Body Caulk? And Rust & Body Repair

[ElectraPinz]

So what's with this (see photo)? It is a relatively soft rubbery substance that fills all the body joints on the tub of my Pinz.

Is this OEM?

It is loose in a lot of places and there is rust under it wherever it is loose. So, I'm thinking I gotta remove all of it and treat the rust. Then, should I be thinking about re-caulking? Not a happy prospect. If I need to re-caulk, what about grinding down to bare metal and filling with JB Weld?

Then I guess it's Linex time.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ben

[westernair]

Media blast the bed, epoxy prime, use high quality seam sealer and then have the Line-x sprayed. make sure you take the sides and ends off first before Line-x. Bolts to take the sides off are under the rubber plugs whach are below the rub rails.

[ElectraPinz]

Shawn:

Thanks for the advice. Your post led me on an internet quest - found plenty on seam sealer, even videos on how to use it.

Better yet, I ended up at the VW forum - it has a thread that follows a five-year-old test of several commercial rust treatments. There is good info in that thread, but the bottom line is that treating and painting over rust doesn't work. You have to get rid of the rust (cut it out, media blast, etc.).

Here's the link to that thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... &start=200

That thread also included a link to a suggested media blaster that looks like a possibility for DIYers. Incidentally there is a lot of good info on that forum - many more people are playing with old VW's than Pinzes, and there is some commonality. Windshield wiper motors come to mind. I also found a good discussion of body panel adhesives, which could be another DIYer boon:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=411254

Of course, all of this leads to more questions - what is a good epoxy primer, and what is a good seam sealer? Your and others' suggestions and comments GREATLY appreciated.

Ben

[czarthirteen]

I've had a lot of good luck going the Naval Jelly route, but then again I also used to help maintain fishing vessels.

Sure, there is no substitute for cutting out the old and welding in new but very often times, that act in itself can be quite the burden...especially if you are just an average DiY'er who might be working with some old Lincoln Tombstone stick welder or worse, the guy that thinks his 110v wire feed MIG and some flux core wire is is all that is necessary to properly join any ferrous or feric metals.......nothing can be more adversely effective.

I guess it all comes down to what you have available to you but very often, its just a matter of dollars.

If you are thinking of welding in something new, take a welding course at the local college or get over to your local vocational school and ask for some pointers, but most importantly...spend the money!!!! Buy a good TIG and learn how to use it properly.....your sheet metal will thank you for it.

The body of the Pinz is a special animal from what I can see, multiple metal thicknesses being joined together which is where a TIG excells over a MIG and Stick.

A great site for all things body is tcpglobal.com ........highly reccommended by me as we have been ordering through them for a few years with no difficulty. Great on the phone with product knowledge and representation, also direction; they have no problem chatting to fingure out what would be your best option. Be ready to get lost in their selection.....even if you're only looking for a urethane primer.

Just be carful with what you might grind away if you start.....I recently watched a video in horror as someone took their brand new Milwaukee angle grinder with a flap wheel disc (which is kinda known in the industry as the "oops wheel" for crappy welders as their only effective function is for dressing down sloppy welds) to a little surface rust. Put it this way.....I don't bust out the torches to cut my steak. It is good to start with the grinder, but id reccommend a 3" wire cup brush for it first to remove the majority of your scaling. Any abrasive wheels should be reserved for when metal, cancerous with rust or not, has to come away.

Take it slow and understand that the method used to apply the original coatings to a Pinz is the best protection its ever going to see.....a modern paint shop surely isn't going to have the ability to dip the body again......no matter how nicely you ask.

[westernair]

The Samba is a great place for everything VW, admittly I am on that site as much as I am on this one. I have a old 23 window micro bus currently and a oval window beetle. Over the past 25 years I have done my share of rust repair on several old German cars and have found through the school of hard knocks that yes media blasting, and cutting and replacing the real bad areas is the only way to win the battle.