What is the right material to fill rear fenders ?
- Thread starter jwillia
- Start date
Midwest Amphicar
Worlds Largest Amphicar Destination
This is like a trick question. If You live in a warm (non freezing) state leave open. At one point Gluv It was suggested, bad mistake. This was a two part epoxy that dried really hard,plus shrank breaking bond of paint to metal. Thus accelerating rust. If You use epoxy paint do it in multiple coats. Another option is using professional undercoating. There is huge differences in quality. I think whatever You use it should not dry hard.Now what if You do not do any thing? Which may be best choice, You can always use compressed air to blow out excess. Later Dave the now frozen Wave
Bilgemaster
Member
Jeff,
If you're talking about the space in those quarterpanels, the factory
sealed it up with some sort of heavy chalky plaster-like material, but
this tended over time to shrink or begin flaking away in chunks and
thereafter to just capture and hold any shipped water and condensation
against the metal thereby causing corrosion. For the very same reason,
one should resist the urge to fill those spaces with that spray bottle
foam stuff typically used for house insulation. It'll just trap any
water exactly where you don't want it.
There's lots in the List Archives about this topic, but basically most
folks just leave the spaces empty, with some pouring in a bit of
antifreeze so that any water will not freeze thereby splitting the
seams. The antifreeze also has some anti-rust and anti-corrosion
properties. Others fill or coat the spaces with POR-15, an excellent
epoxy resin coating (see www.por15.com), but the metal has to be really
immaculately cleaned and prepped for this. I've even heard of some
fitteing threaded drainplugs into the inner bottommost wheel-facing
surfaces of the quarters so as to be able to drain the spaces within
from time to time.
Like I said, there's lots in the List Archives. Searches for the
keywords like 'POR 15', 'quarterpanel', 'spaces' and 'foam' should get
you some great info.
Regards,
Bilgey
On Fri, 21 Nov 2008 1:47 am, jwillia wrote:
If you're talking about the space in those quarterpanels, the factory
sealed it up with some sort of heavy chalky plaster-like material, but
this tended over time to shrink or begin flaking away in chunks and
thereafter to just capture and hold any shipped water and condensation
against the metal thereby causing corrosion. For the very same reason,
one should resist the urge to fill those spaces with that spray bottle
foam stuff typically used for house insulation. It'll just trap any
water exactly where you don't want it.
There's lots in the List Archives about this topic, but basically most
folks just leave the spaces empty, with some pouring in a bit of
antifreeze so that any water will not freeze thereby splitting the
seams. The antifreeze also has some anti-rust and anti-corrosion
properties. Others fill or coat the spaces with POR-15, an excellent
epoxy resin coating (see www.por15.com), but the metal has to be really
immaculately cleaned and prepped for this. I've even heard of some
fitteing threaded drainplugs into the inner bottommost wheel-facing
surfaces of the quarters so as to be able to drain the spaces within
from time to time.
Like I said, there's lots in the List Archives. Searches for the
keywords like 'POR 15', 'quarterpanel', 'spaces' and 'foam' should get
you some great info.
Regards,
Bilgey
On Fri, 21 Nov 2008 1:47 am, jwillia wrote:
Tommy in Tampa
Amphicar Expert
Hi there everyone, Hi Bilgey
There is a wax based (I think) kinda of a goo that you pour in and it never sets up hard. It stays semi soft there by it does not "break away" from the inner fender walls as they expand and contract.
I think "Amphi Genius" Dave Chapman is the real expert on this kinda goo. He will know the real name of this product and where you can get it. And if it is a good thing for your Amphi. The good thing is you can fix your fenders as they rust away.
But if you want something to worry about focus on your frame rails.
We who work on "rag bag" cars have all drilled a frame rail on a car that has not seen water in 20 years, just to have a rusty rusty rusty watery slime come running out.
Everyone should drill drain holes in the frame. But they need to be drilled in the correct place.
So now someone needs to post just where we drill them so we DO NOT MAKE THEM WEAKER than they have become from rusting away on the inside.
I wish you all the happiest holiday season and "may all your days be Amphicar days."
Tommy in Tampa
There is a wax based (I think) kinda of a goo that you pour in and it never sets up hard. It stays semi soft there by it does not "break away" from the inner fender walls as they expand and contract.
I think "Amphi Genius" Dave Chapman is the real expert on this kinda goo. He will know the real name of this product and where you can get it. And if it is a good thing for your Amphi. The good thing is you can fix your fenders as they rust away.
But if you want something to worry about focus on your frame rails.
We who work on "rag bag" cars have all drilled a frame rail on a car that has not seen water in 20 years, just to have a rusty rusty rusty watery slime come running out.
Everyone should drill drain holes in the frame. But they need to be drilled in the correct place.
So now someone needs to post just where we drill them so we DO NOT MAKE THEM WEAKER than they have become from rusting away on the inside.
I wish you all the happiest holiday season and "may all your days be Amphicar days."
Tommy in Tampa
DavidC
Amphicar Expert
Yep, that's my favourite, Waxoyl (note wierd spelling) it is available in
the US mainly from British car places.
It is the consistancy of thick cream (but can be thinned with White Spirit)
and is normally applied with a paintbrush. It is a super rust preventer and
perfect in those rear panels. Also it can be easily removed with White
Spirit if you want to repaint or weld. Also works as a cavity wax. It's a
light brown colour normally but a black is available if you prefer. I know
there are similar products available but Waxoyl is what most have been using
here since the 1960s.
Oh, I've just remembered, you guys have another name for White Spirit....
yes "in US Mineral Spirits or Stoddard Solvent".
David C
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John,
Do you know what the correct heigth is for the Amphicar Jack? I have two Bilstein jacks from the mid 60's that look like Amphicar jacks, but niether is high enough to lift the wheels off the ground. One has a small "cup" shape where the handle fits for lowering, but it also has a VW stamp on the "I" beam arm that fits into the car jack point. The other has a hook shaped piece instead.
Any advise would be helpful. I would start a new discussion, but I've forgotten my password.
Thanks,
Dave Wind
Thanks
-----Original Message----- From: jfriese Sent: Nov 29, 2008 11:12 AM To: dhwind@earthlink.net Subject: RE: [General Amphicar Discussion-t-20252] Re: What is the right material to fill rear fenders ?
Hello Tommy,I've done a lot of work on frame rail repair including a tech article in the summer or fall 2003 Wheels & Waves. Here's a few photos of the best placement of the holes. I drill them at 1 1/8". Being in the area where the rails are in compression, such holes don't affect the rail strength.John Friese67 White67 Red
John,
Do you know what the correct heigth is for the Amphicar Jack? I have two Bilstein jacks from the mid 60's that look like Amphicar jacks, but niether is high enough to lift the wheels off the ground. One has a small "cup" shape where the handle fits for lowering, but it also has a VW stamp on the "I" beam arm that fits into the car jack point. The other has a hook shaped piece instead.
Any advise would be helpful. I would start a new discussion, but I've forgotten my password.
Thanks,
Dave Wind
Thanks
-----Original Message----- From: jfriese Sent: Nov 29, 2008 11:12 AM To: dhwind@earthlink.net Subject: RE: [General Amphicar Discussion-t-20252] Re: What is the right material to fill rear fenders ?
Hello Tommy,I've done a lot of work on frame rail repair including a tech article in the summer or fall 2003 Wheels & Waves. Here's a few photos of the best placement of the holes. I drill them at 1 1/8". Being in the area where the rails are in compression, such holes don't affect the rail strength.John Friese67 White67 Red
jfriese
Active Member
Hello,
Waxoyl is available in the U.S. from Moss Motors. They sell the stuff itself and also sell a spray applicator. To spray it, it has to be really warm or thinned out a bit. I use it in the areas above the rear wheel wells and down and under the rear windows and the doors. I suppose Waxoyl would work in the rear quarters too but it stays pretty soft and I prefer something that I can touch and clean in those areas.
For those nasty rear quarters I use the same commercial "mastic" epoxy that I use to coat most of the inside bottom areas. It is colored like paint and I use it through the entire inside bottom of the car up to the spare tire cross brace. In those rear quarter areas I pour it in BUT THEN I vacuum the excess out leaving a film of the stuff completely coating the metal in that area. If you don't suck out the excess it will harden into thick mass which will eventually shrink and promote rust. My cars have the lips along the bottom and keeping that area dry is particularly important. After a swim I just run a paper towel into those areas to pull out any splash water which may have gotten in there. I live in Southern California, though, and my Amphicars never sit out in the rain.
John Friese
67 White
67 Red
Waxoyl is available in the U.S. from Moss Motors. They sell the stuff itself and also sell a spray applicator. To spray it, it has to be really warm or thinned out a bit. I use it in the areas above the rear wheel wells and down and under the rear windows and the doors. I suppose Waxoyl would work in the rear quarters too but it stays pretty soft and I prefer something that I can touch and clean in those areas.
For those nasty rear quarters I use the same commercial "mastic" epoxy that I use to coat most of the inside bottom areas. It is colored like paint and I use it through the entire inside bottom of the car up to the spare tire cross brace. In those rear quarter areas I pour it in BUT THEN I vacuum the excess out leaving a film of the stuff completely coating the metal in that area. If you don't suck out the excess it will harden into thick mass which will eventually shrink and promote rust. My cars have the lips along the bottom and keeping that area dry is particularly important. After a swim I just run a paper towel into those areas to pull out any splash water which may have gotten in there. I live in Southern California, though, and my Amphicars never sit out in the rain.
John Friese
67 White
67 Red
