How to de-rust this area / Grit-blaster opinions?
Turbo Mini Forums

Ok - You can see where my angle-grinder stops reaching...
Aside from the (pretty innefective) wire-brush, any thoughts on getting in here?




I'm thinking that it's calling for one of these:

Any other (cheaper) thoughts? Or anyone used a grit-blaster and can tell me if they are much kop, of if they're lame...

Edited by turbodave16v on 6th Feb, 2006.

Have you tried a wire brush on an angle grinder?

This kind of thing http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldit/abrasives/

Very entertaining when one of the wire flies off and sticks in your face.

Wil

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

i think thats your only option dave either that of fit a new rear valance!.

suposed to be bloody good though

always looking for them bigger bunches of bannanas

I've got a grit blasting cabinet and also one to use on spots etc.

They're superb but sometimes slow. Well worth it in my opinion

need a fair size compressor though 14cfm minimum

I'm with Wil, wire wheel mounted on your grinder can get into tight spots and are good at shifting underseal stuff also, as they don't clog with it as a grinding wheel would.

i think blasting is going to be the only way your going to get a good job done, but will probably involve moving the car out of the garage :(

those wheel's for the grinders are good, but they'll never get you into the corners - ive tried, its just too tight around the batterybox and under the valance.

Removing the valce is a proper ballache but IMO is your only option if u want to do it with a combination of brushes on the drill and grinder.

feel for you dude, that area is just ballache central. On the upside its one of the best underside/rear pics of a mini that i've seen in a long time. I wish mine looked as good as that.

I've seen the future and tbh its Pie

Yeah i was on about in seams etc, not on flat stuff

What you're looking at has been done with an angle-grinder wheel... As the rear valance tapers in, obviosly space runs out!!!

Think i'm going to ask around here and see if anyone has one...

Hmmm,
I remembered that Jimster did grit blasting on his mini - so went rooting and found this picture:

http://www.lyons-it.co.uk/photo/Mini/rebui...s/IMG_0020.html

There is NO WAY that is happening inside my garage! I spent ages getting it clean only several weeks ago. I've had a better idea though... Basically - all i wanted to do was 'stop' the rust from getting worse. The batterybox and 'pressing' of the boot floor was the area i was most concerned with, and those have been bare-metalled pretty easilly.



For these other areas, i'm going to get in there with my die-grinder - and for the seam line between valance and floor, i'll use ny super-sharp tungsten carbide burrs to tickle the rust out and give me clean metal that paint can adhere to... I also have an (unused) dremel kinda tool with a flexi shaft like a speedo cable that'll work very well in the super-tight area behind the wheel well....

Best bit of all - is that won't cost anything!

Edited by turbodave16v on 6th Feb, 2006.

Dave in that photo I was just using a DA. When I grit blasted my car I was wearing protective clothing as it bloody hurt when the grit hit you. Although the blaster I was using was powered by it's own diesel engine.

Team Racing

might take a while, but try one of those cheapo dremmel badboys.

theyre pretty good for the delicate bits.

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"

I've found that as a good second best to shot peening/abrasive grit blasting, are 3M wheels-

http://tinyurl.com/7pm98

They're not cheap, and they wear down very quickly but they are very good at removing rust, and they tend to be good at getting into nooks and crannies too.

Andy

andy i used one of them on mine, it works well btu doesent last long at all i think i would hve beenbetter to find a wire brush one, i will tyr that next time the 3m dident last half as long as i needed and only had the front of the floorpans.

they last long as long as you do not use it on sharp edges or things like that. As long as they are used to remove paint(as they are intented to) they last almost forever!