Paint and Body Strut tower rust… how bad is it
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So by no means would this be easy but I think you can gain access to the inner part of the frame rails by removing the front bumper and bumper support to gain access to the the front bumper support brackets. Again I believe these brackets can be removed and you would have a 1-1/2” or so opening through the core support and into the inner part of the frame rails.
Hoping someone who has torn one down to this level can chime in and confirm.
Not sure how much access you would get but other than cutting a section out and then welding it back in this is about it other than the 1/2” or so size holes here and there.
Hoping someone who has torn one down to this level can chime in and confirm.
Not sure how much access you would get but other than cutting a section out and then welding it back in this is about it other than the 1/2” or so size holes here and there.
My fear is that if you sprayed it into the rail, you are just going to trap moisture inside and that will make the problem worse. I’ve dissected those rails and the part over the k-member accumulates so much road sand. Any bit of moisture gets retained in there and it just sits and rusts it from the inside. That was my problem, and I haven’t driven my car in the rain in a decade or so.
The shock tower folds down all the way to the bottom of the channel, so no way to access that area from the front rail area. If you look in the wheel well, there are some tow truck tie downs that you can get the nuzzle in.
For the area over the k-member, on the outside of the tower there are usually gaps where the top plate is welded to the rail. You can spray around, but the internal composition of this area won’t really allow full coverage.
SN95 rails were configured slightly differently, which is why they don’t see to be as prone to rot like the fox.
This photo shows how the tower area is a bunch of folded and spot welded panels, and how it traps so much road sand which keeps it moist leading to rust
rednotch
Founding Member
The strut tower is boxed inside the the rail, so going threw the inside of the rail itself won't work unless that section of the tower is all ready rotted away... It happens. What I've done on cars that show seam rust but not rot when respraying the engine bay is drop the k member and flood it with either prep all, vinegar, or evaporust until its clean metal. might spot blast the seams to help the acid work faster, it generally doesn't harm the factory coatings just the rust..
Need to blow out / pressure wash the tower section with the k member out threw the bolt holes and middle drain hole before and after. Then blow dry and use a decent encapsulater or 2k epoxy primer and coat it with a 360 nozzle threw the holes on an under coating type of gun or aerosol can like spraymax, let it cure and paint the bay. When its done I'll go back and coat the inside of the rail with weathershed or what ever cavity wax my brother has on hand, I wouldn't worry about it trapping moisture, it's meant to displace it, you just have to kill the oxidation first.
The majority of the trash inside the rails comes from the top middle hole between the two k member bolts, then junk building up blocking the drain part of it or an aftermarket k member sealing the bottom, I either plug it or tape it off, you can see it in the pic on the post above how much more junk gets between the inner support, tower and the rail itself in that area. Its 3 sections of pretty much sheetmetal the way they built the aprons the outside rail, the strut tower, then the crush support..
The picture Mike posted opened my eyes up to how that internal structure is put together. So far I have not had any issues with my car but primarily an Oklahoma and Texas car and hasn't been driven in the rain or snow in 18 years.
rednotch
Founding Member
Here’s an SN95 rail for comparison to the fox above. I used an SN donor rail when I replaced my drivers side.
When you remove the top plate(left), there’s a welded subassembly (center) for the crush tubes. There is only two. That all drops down into the SN rail area (right). The center hole remains wide open to the interior cavisty, so moisture doesn’t affect the SN as much. They still rot out, but doesn’t seem as widespread as on the fox.
The fox has that same center hole but puts an additional crush tube over it and additional metal as shown above. The SN rail is just so much more simplified.
If I have any more pics I’ll post. I took a bunch when I repaired my rails a couple years ago.
When you remove the top plate(left), there’s a welded subassembly (center) for the crush tubes. There is only two. That all drops down into the SN rail area (right). The center hole remains wide open to the interior cavisty, so moisture doesn’t affect the SN as much. They still rot out, but doesn’t seem as widespread as on the fox.
The fox has that same center hole but puts an additional crush tube over it and additional metal as shown above. The SN rail is just so much more simplified.
If I have any more pics I’ll post. I took a bunch when I repaired my rails a couple years ago.
rednotch
Founding Member
The crush sleeve on the fox body is designed more like an S shape turned sideways. So if your seeing rot blistering out of the rail in that area the inside is pretty much trashed at that point
Is there a coating on the SN crush tube plate? Looks like there might be.Here’s an SN95 rail for comparison to the fox above. I used an SN donor rail when I replaced my drivers side.
When you remove the top plate(left), there’s a welded subassembly (center) for the crush tubes. There is only two. That all drops down into the SN rail area (right). The center hole remains wide open to the interior cavisty, so moisture doesn’t affect the SN as much. They still rot out, but doesn’t seem as widespread as on the fox.
The fox has that same center hole but puts an additional crush tube over it and additional metal as shown above. The SN rail is just so much more simplified.
If I have any more pics I’ll post. I took a bunch when I repaired my rails a couple years ago.
These photos explain why the outside of my ‘95’s towers still look very nice with no hint of rust.
Just your standard e-coat with a slight coating of road grime.
I still have it. Stuck it in my drivers side rail as I repaired that using a donor peice from the SN95. Now mounted on the wall of the garage.
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