In the process of replacing my weatherstripping I made some interesting discoveries at the windshield. Some fasteners at the "A" pillar weatherstrip were missing and others relocated. Everything was coming off easily by hand--to include the upper reveal molding and even the glass itself! There was only one spot on the lower edge of the windshield that was well attached and all I had to do was drive a narrow piece of metal in ONE place to remove with the aid of a helper. The top and sides came loose with little more than pulling out some sealant and pressing lightly. I'm positive that entire areas were completely loose.

The installer did NOTHING to replace the original sealant on the side reveal moldings which were now utterly useless despite being fairly intact. Whatever sealant they used oozed out all over the place--such was why I found it difficult to remove the stainless steel "T" trim piece on the roof.

Despite lots of errant sealant I thought I got VERY lucky and there was no significant rusting. The driver side fine--just minor surface rust as the drain channel stayed open. Then I moved to the passenger side where the channel had been clogged near the bottom by excessive sealant.

I found about a 3" long by 1/4" wide rust perforation underneath the windshield sealing surface and just above the sealant clog.

Cleaned everything with wire wheel and wire brushes and was at least somewhat pleased to find that the rust around that perforation had not spread significantly and that the pillar itself seemed very sound.

Hopefully this isn't a crappy fix, but this is what I did:

1) After using wire wheel/brush and cleaning I used a rust converting primer (Rust Bullet) on all bare/rusted surfaces being especially generous around the perforation.

2) I pressed in some loosely crumpled newspaper through the rust perforation (remember it's a narrow crack) with a screwdriver.

3) I filled the rusted area with JB Weld.

4) After the first application of JB Weld settled a bit into the widest parts of the crack, I made another application to get it nice and level.

5) Appointment made with a nearby shop that specializes in Corvettes to reinstall the windshield.

 

Let us know how that works out. I don't know how bad the frame was rusted but I would recommend keeping it indoors at all times. That rust on the backside is still active and just a little moisture will have the j.b weld falling out in chunks.the newspaper will absorb moisture and trap it.
I seriously hope you were joking.

 

No, I'm not joking. Sorry for being dumb.

Compared to the pictures I've seen here and elsewhere the rust problem is almost inconsequential. The top and passenger side had very light rust and very minor pitting most of which was removed by the wire wheel--this was not throughout the area but only in small sections. The heavy rusting began about 3/4 of the way down the passenger pillar but only on the surface that receives the windshield glass. Once around the corner the exterior was like the rest with only minor rust. I did of course see quite a bit of deep pitting on the inside when I looked through with a flashlight.

Yes, I know that the backside rust is still active but what is the alternative besides hundreds if not thousands of $$ to have someone rebuild that side of the windshield frame. I know that the newspaper can trap moisture but I could not think of any more suitable backer in a place where liquid water is ideally totally absent.

Yes, the car will be garaged but I do hope to use it for some road trips that might involve rain.

I won't say that cost is no object, but what I've done is certainly easy to reverse before the windshield is installed.

What do you suggest?

 

With regards to the newspaper: Can't I use a torch to heat the metal and carbonize the paper?

 

I fully understand saving a buck...and JB Weld is good stuff....but since you're this far into it don't you know a buddy with a MIG welder that could come over and weld in a small patch?

No..I wouldn't use a torch to mess with the paper. I can see all sorts of bad happening if that goes wrong.


JIM

 

Had a couple better ideas after the torch.

No problem for me to drill a small hole or two through my repair. I can then squirt in a bit of naptha and ignite (it should do nothing more than smoulder) or do the Egyptian mummy thing and pull out the paper with a hooked wire. Then no problem to fill in the small holes with additional JB Weld without any backing.

 

Have you got access to a compressor and one of those shop cleaning guns? You know the type that looks like an oil can with a straight spout on it. I use fish oil but there are other rust preventing compounds that would do. Drill a hole in you repair and blast the fish oil into the hole, it will coat everything on the inside including the paper and should help keep from further rusting. I use over 50 PSI pressure and this vaporises the fish oil so that it really spreads everywhere. Best fix would have been welding in a patch but seems that is not practicable at the moment!

 

427 Hotrod:

When I first found the problem I DEFINITELY considered welding in a patch. Then I though many times about how that patch should be flush as it is the surface that receives the windshield. I also thought about how water definitely drains down that channel on the other side of the bend. Then after very carefully examining and cleaning the rusted area I realized that it had not really spread laterally thus having almost no impact on the structural strength. Yes, I could see quite a lot of rusting inside the pillar but the rusting near the body bolt below isn't too bad and again NOTHING like many of the photos I see here and other places.

That's when I had the idea that the only TRUE repair was to remove body panels and rebuild that entire section of the birdcage. That sort of work is beyond my tools (I won't say ability) and garage space. Yes, this car is essentially an expensive toy but I'm not one with the means to hire people with the tools and skill to do that sort of work.

And yes, J.B. Weld is a very good product. I've used it in my work to repair irreplaceable cast iron radiators (of the home heating variety) to include entire sections that "blew out" during a hard freeze. And yes, the repairs last--some going on 15 years now.

I really think I'll go with the drill small holes, add some naptha and ignite thing. The newspaper will turn into nothing more than carbon and nothing will get very hot in the process.

 

Yes, I have a compressor and lots of fittings/(construction) air tools. Thanks for the fish oil idea. I'll do that after burning out the newspaper.

I'm still (somewhat) open to having a patch welded on but please see and consider my previous messages. My current repair is completely flush and follows the exact original profile. I don't see how that is possible using a welded on patch, nor do a see a reasonable way to cut out the affected area to install a flush patch without opening that proverbial can of worms the winds up with either a poor/weak repair or extreme cost to replace a large area of the frame.

 

I forgot to mention that I used less than 2 square inches (13 sq cm) of newspaper--I'd say closer to one square inch than two.

 

If you can get some ospho behind there that will finish the rust. Maybe a strip of fiberglass and resin would work. The urethane sealant will even out the bed the glass will sit in. I was concerned the rust might be worse than you think. Maybe take a screwdriver and tap the area hard to make sure it isn't worse. I wasn't trying to make fun of you, there is nothing more heartbreaking than fixing something and only making it worse. Rust is cancer.

 

I truly appreciate your (and others') warnings and concerns. I'm the first to admit that I have extremely little auto body repair experience but I've done lots of old home restoration involving almost every building material ever used. Home restorers often go by the maxim, "Every old house problem begins with water" so I also consider what water will do over time and have enormous respect for the damage it can cause--sometimes in a short amount of time.

In addition to probing the edges and inside with a screwdriver I also used the peen of a small ball-peen hammer all around the area to find everything extremely sound and ringing very nicely. My heart sunk when I first saw the area but after wire wheel, brush, probing and rapping I was counting my lucky stars that the "cancer" seemed very confined and just in need of a bit of chemotherapy

The drill holes, add a bit of naptha and ignite thing seemed to work well. I had both baking soda and a fire extinguisher handy and wound up using a bit of the soda when despite carefully adding the naptha there was a small trail down the pillar that ignited as well.