1999 Miata restoration

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) :

I've had my share of racing, and am actually planning on putting the GTV back to stock suspension.   Soft handing cars are fun, too.

Got two of the patches in 

Frustrating sometime- blowing holes in the metal... But it's progressing.

Still not sure how to deal with the metal behind the sheet- the back side of the weld area.  Any suggestions?

In reply to alfadriver (Forum Supporter) :

Take some pictures to show the area you're working on. I can't visualize what you're having trouble with.

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) :

LOL- if I could take pictures, I would just put a simple finish on it- brush, or spray, or something.

The problem is hte back side of the metal I just welded in- it's quite hidden.  Most specifically, I'd like to surface treat the weld seam- but not being able to access it- just not sure what to do.  I could drill a hole, and use some kind of underbody treatment using a specialized sprayer- is that was most do?  And what's the best thing to spray in?  I've seen the back side of a weld- and it's not pretty- especially since I can't access it to sand it.

Mazda didn't put any finish there- other than a surface thing (don't know what specifically it is- galvanizing, or some other non-paint chemical treatment). Part of the reason it rusts.  Panels move, surfaces get roughed up, and treatment goes away.  Then water finds it's way back there, and rust.

The Eastwood spray cans with the wand and 4 hole nozzle are your go too here. the wands are 18 inches long, so not a lot of holes needed. They have self etching primer and a wax-oil substance for unknown inner conditions. I use both after a blind weld up like this.

In reply to TurnerX19 :

Came here to recommend the very same. They're very easy to use. Alternately, the Europeans use a type of wax, but I like the Eastwood stuff.

In reply to TurnerX19 :

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks.  As soon as I get the last piece finished, I'll get some.

One other thing- what do you use to plug the holes for the spray?  Some seam sealer?  

In reply to alfadriver (Forum Supporter) :

That depends on location. Small rubber plugs are my real preference. I will then add some sealer on top of the plug if it is in a vulnerable position, like inside a wheel well.

Did some more work, tackling the worst visual 

Took off the body, and the large ruined inner structure. And cut open it is better than the passenger side. 

In the middle near the drain holes, there's a small patch of mid structure I need to make, then I'll make the big patch cut out- and finally, the part that's not cut out yet.  Using that part to keep it straight.

For the larger body, this is the last big piece.  I'll clean up some spots of rust which should be just some cleaning and treatment.  But once I do that, I'm going to get this painted and move on to the engine.  

When I really started this project, you may remember I found a failed fuel pump.  That was replaced by a cheap, but stock appearing pump.  But while considering the exhaust again (in the new exhaust thread on the main board) I think I'm going to get a full sender system from Mazda.  And bag up the one in there as a back up.  I want another 20 years out of this car.

Little bit here, little bit there. 

Little hole on the inner part

That was patched with a rolled ridge in it, and then the large part was patched. 

the patch is bumpy because I had to hammer it to shape- and it's an interesting set of bends.  Not perfect, but it will work- strong and welded in.  I was pretty pleased with the shape as it turned out.

Still have some more of that same panel to patch in, and then I can cover it with outer skin.  Would like to get that done this year, so I can have it painted as soon as I can.

But that will wait, unless I get some free time Sunday.

The outer patch panel- I'm going to take a lot of time to fit it.  

And then a LOT of seam seal- I was stunned by how much there was there from the factory.  And bondo, from the factory.

That area is covered with stone guard, is that the "bondo" you're seeing? It's thick by design.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

No, there was a lot of filler under the paint high up on the passenger repair area.  More than I thought there would be.  

In terms of the stone guard- is that under the paint, or in the paint?  The reason I ask is that when I peel back all of the pain on the bottom seam, where you jack the car up from, there's a lot of soft material there- which also appears to be the same material that is used to seal the back end of the fender.  That acts a lot like seam sealer.

I am trying to figure out how to replace the stone guard that's along the bottom of the car....  

In reply to alfadriver (Forum Supporter) :

I used to buy aerosol cans of stoneguard at Canadian Tire (their house brand), but we can't go to Windsor currently. I was doing repairs to the dogleg , like you are. I wasn't able to get the same texture as the stock stuff, so I had to do the entire length of the rockers if I wanted everything to match. IIRC the stuff was white/beige and covered nicely with typical auto parts store aerosol paint. It dried to a pretty hard finish, just like the stock stuff. There has to be similar stuff at Autozone/O'Reilly/NAPA.

Edit: This was on an NA, so there's almost 10 inches of the stuff along the lower body. I bought a can per side, which was plenty.

Edit2: Rhinolining would work, too.

Napa has Stone Guard. It goes under the paint. It's a perfect texture match to an NA. 

Thanks for the suggestions.  Got some work to do before I get to that, but at least I know what to buy.  My local paint shop tried to help me do a previous job finding "a guy"- and that's kind of what I'm expecting for this car.  It's going to be driven more.

Wow- just over 2 years since I last posted- but now that camping season is coming, I needed to find this thread so that I can post updates.  There isn't an update, other than the work we did on a camper that started two years ago.

Have some welding to go with some fabrication soon.  But now this thread is reasonably close, and high on my post list.  So I can find it.

So here is where I last left the work back in 2020

Back then, I had started a patch, but finished it the other day- and I'm really happy with it as it got the creases mostly in it. Just a body hammer and a piece of wood for the crease. This curves in multiple directions.