Front Arch Corrosion / Painting

[Matt182!]

Hi all, been gradually going through my 182 (when the weather allows), cleaning it up and removing the worst corrosion where I can see it. In the front wheel arches there is corrosion behind the front liner and also a small amount along the back edge.

However I am a bit stumped about what to do in terms of finishing / painting. So far I have been using Electrox primer and then coating with Inferno spray paint. However, the wheel arch is a much lighter colour so I am thinking that it would look quite patchy with inferno bits here and there so I only see three options:

1. Inferno Spray the whole arch (not massively keen)
2. Inferno Spray the bits that need doing (might look a bit patchy, however not a massively on show anyway...)
3. Underseal the whole thing (also not massively keen)

Just wondering if anyone has any other suggestions or examples of what they have done.

Many thanks.

 

[Touring_Rob]

How much do you see the wheel arch when the wheel is on the car?

I would epoxy the lot, re apply seam sealer, stone chip (grey) and then paint it orange. You will need to take the front wings off to sort the front bumper mounts too.

 

[Mr Underhill]

I'd go with option 1 and finish the job Renault should have done in the first place. It's barely noticeable with the wheels on anyway.

 

[Mr Underhill]

And this is mine 18 months later. Took this shot last Saturday after a quick wash down with Atom Mac and dried it with a cloth. I've since touched everything up again so it now looks like the above shot.

1. Degreaser
2. Agitate corrosion
3. Hydrate - 80
4. Electrox primer
5. Aerosol of paint for local store brushed on

The car is used on the road over the summer and stored outside over winter. I just keep on top of it and top up ACF-50 on other parts.

 

[Matt182!]

How much do you see the wheel arch when the wheel is on the car?

I would epoxy the lot, re apply seam sealer, stone chip (grey) and then paint it orange. You will need to take the front wings off to sort the front bumper mounts too.

And this is mine 18 months later. Took this shot last Saturday after a quick wash down with Atom Mac and dried it with a cloth. I've since touched everything up again so it now looks like the above shot.

1. Degreaser
2. Agitate corrosion
3. Hydrate - 80
4. Electrox primer
5. Aerosol of paint for local store brushed on

The car is used on the road over the summer and stored outside over winter. I just keep on top of it and top up ACF-50 on other parts.

Thanks both of you, like you say it won't be that visible anyway with the wheels back on, I'm probably just overthinking it as it's my first time doing anything like this. I do think painting the whole thing is probably the best option, I was just worried about how "loud" it would look.

Love your work on the rb, been following your build thread for a while and it's top notch, I want to be that good!

Got the whole front of the car in pieces at the moment, already done the front bumper brackets (they were pretty bad actually), and started the sills yesterday, again don't judge the work 😂.

 

[Mr Underhill]

Cracking job. Just take your time! Get some Dynax S50 in the seams, behind the rear door cards and inner sills. There's a little sticker on the sill. Peel it back and shove the lance that comes with the S50 in there. It's easy to use, but ugly stuff so just use it in the places you can't see.

They also do a UB version which I use under the bonnet, door hinges, petrol flap etc....

Keeping on top is the name of the game and you've made a good start.

 

[Matt182!]

Cracking job. Just take your time! Get some Dynax S50 in the seams, behind the rear door cards and inner sills. There's a little sticker on the sill. Peel it back and shove the lance that comes with the S50 in there. It's easy to use, but ugly stuff so just use it in the places you can't see.

They also do a UB version which I use under the bonnet, door hinges, petrol flap etc....

Keeping on top is the name of the game and you've made a good start.

I'm all stocked up on the Bilt Hamber products ha!

Definitely doing the inner sills soon, the corrosion doesn't seem too bad thankfully...

Thanks!

 

[Touring_Rob]

Do Bilt Hamber do an epoxy mastic undercoat type stuff? I can't praise Epoxy enough, no corrosion has come back on any parts done in epoxy on mine and its been a fair while since I did them.

 

[Mr Underhill]

Do Bilt Hamber do an epoxy mastic undercoat type stuff? I can't praise Epoxy enough, no corrosion has come back on any parts done in epoxy on mine and its been a fair while since I did them.

Yes they do. I used it on my rear beam, hubs, subframe etc. It dries really hard. Ideal for steel or alloy.

Wurth do a stone guard underseal which can be over painted. Probably better than the expoxy as it’ll be more flexible and won’t crack.

 

[Touring_Rob]

Yes they do. I used it on my rear beam, hubs, subframe etc. It dries really hard. Ideal for steel or alloy.

Wurth do a stone guard underseal which can be over painted. Probably better than the expoxy as it’ll be more flexible and won’t crack.

Epoxy mastic with stone chip over the top. It bonds to the substrate better than nearly everything else. Mastic 121 isn't rock hard when cured so stays flexible enough.

I used upol over paintable stuff on my escort but wish I had done the car in epoxy first then stone chip.

 

[Matt182!]

I'm a bit clueless when it comes to the epoxy products.

Would you use an Epoxy product on top of a zinc primer, then you can paint over the epoxy with a colour? (Sort of an extra layer of protection?)

I'd go with option 1 and finish the job Renault should have done in the first place. It's barely noticeable with the wheels on anyway.

View attachment 1655705

Is the subframe in this picture the pure Epoxy finish or has this been overcoated with something else after the epoxy? (I assume the hubs have paint on them?)

Many thanks again.

 

[Touring_Rob]

I'm a bit clueless when it comes to the epoxy products.

Would you use an Epoxy product on top of a zinc primer, then you can paint over the epoxy with a colour? (Sort of an extra layer of protection?)



Is the subframe in this picture the pure Epoxy finish or has this been overcoated with something else after the epoxy? (I assume the hubs have paint on them?)

Many thanks again.

I'm not 100% on the zinc primer. *Epoxy - I have only ever used it on very clean and bare metal. The idea is that it bonds so well no oxygen can get to the metal, no oxygen no corrosion which is why some people use it direct over corrosion.

I have had car parts powder coated in the past and it looks fantastic but its often very hard so chips off from edges easily then you get focused corrosion in the chipped areas. The epoxy mastic 121 I have used from rust.co.uk I think cures well and seems to be soft enough to not crack. All the parts I did with etch primer then dinitrol underbody black show signs of corrosion 3 years later while all the epoxy coated sections are still good.

Next time I do a full car again I will do bare metal - epoxy - either upol or Wurth over paintable stonechip/undercoat paint and then soft wax or lano-guard every winter. The Raptor stuff is supposedly very good as well as the products from buzz welding although I've never used either to date.

The epoxy bonds to the metal well enough that you can use filler or seam sealer on top of the epoxy.

 

[Touring_Rob]

PS I've also not used the Bilt Hamber products but all I read are really good reviews so will dive in at some point.

As I'm sure you already know, the idea behind zinc is that it becomes a sacrificial layer which corrodes instead of the base metal. The trouble with spray on zinc is that you are reliant on the bond strength between the zinc spray and the base metal which is unlike the OEM plating process where the zinc bonds with the steel at a molecular level. It gets used as a weld through primer as is more effective there I suspect.

Although people use it regularly for anti corrosion I personally don't and have had better success with an etch primer followed by a regular coating, by better I mean I can't scratch it off after!

 

[Mr Underhill]

I'm a bit clueless when it comes to the epoxy products.

Would you use an Epoxy product on top of a zinc primer, then you can paint over the epoxy with a colour? (Sort of an extra layer of protection?)



Is the subframe in this picture the pure Epoxy finish or has this been overcoated with something else after the epoxy? (I assume the hubs have paint on them?)

Many thanks again.

Yes. Epoxy on pretty much all those parts.

The process i used on those parts were:

1. Degrease
2. Descale
3. Deox-c (on really rusty stuff)
3. Hydrate 80
4. Electrox
5. Expoxy
6. Paint (where applicable)

The only one that I didn't do was that wishbone stabiliser and you can see how it's started to rust around the bolt in my 18-month-old picture. Other than that, it's been amazing stuff. I don't drive mine in the winter though, so not overly exposed to salt etc....

 

[Touring_Rob]

Sorry just edited my first post for clarity.

 

[Touring_Rob]

Is hydrate-80 the stuff that turns black after a while? I think its latex based or am I thinking of something different?

 

[Mr Underhill]

And the ARB needs resorting as that was properly crusty and I should have had that shot blasted.

 

[Mr Underhill]

Is hydrate-80 the stuff that turns black after a while? I think its latex based or am I thinking of something different?

Yes. It's not perfect by any stretch though. I've seen corrosion coming through in 12 months of using it. When you can get parts off a vehicle and really get at them with chemical preparation, the results are better.

I'm always checking mine and retreating anyway, so my cars always stand the test of time.

 

[Touring_Rob]

I'd like to do a few test pieces to see what lasts longer comparing different products and prep. Like hydrate 80 before epoxy compared to just epoxy. Lots of conflicting internet advice out there so ultimately you can only recommend stuff which has worked for you.

My ARB went to s**t too, I only used dinitrol on that as I was worried about it flexing too much for the epoxy.

 

[Touring_Rob]

I saw a mates old LR recently and he's been using lano guard for the past couple of years. All the new parts he's fitted in that time still looks new, bolt heads etc. So I'm absolutely going to give it a go.

 

[Mr Underhill]

Cold weather plays a part as well.

 

[Matt182!]

Brilliant, thank you both so much for the insights it seems clearer now. It's a bit of a minefield all the different products and processes but I'm slowly getting there ha!

I'd like to do a few test pieces to see what lasts longer comparing different products and prep. Like hydrate 80 before epoxy compared to just epoxy. Lots of conflicting internet advice out there so ultimately you can only recommend stuff which has worked for you.

My ARB went to s**t too, I only used dinitrol on that as I was worried about it flexing too much for the epoxy.

Yeah I think some test pieces would be very interesting, like you say there's so much conflicting information that you just have to choose a process and go with it!

Just trying to do a decent job now to give the car the best chance, I don't think this car will see the salty roads again anyway...

Again many thanks to you both for the information, very helpful

 

[Mr Underhill]

I'd like to do a few test pieces to see what lasts longer comparing different products and prep. Like hydrate 80 before epoxy compared to just epoxy. Lots of conflicting internet advice out there so ultimately you can only recommend stuff which has worked for you.

My ARB went to s**t too, I only used dinitrol on that as I was worried about it flexing too much for the epoxy.

I did my rear beam with epoxy directly on the steel and it's started to lift again. I've got another rear beam in the garage which I've been working on and in a few months will unleash on the group haha (sad b*****d). It's going to be a thing of beauty.

 

[Mr Underhill]

I'd like to do a few test pieces to see what lasts longer comparing different products and prep. Like hydrate 80 before epoxy compared to just epoxy. Lots of conflicting internet advice out there so ultimately you can only recommend stuff which has worked for you.

My ARB went to s**t too, I only used dinitrol on that as I was worried about it flexing too much for the epoxy.

Yeah, it's the sheer hardness of the Epoxy that worries me on certain parts that can flex. If you took a piece of clean steel, coated it in Epoxy and stood it upright in the water, it wouldn't rust. That I'm sure. But it doesn't self-heal. That's why it's cracked on my rear beam. It also doesn't like sunlight, so goes white.

 

[Mr Underhill]

Brilliant, thank you both so much for the insights it seems clearer now. It's a bit of a minefield all the different products and processes but I'm slowly getting there ha!



Yeah I think some test pieces would be very interesting, like you say there's so much conflicting information that you just have to choose a process and go with it!

Just trying to do a decent job now to give the car the best chance, I don't think this car will see the salty roads again anyway...

Again many thanks to you both for the information, very helpful

No worries. Invest in some of their Atom Mac. If you look at my RB thread, I sprayed my brand new rear discs and dampers with it before storing it over winter. 6 months later there wasn't a single bit of rust on those discs. I think it's a bit like Lanoguard. You can literally spray it on anything. Just water it down and put it in a sprayer.

I've seen some detailers use it when they Karcher a vehicle off prior to detailing. Stops oxide coming through on the discs.

 

[Touring_Rob]

Brilliant, thank you both so much for the insights it seems clearer now. It's a bit of a minefield all the different products and processes but I'm slowly getting there ha!



Yeah I think some test pieces would be very interesting, like you say there's so much conflicting information that you just have to choose a process and go with it!

Just trying to do a decent job now to give the car the best chance, I don't think this car will see the salty roads again anyway...

Again many thanks to you both for the information, very helpful

You're welcome mate, keep posting pics of the car!! It's looking great already 👍

 

[Bmac]

@Mr Underhill after you have painted the arches, do you put a laquer over it to protect it further and have you just used rattle cans for the paint? It looks like a great finish.

 

[Mr Underhill]

@Mr Underhill after you have painted the arches, do you put a laquer over it to protect it further and have you just used rattle cans for the paint? It looks like a great finish.

Just paint but I guess you could if you wanted.