The Rat's Nest - 81 X1/9 Build

Finally getting things clean gives us a look at the rust.
lots of little odd spot rust.
Day24Rust.jpg


The compartment scuttle area on one side looks great.
Day24Drain1.jpg


But go to the other, and there's rust.
The seam seal has failed and the seam is rusting.
Odd, because that side was drenched in oil.
Day24Drain2.jpg


A lot of people will just brush some POR15 or similar on top of the rust and pretend it's good.
Better would be some spot blasting.
We might wire-wheel as best we can then spray a bit of single-stage?
Also going to re-apply some seam seal in that scuttle.
We already doused a TON of phosphoric inside all seams/panels right as we finished rinsing,
Blew it into all cracks/crevices.
Still,
If you're not blasting a bare shell or having it dipped,
You're just putting a band-aid on and punting the problem down the road.
Lots of oil in seams surely won't help paint stick.
Hopefully we'll be slowing the rust down a bit - long enough to have some fun.
 
Mark_Toro said:
What do you neighbors think of the project?

When I was 20ish my sister and I took on a similar resurection of a '66 Bonneville convertible in my parent's driveway. I thought for sure the suburban neighbors would object to the decrease in property values, but always heard compliments and encouragement as they would walk by. We did make a commitment to keep the project moving - don't let it stall out - that may have made a difference.

The $5000 we sank into that car was the best tuition I ever paid!
Click to expand...
I really can't believe the kid has been powering thru so hard on the project! :oops:
He's usually all about video games, unfortunately.
We'll take the win. Hopefully he continues to pull.
It's only ever going to get more fun from here.

My neighborhood isn't the best.
Compared to some other neighbor's houses ours is the pretty one - even with a junk can on stands.
Occasionally, a stranger will walk by and chat, but that's rare.
It isn't the old days, that's for sure.
People don’t walk down the street anymore.
Most people in CA nowadays are self-absorbed and a car project would be completely foreign.

My actual neighbors, except for one, they're all totally scared of me! :D
 
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Couple of questions for the experts.
These things stumped me stripping the interior.

How the hell does this clip come off the e-brake?
You'd think the Haynes manual would be good for ONE thing... :rolleyes:
Day24Clip.jpg



Also, our last piece of rat-nasty interior vinyl is tucked under the rear window.
How to go about getting this free?
I'd like to pull and re-install as factory to keep things watertight vs. just cutting it.
Day24Tray.jpg
 
If that's the worst of the rust you have then you are getting off lightly. Could have been a lot worse.

It's certainly a tricky place to access. Spot blasting sounds like a good idea. I have thought about making the area water tight again and pour in some evaporust and let it do its magic.
 
Handbrake clip: Some idiot PO bent the end of the clip that goes through the hole. Shouldn't be bent. Un-bend it and pull the pin out.
Nasty-ass upholstery: The rear widow slides down to come out. The window must come out for that upholstery to come out.
 
Clatter said:
Finally getting things clean gives us a look at the rust.
lots of little odd spot rust.
View attachment 81131

The compartment scuttle area on one side looks great.
View attachment 81129

But go to the other, and there's rust.
The seam seal has failed and the seam is rusting.
Odd, because that side was drenched in oil.
View attachment 81130

A lot of people will just brush some POR15 or similar on top of the rust and pretend it's good.
Better would be some spot blasting.
We might wire-wheel as best we can then spray a bit of single-stage?
Also going to re-apply some seam seal in that scuttle.
We already doused a TON of phosphoric inside all seams/panels right as we finished rinsing,
Blew it into all cracks/crevices.
Still,
If you're not blasting a bare shell or having it dipped,
You're just putting a band-aid on and punting the problem down the road.
Lots of oil in seams surely won't help paint stick.
Hopefully we'll be slowing the rust down a bit - long enough to have some fun.
Click to expand...
Your spot rust is typical. It is where dirt and moisture get trapped next to the trunk seals.
In the valleys in front of the rear wheels, there should be a tube in the corner so that valley can drain to the ground. Mine had clear vinyl tubes below to direct the drainage below the engine. Clear out the drain tubes.
 
Clatter said:
Is that why the motor is in the back?
That way oil smoke off of the engine doesn't impede the driver's vision...
🤣
Click to expand...
What do you believe is the reason for putting the power train (oily bits) behind the driver / in front of the rear wheels 🤔

Bernice
 
SuperTopo said:
Handbrake clip: Some idiot PO bent the end of the clip that goes through the hole. Shouldn't be bent. Un-bend it and pull the pin out.
Nasty-ass upholstery: The rear widow slides down to come out. The window must come out for that upholstery to come out.
Click to expand...
Beautiful.
I’m not crazy!
Thank you.
 
F
Dr.Jeff said:
Consider sealing it before that beautiful fresh finish gets ruined. These castings are very porous and will collect dirt/grease/etc very quickly.
Click to expand...
Circling back around to this..

Top of trans case had rat urine corrosion.
Pits had filled with black poo that the glass beads weren’t getting.
Vapor blast guy said he worked and worked (at expense) to get them clean to poor avail.
IMG_6180.jpeg


Decided to pop by the powder coater and they let me hit that spot with their big screw-compressor aluminum oxide firehose.
IMG_6181.jpeg


Pits almost completely clear now.

Going to be dropping off a different project for vapor blast here soon,
Hopefully the guy can touch that spot back up for me.

Yeesh.
Silk purse!
:rolleyes:
 
Rupunzell said:
What do you believe is the reason for putting the power train (oily bits) behind the driver / in front of the rear wheels 🤔

Bernice
Click to expand...
Clatter said:
Easier burnouts? 🤔
Click to expand...
That would be the complete opposite, burn out prevention to the most extreme.. Reason why, hint, Serious race cars from Formula One to Off road buggies have their spinning oily bits behind the driver-in front of the rear wheels..

Figure this out 🤔
Bernice
 
visualistics said:
It's... both? Am I being tricked?

BTW the fire thing was a joke, hope I'm not ruffling feathers...
Click to expand...
Likely overly sensitive.. Regardless, the designers of the exxe is a very worthy topic in many ways..

As for flame on... Pontiac Fiero:
www.latimes.com

U.S. Steps Up Probe of Alleged Fire Danger in Pontiac Fieros

Federal engineers have intensified their investigation into allegations that nearly 150,000 Pontiac Fieros are in danger of catching fire because of escaping oil, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday.
www.latimes.com www.latimes.com

Porsche 914 fires.. magnesium fire.. Caused by design.. Battery gooo drips on the K-jetronic injection distributor lines corroding them, eventually producing a gasoline spray at 90psi on to the hot magnesium bits then flame on.. adding to this magnesium fires are no fun to put out..
queenanneview.com

Porsche Fire this Morning QueenAnneView Queen Anne View

A Porsche 914 caught fire this morning in front of Genki Sushi at 5th N and Mercer around 8:30am. A reader sent in not only a tip, but also a video of the incident - click below: At one point the fire was hot enough for the gas in the…
queenanneview.com queenanneview.com

Not to be forgotten.. FORD pinto:

Again by design, FORD management decided it was more profitable to allow the design to flame on and settle the legal cost than to make the design not flame on which would have added production cost and lower profitability for FORD.



Bernice
 
About once a week, a USPS mail truck also burns to the ground because the wiper fluid reservoir is above the fuse box and drips onto the fuse box.

For a fun little time around a bonfire with a couple drinks on-hand, I like to toss in some broken karting wheels (magnesium) and watch the show.
The PO of my X told me to keep the engine cover unlocked in case you need to jump out and put out a fire. Of course, I know the the inherent ability for an X to spontaneously combust is largely down to 50 years of a bunch of half-baked wiring cob-jobs from previous owners who knew even less about electronics than the Italians did in the 70s.
 
You would be surprised about how much energy it takes to ignite gasoline vapors. 12V 15A circuit cannot create enough. High side of the ignition, obviously and maybe unregulated alternator output. Exhaust temperature, debris and airflow create most of the thermal events on the equipment we build. Keep things clean!

Now starting a burn pile with model airplane nitro-methane. Watch your eyebrows!
 
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