Information Wanted on Removing Outer and Inner Front Wings on 80 Series

[ByronJ]

Is this on my old 80 Byron ?

Hi Brian. Yes I am replacing the inner wings on the 80 I bought from you. A time consuming job but worth doing. Will post some more info and pics soon. Just cleaning up and getting some small welding jobs done on the replacements.

 

[ByronJ]

I managed to remove both the inner and outer wings without too much trouble. I did have a couple of bolts that needed to be drilled out but considering the state of the inner wings I think I was very lucky. There is a daunting number of important bits bolted to the inner wings (especially on the passenger side) but removing them was more time-consuming than difficult.
Below is a picture of the old inner wing from the passenger side. The worse part of rot is where the ABS system was attached.

This is one of the the replacement wings.

They both needed some minor repairs to where the front of the wing bolts to the chassis.

After a through cleaning both wings were treated with two coats of two part epoxy paint before being bolted into place and all ancillary bits attached. This is the replacement inner wing bolted into place on the passenger side.

It turned out to be a rather long winded job but I am very happy with the results. While the wings were off I took the opportunity to repair the radio aerial as well.

 

[ByronJ]

I have posted a thread with guidance on removing the wings. It can be found here:

Removing Front Wings on an 80 Series

 

[frank rabbets]

Byron......the inner wheel arches.........did they rust from the engine compartment side or the outside/wheel arch side ?

I hope it's not from the engine side. I can't see the state of mine from the engine side as there is heat insulation. I often wonder about their state as this insulation retains water. There should be a designed gutter/upstand pressed into the wing to stop water flooding off the bonnet and in to the engine bay. On good design this gutter is 360 degrees all the way round the bonnet aperture so no water can get in. The gutter has a drain tube at the front.

Pics would be interesting.

Good luck.

 

[chapel gate]

I have a pair of near mint inner wings ready to go on if i ever get any time, i toyed with getting them galvanised, any thoughts on this? What was the paint that you used byron?


frank, open the front door and shine a torch in there to see how bad things are..

 

[ByronJ]

Byron......the inner wheel arches.........did they rust from the engine compartment side or the outside/wheel arch side ?

I hope it's not from the engine side. I can't see the state of mine from the engine side as there is heat insulation. I often wonder about their state as this insulation retains water. There should be a designed gutter/upstand pressed into the wing to stop water flooding off the bonnet and in to the engine bay. On good design this gutter is 360 degrees all the way round the bonnet aperture so no water can get in. The gutter has a drain tube at the front.

Pics would be interesting.

Good luck.

Hi Frank. The rust on the inner wings I replaced was mostly on the engine side and where the wings bolt on at the bottom, both front and rear. There are gaps there to allow water to drain out but these can get blocked with mud or underseal. Once the wings start rusting there the rot can easily spread onto the main body of the car.

This can be seen in the Pic above. I will dig out the old wings though and take a few more pictures.

 

[ByronJ]

I have a pair of near mint inner wings ready to go on if i ever get any time, i toyed with getting them galvanised, any thoughts on this? What was the paint that you used byron?


frank, open the front door and shine a torch in there to see how bad things are..

The paint I used was Epoxy Mastic 121 which I bought from Rustbusters:

http://www.rust.co.uk/epoxy-mastic-rust-proofing-paint/c28117/

I didn't find it easy to use but am pleased with the results and would use it again.

 

[frank rabbets]

CG do you mean shine a torch in and see if the seats are there or have gone through the floor lol.

Galvanising is OK on something sturdy like a tow bar but on a panel it can distort quite badly. The zinc which forms the surface needs etch priming if you bother to paint it. Ordinary primer flakes off.

 

[chapel gate]

CG do you mean shine a torch in and see if the seats are there or have gone through the floor lol.

Galvanising is OK on something sturdy like a tow bar but on a panel it can distort quite badly. The zinc which forms the surface needs etch priming if you bother to paint it. Ordinary primer flakes off.

Lol, yeah. Shine the torch through the gap on the hinge side when the door is open, i started spraying diesel in there, ten years too late though..

 

[frank rabbets]

Amazing what you can see with a powerful torch CG. No rust though. Just a bit of dust and hardly any of that. Also checked where the inner arch is bolted to the bulkhead. The drain valleys are open with no mud or rust. Also checked as much as possible beneath the sound deadening and could not find any rust. I would think diesel is a good idea as it soaks in and does not dry out that quickly. Better than waxoil which goes hard and traps the salt solution beneath. I do have a bit of rust in the rear corners. I think perhaps getting in there because the back light assys are not sealed very well. I know the 4 seals each side on the trim can let in water as well.

 

[Towpack]

Diesel could be a good choice if a little thin. It will certainly spray easily. In 1985 a group of irish road racers were on their way to the TT on a small local fishing boat when it sank in Strangford Lough. The bikes were raised by a local diving club the next day and the engines and all mechanical parts were stripped and soaked in diesel before washing in petrol. This was reckoned to be the best way of completely removing all the salt water.

 

[ByronJ]

Hi Frank. The rust on the inner wings I replaced was mostly on the engine side and where the wings bolt on at the bottom, both front and rear. There are gaps there to allow water to drain out but these can get blocked with mud or underseal. Once the wings start rusting there the rot can easily spread onto the main body of the car.

This can be seen in the Pic above. I will dig out the old wings though and take a few more pictures.

Generally rust started on the wings wherever there a fixing. There is a lot of stuff bolted to the inner wings and the bolts protrude into the wheel arch. As the bolts have a sharp edge underseal does not adhere particularly well and the bolt begins to rust. This rust works its way up the bolt and onto the wing. This can be seen in the picture below.

On this wing there were patches of rust on the wheel side but they were superficial.

Should you unbolt any fixing from an inner wing it would be a good idea to re-apply under seal to the ends of the bolts protruding into the wheel arch once the fixing is re-attached.

The front and rear of the wings can also rust badly where the wing is bolted to the car. Below is a picture of the front bolt attachments of the wing I removed.