Not Brit....but a sports car

[aeronca65t]

I've been working away on my daily driver Miata to at least make some passable rust repair before Winter.

I bought this car new in 2000. It's been driven every Winter plus always parked outside.

Over the last 14 years, I've probably washed it maybe a total of 14 times (or maybe less!). It still has the original battery.

Anyway, the back area of the rockers on both sides have succumbed to road salt and other issues. So I cut away the rot until I was at "good" metal and used my MIG welder to patch in a plate on both sides. Cleaned up and painted as much of the "behind" area as I could.

It's now Bondo'd, sanded, painted and finished (just before we got hit with snow!). Looks much better. I may even wash it!

If it holds up for another few years I'll be happy. I've been looking at the new Miata and am very tempted......

Here's post repair ugliness (I don't have any shots of the finished job......it's too cold out)

 

[glemon]

Rust prevention had gotten so much better since about the 90s or so for most cars. I have a '99 Maxima that has one tiny spot on the inner rear fender lip that is beginning to show through a bit, and the car was never babied or put up in the harsh Midwest winters. I remember when I first starting driving british cars (and paying more attention to cars in general, I was about 16-17, which would put it at about 1977 or 78. It was not uncommon to see cars 6-7 years old with major rust issues, and uncommon to see cars 10 years old or more that didn't have them. When new cars do rust it is usually isolated a repairable, seldom systematic cancer throughout the car, like on our old cars, where the deeper you dig the more you find, seemingly without end.

That being said, the cars I have restored or repainted, that have then led sheltered "collector car" lives, have survived quite well and avoided the return of the tinworm for many many years.