were some unavoidable voids in some areas.

The A and B pillar were small ones. I have replaced all the other metal. And not with the bitchin panels you can get now. They were not stamping for my car yet.

Great info. JR
https://www.autobody101.com/forums/

[MrFluffy]

Its as it name suggests waxy oil. Its designed to leave a self healing film of waxy oil cut with rust inhibitors behind in cavities and awkward to get places and comes in big tins and a pump sprayer. Anyone with a landrover is probably well aquainted with it, or on the way to needing their next chassis. I believe it was not sold to the US market because the distributor started mixing up a copy of it and then lawsuits ensued, with the maker pulling it from the north american market as a result. The new importer now years later is Rovers North, probably linked to the reason I mentioned earlier about disintergrating defender chassis crossmembers.
There are UK companies that will have your classic up on a ramp and steam off the underside then inject all the usual suspect areas as a drive in service as its a filthy job to do but it works. Cut with thick new oil its even messier and flows easier. You can get it in schultz gun format cartridges too, to go in air powered underseal guns and then its just a bit nasty to work with.
ACF-50 or LPS3 might be easier to get hold of locally if your motor factor's don't have big tins of it available and is the same genre of product.