Interior corrosion

Decided to get the seats out of my TF and give the carpets a clean. A friend of mine who is a professional car valet told me the best way to get rid of the musty smell in older cars is to get the carpets out and wash them with a hosepipe.
So out with the seats, t-bar, center console (I loosened this so allow the carpets to come out after cutting down the center) and then the carpets.
Removing the felt trim and soundproofing from the rear firewall panel, I was shocked to see the advanced onset of tin worm!


I am now thinking that this may be the source of water ingress I have been experiencing since owning the car.

I removed the firewall panel and discovered a previous bodge of sealant, obviously an attempt to stop water coming in on the drivers side, and above it a tear in the firewall membrane where the membrane had rubbed against the bracing behind it.


So I treated the floorpan with rustkiller and anti-rust paint and patched the hole with plastic film - I use this stuff to repair the door membrane after accessing door locks and window actuators. It may not look as good as original, but hopefully it will last and work!


Next its time to wash the carpet, a good jetting off with the hosepipe to rinse any foreign objects, no wonder the water under the carpets lies undetected, the carpet has a thick plastic coating between the top pile and the under cushion! It was dry in a hour and it smelled clean too!


Now the firewall panel was treated with Jenolyte rust treatment and a coat of the same rust proof paint, then a bead of sealant around the edge before I bolted it back on.
Once on I sealed around with more sealant - just in case.


Then the carpets and center console put back in and the seats. T-bar will be put on tomorrow and hopefully should be back on the road for the weekend.

Sundance

Nice work and thanks for pointing out a possible problem we might have with our cars. :broon:

Yes, Bob, I am thinking there are a lot more cars out there that may need some deeper scrutiny. While summer is here, check out your firewall, especially if you are getting water ingress...all this time I was convinced it was coming in from somewhere under the windscreen.

Sundance

I can concur with that. The gear change cable job has seen me take the interior out & my findings are the same as yours, so that's another job to be done. Which rust proof paint have you used?

I first treated with Jenolyte, then once cured I used Baufix paint. It was sold a couple of months back in Lidl, so thought it may come in handy.
I imagine Hammerite would be suitable.

Sundance

Thanks, I thought it might be galv paint. I've some grey Fergy paint left from the tractor restoration, that's pretty hardy stuff, I'll use that. Mike.