coated the inner sill internally with POR15, according to the info this is the only product that protects fully against rust.....I used 3 of the parts not requiring the ceramic type coating top coat as being internal it can't get chipped. First stage was the degreaser, then left overnight to dry, before applying the metal prep I used a hairdryer to ensure all was dry, the metal prep is sprayed on and must remain wet for at least 30 mins, I kept it soaked for over an hour and then washed with water. Next stage involved drying off and then the undercoat rust preventer is applied, two coats sprayed on and then brushed in to ensure all bare metal from the welding was covered. If the top coat is to be used it's best to do this when the undercoat is touch dry, 2-6 hours, as I said I didn't need it for where it was being applied, the top coat is supposed to be impossible to chip. The whole kit is stated as being able to coat rusty perforated metal, seal the holes and make the panel solid, strong and will last a lifetime, evidently it's a well known product in the restoration industry...well it certainly sounds good, we shall see....
I also renewed the damaged lower arm ball joint, I bought the repair kit from Design911, on examination the kit plastic parts didn't look as good as the originals, however on close inspection of the original ball joint it was clear that the ball joint and it's caps were in perfect working order, what had failed was the spring that kept the plastic cups compressed against the ball. We decided to rebuild the ball joint using the original parts except for the spring which we replaced with the one in the kit. Testing after refitting showed that the play that had been experienced before is no longer there and a 100 mile test drive confirmed that all is as should be. The front bearing were re greased and adjusted.
Now we do have one issue which needs further investigation, as mentioned before we have been chasing a coolant leak around the top hose/bleed component, this time I flattened the alloy parts on a surface table using 240 w&d as they were a little bowed, we hoped that this would cure the leak but after refitting everything with new gaskets during warm up it was clear that there was still a coolant leak around this area, however this time the gaskets were dry? I believe that the only possibility left is a hairline crack in the head, it looses the same amount of coolant each time, dropping to just below the lower mark on the expansion tank but no lower, this is a bit of a puzzle as if the head does have a small crack in the coolant chamber I would expect to lose more coolant and then have over heating issues, I have neither?? We could just take the head off , find the crack, which if there is one must be at the front and very small and weld it. I'm travelling around Wales Monday week so this will have to wait, we will try steelseal and see if that cures the problem for now, I suspect (and hope) it will do it permanently..
Pete
