Front spring perch rust GQ Wagon
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:45 am
Hi All,
New to the site and can't believe that I didn't find it before now..
Anyway I am hoping that someone can provide some help.. I was doing a bit of maintenance on the wagon yesterday getting ready for a trip out west. When I noticed that the drivers side front spring perch cover was rusted and flaking. So I thought I'll rip that off cut up a new one and replace..
I wasn't too happy with what I found underneath. It appears that the battery has been leaking down into the top of the perch for some time and it has rusted to buggery .
The rust seems to be confined to the top of the perch and doesn't appear to have gotten into the chassis as yet.
So I am hoping that someone here has done this kind of repair before, and can give some helpful tips. I can't decide whether to clean back the rust and weld some plate to the good bits of steel that's left, or to source a decent perch and cut out the old one and in with the new?
If I do cut out the old perch how much should I replace? Just cut past the cancer? or is it more structurally sound to replace most or all of the perch?
Also, a very knowledgeable someone on another forum that I frequent suggested that the chassis may be high-tensile alloy steel does anyone know this to be the case? If so what success have people had welding it and what methods were used?
Any, and all help is appreciated..
Pics..
New to the site and can't believe that I didn't find it before now..
Anyway I am hoping that someone can provide some help.. I was doing a bit of maintenance on the wagon yesterday getting ready for a trip out west. When I noticed that the drivers side front spring perch cover was rusted and flaking. So I thought I'll rip that off cut up a new one and replace..
I wasn't too happy with what I found underneath. It appears that the battery has been leaking down into the top of the perch for some time and it has rusted to buggery .
The rust seems to be confined to the top of the perch and doesn't appear to have gotten into the chassis as yet.
So I am hoping that someone here has done this kind of repair before, and can give some helpful tips. I can't decide whether to clean back the rust and weld some plate to the good bits of steel that's left, or to source a decent perch and cut out the old one and in with the new?
If I do cut out the old perch how much should I replace? Just cut past the cancer? or is it more structurally sound to replace most or all of the perch?
Also, a very knowledgeable someone on another forum that I frequent suggested that the chassis may be high-tensile alloy steel does anyone know this to be the case? If so what success have people had welding it and what methods were used?
Any, and all help is appreciated..
Pics..