Carotman's 1987 hatchback project

[carotman]

Well, I decided to give myself a kick in the butt yesterday and decided to take care of the rust problem on my 1987 Hatchback S. It's been winter driven from 1987 to 2007, 20 years of northeast road salt! The good thing is that it's been rustproofed every year, this is probably what saved this vehicule.

I decided to start with the floor. Once it's nice and pretty again, the rest is easier to work on since it's outside the car thus making less of a mess. I was able to remove the car quite easily in the front but the back is a little more painful. I might try dry ice in the future.

Here's what it looked like when I removed the front left carpet.



A close-up look shows you that it started to rust around the rubber plug


The rear is definitely better, only showing minimal rust.


With the tar out of the way, you can really see the damage extent. It rusted around the plugs and spread a little further.


Close-up view on the biggest hole.


Here's the right side. There was a water lea there but I think it only started recently because the damage would have been alot worse.


Once again, it started to rust around the rubber plugs


Cleaned!

[carotman]

The back right side is a little more rusted than the left side but nothing major.


More rusted rubber plugs under the rear seat. I'll have to remove the fuel tank to do a clean job on those. I'll do these later


Today, I removed the dashboard and decided to check the source of the right side water leak. I removed the rain tray to see where it was rusted.

I poked everywhere with a flathead screwdriver and was left with this big hole!


The left side is better so I'll be able to use this one as a template


I'll have to remove the hood and both front fenders to do a clean job there. I expect to see a more rust that will need to be taken care of.

[BITESIZE]

I shipped your hatchback trim today via ups. The package was too long for the post office to take it.

[2oodoor]

I didn't know you had a hatchie too, so that is how many Accords now?? lol
What are you going to use to fix those holes?

[carotman]

I didn't know you had a hatchie too, so that is how many Accords now?? lol
What are you going to use to fix those holes?

Yeah, I have an hatch also now. This makes 2 Accords + 1 parts car . I also have a Civic as a daily driver.

I'll use new sheet metal and weld it with my MIG. I'll then use POR15 to seal the surface permanently.

[AccordB20A]

cool. and the rust isnt too bad

[RamThis]

Wow, for around here that's a rust bucket and I wouldnt have even touched it with a 10 foot pole. Glad I dont live anywhere that has to salt the roads. My 3G doesnt have a spot of rust on it anywhere thank God. If I found what you found in my car, I would have quietly layed the carpet back down, rolled it outside, and put a "for sale" sign in the window...... As is, no returns or warranty!!!

[Dr_Snooz]

Wow, for around here that's a rust bucket and I wouldnt have even touched it with a 10 foot pole. Glad I dont live anywhere that has to salt the roads. My 3G doesnt have a spot of rust on it anywhere thank God. If I found what you found in my car, I would have quietly layed the carpet back down, rolled it outside, and put a "for sale" sign in the window...... As is, no returns or warranty!!!

Ditto that. I can fix a lot, but haven't a clue what to do with rust. Looks like you do though.

Good luck with the project.

[w261w261]

Good to get going on the floors before they get worse. In the '80's, I had a '67 Lincoln Continental convertible, the one with the 4 doors - the rears were suicide hinged. I was stepping out of it one day (with guests of course - the beast would hold 8 people in a pinch), stood up to get out (the top was down), and put my foot right through the floor down to the pavement, along with about a square foot of floor. Turns out the only thing holding it together down there was the thick application of undercoating. Very embarrassing. But instead of fixing it properly, I cut a piece of plexiglas and shoved it under the carpet. I sold the car a little later for one that wasn't so rust-challenged.

[carotman]

That amount of rust isn't unusual around here. In fact it should have more

Most 10+ year old car has rust around here. 3rd gens are close to non existent, even in junkyards.

The key with rust repair is to replace the rotten metal with new one. You just have to take your time.

I'll take more pictures of the process soon. Right now, I'm almost done with cutting the rusted parts. Rust tends to form between joints and spreads where you can't see it until it's too late.

The die grinder and MIG welder are my best friends these days

[BITESIZE]

Did you get the trim yet?

[carotman]

The trim came in this morning

Thanks! They're in a very good shape compared to mine. I'll take a picture or two to show you these things can actually rust!

[thegreatdane]

Looks like that should keep you occupied for a while! No wonder it was leaking in water! lol
Cant wait to see you getting started welding on it. Are you going to fix it up good, or just prevent it from falling apart?

[BITESIZE]

The trim came in this morning

Thanks! They're in a very good shape compared to mine. I'll take a picture or two to show you these things can actually rust!

I actually looked around everywhere trying to find those awesome condition trim pieces for when I was going to paint my car, but I'm glad they went to a good home. Did you like the pepsi packaging? lol , you know me and pepsi!

[carotman]

thegreatdane: I'll fix it for good. Weld new metal and prep it for paint. This will sure keep me busy since I have 2 other cars to take care of. This hatchback is just a side project and I'm taking my time, not rushing anything.

BITESIZE: Yeah, I laughed when I saw the Pepsi can package. It help up well!

[carotman]

I removed the windshield yesterday using this tool



I had to ask a friend to help me. The urethane is very hard and I had to pull with both of my hands while my friend kept the tool aligned.

The rust isn't too bad on the pinch weld and will be easily repairable

I'll take pictures soon of course.

[BITESIZE]

Pictures now!

[2oodoor]

wow it has been awhile since I saw one of those knifes, I have one somewhere around here. If you can get in and out good in between the glass you can use a butane torch to heat up the blade every foot or so.

[thegreatdane]

Good to hear the rust didnt get you. It can be a nasty sight when you remove a windshield sometimes.

[carotman]

Not much has been going on in this project. I've been busy with tons of other things.

Anyway, I managed to remove most body panels and cut the rusted metal.

I need to do some sandblast now.





This is sure taking longer than expected

[BITESIZE]

Looks like alot of worky!

[lostforawhile]

i had a small amount of rust around the back of my car under the bumper from improperly fixed accident damage. sandblasted it out.i had to a lot of repairs on that piece that goes under the lights,it came from a junkyard car that must have been in the north,couldn't find one decent so i had to rebuild that piece. check the rubber bumpers attached to your hatch door,i guarantee the metal pieces they attach to are rusted out. they are really easy to replace,they look like they have solid welds holding them to the hatch door,but thats seam sealer not welds, they are just spot welded on there. drill out the spot welds and they pop right off. there is solid metal underneath. they are welded to the surface. also drill a hole in each rubber bumper so water can drain,water gets trapped in there and collects,rusting them from inside.

[carotman]

Yes, I'm starting from the front and slowly moving to the back of the car. I've seen them rust out on other cars. I really wonder what I'll find when I remove all the trim pieces and bumper in the back.

I just need some spare time now. I've got to finish at least the front of the car in order to repair some rust on my daily driver. I'll use the Hatch meanwhile.

[carotman]

Well, I had some spare time this week and continued the project... I'll post pictures later but you guys will freak out when you see them.

I need a new rocker panel on both sides

Anyone knows where to get an aftermarket one? I tried NAPA but they don't carry them anyomre for our cars.

[AccordB20A]

waiting for pics:::