A tip from You Tube

[Rob Glasgow]

I was watching some YouTube videos about replacing door skins. I need to replace the bottom 5" of both my doors due to rust through. Interestingly, the door panels rusted right where the inner door bottom touches the outer skin. I assume that area traps moisture (or spilled coffee) and eventually rusts through. Same situation on both doors.

At the end of one of the videos, the fellow mentioned when he finished installing the new door skin on his Chev Pickup door, he planned to caulk the inside of the bottom of the door where it met the door skin to prevent moisture from collecting there. Light bulb went on! I thought that's exactly what I will do once I finish installing the patch panels to the bottom of the doors. A simple job to apply a line of silicon caulking on the inside of the bottom of the door where it meets the skin. In fact, something anyone with a side curtain Healey could do at anytime by just removing the piece of vinyl covered plastic in the bottom of the door pocket. Those with roll up window cars could also seal the seam if they ever had their door pockets open to work on the windows.

Just thought I would pass this tip along. Man, I love what you can learn on You Tube. Thinking about doing my own total knee replacement. Seen several videos and I have all the tools the Doctor uses. Sawsall, Drill, Hammer. What could go wrong???

 

[bj8bn2]

Can you do my knee also - I need both done.

 

[bdcvg]

Would drain holes be better than keeping the water in the door?

 

[RAC68]

Rob,

Although I understand your objective and have done similar sealing before I had completed my restoration, I suspect you will not be exposing your Healey to the weather conditions that were experienced when the car was much younger. In my case, I rarely am out in rain or snow and my car's primary exposure to water is when infrequently washed on a nice day. Since my Healey sits in a garage most of the time, I would expect the greatest exposure would be from humidity and expect paint to be sufficient protection. That being said, I too went out of my way correcting and protecting any areas exhibiting rust or corrosion thinking I would one day be driving cross country or throughout Europe. Alas, that has never happened yet.

Ray(64BJ8P1)

 

[Keoke]

Would drain holes be better than keeping the water in the door?

IMOP_________Yes!!!

 

[vette]

Rob, I agree that the seam between the bottom of the door frame and the skin is a place that will catch water, moisture and crud with ease. You can put drain holes in the bottom of the door frame but obviously not right at the seam or you would be drilling thru the outer skin as well. So I elected to seal it. But I am not an advocate of most of the retail, conventional sealing substances normally used. The reason is that none of them that I have found will flow into the seams. They are all too thick. So my sealing substance of choice it just regular hardware store bought ENAMEL PAINT! Have you ever accidentally dropped a glob of enamel on just about any surface and after it set up it's extremely hard to get up, yet it is pliable and moisture will never get thru it. It will seep all the way thru any seam you pour it on. When pouring it on that door seam, it will not get unto the outer surface or paint and any that does make its way to the bottom edge of the door just drips off the inner side and can't be seen from the outside. Just buy a colour near what the car is and no problems. One issue though, since it is enamel, you must use it last on any surface because if you try to spray base/coat (base color) or a lacquer paint on top of it , the the base/coat or lacquer will attack it. I have used this method on many restorations an some as much as 20 years ago still have no rust in the seams. Dave.

 

[Keoke]

Dave:

Based on your paint logic I am thinking Thin Cyonalac glue should work great too.///