TR6 Today's TR6 rear fender progress

[tdskip]

Managed make some more progress today on the rear fenders.

I took both rear fenders over to be dipped. They actually look fairly solid, but I'm sure there will be repairs needed;

Then I started in on the undercoating removal. I put on several thick layers of Jasco.

As it was;

First coat of Jasco

And then broke out the heat gun, which would have been a better approach to start with as it turns out.

So far it looks like the pillar and sill are in OK shape. The remaining stuff there is dirty, but not rusty.

 

[brent615]

Looks good so far! I am almost afraid to see what is behind the panels on my 71.

I assume you are planning to paint when all is said and done. Have you considered having the panels painted while they are off so you can prime/seal both sides?

I am thinking about doing this but haven't really made up my mind yet.

 

[tdskip]

Hi Brent - I just responded to your other post, but yes I am planning on painted the fenders before they go back on the car. The back side of everything will be coated in something tough, like POR15.

I'm sure people with more experience will jump in here with some guidance.

As to what you'll find here is what my other b-post looked like after a lot of clean up;

 

[Guest]

I don't understand why that spot behind the doors on the TR6 is also a common rust area. It was 24 years ago when I removed the rear fenders on a TR6 that I had so I don't recall. Is there some sort of rubberized gasket material between the fender and the B post that holds moisture? You would think the water would drain out of there pretty easily.

 

[Guest]

Amazingly, the undersides of my fender wells were all undercoated from original sale of my '73 and I have had a few opportunities to spot-remove some of that coating here and there. Zero rust, nice original paint underneath. There is so much talk about how undercoating has ruined more Triumphs than not, but not in all cases. My car has spent it's whole life in Louisiana, lots of moisture but no salt on the roads so maybe that is the difference. In the areas that I have removed the original, dealer-sprayed undercoating material, I have just resprayed with 3M rattle-can undercoating. Worked for me.

 

[Guest]

That said, there was a body man that, pre-Katrina, was famous in New Orleans for painting Triumphs, especially the TR6 and TR4 (well, not really famous, just well thought of) and the underside off all his finished products was gorgeous. (He would never take a job unless he could remove the 4 wings and do a complete paint job.) I saw a few of his finished products and they were gorgeous. It is just when the rocks and road debris would take their toll on the underside paint that the rust would start to appear. So what is one to do, keep it a trailer queen? I will stay with undercoating. And periodic applications of Waxoyl.

 

[TR6oldtimer]

I don't understand why that spot behind the doors on the TR6 is also a common rust area. It was 24 years ago when I removed the rear fenders on a TR6 that I had so I don't recall. Is there some sort of rubberized gasket material between the fender and the B post that holds moisture? You would think the water would drain out of there pretty easily.

At least on my car, the rear fender plate does not fit snug to the B post at the top. This leaves a 1/8-3/16 inch pocket for water to collect. The undercoating that was applied did not seal it completely, I had rust holes to fix.

 

[Norton47]

Hi
MHO, based on removal and repair of rust on rear wing and inner body. The undercoating did cause problems, when applied the spraying process caused what looked like waves in the coating. The low areas of the waves would crack and collect road dirt, which then held moisture, which then caused rust.
I had large areas where the undercoat protected perfectly and the original paint and primer looked new. However it only takes on small spot to cause a big problem.
I totally stripped all the undercoating, removed old metal, welded in new, sandblasted everything and painted with POR 15 in black, then a coat of black rock chip paint, like is used on the lower outer body panels of newer cars. I also intend on installing a set of the inner wheel well protectors.
FWIW

 

[tdskip]

I totally stripped all the undercoating, removed old metal, welded in new

Any pictures or lessons learned to share?

Thanks!