XT6 Magic

So far it feels like concrete with a ceramic surface. Of course that doesn't mean it won't all bounce loose on the first pothole:grin:

Well, this was supposed to be a good/quick temporary fix. I removed all the flakey loose rust that I could get to and converted the rest with POR-15. It seals out oxygen/moisture and dramatically reduces the chances of short term damage. Then, according to the manufacturers directions I rebuild the vacant sections with fiberglass mat and re-coated it again. The problem is I can't weld sheet metal yet (no equipment/no practice) and I need to keep the car from being a swimming pool/mushroom farm:rolleyes: until I find a better solution. Perhaps this will even be permanent, who knows. The dash comes out in just a few minutes and the weather will improve soon. In a better world I would have found a donor car, cut the required sections larger than needed, and then fit and welded them in. That will have to wait. -Jeff

@Tex I know it's you every time I hear you drive buy the shop. The "EJ" sounds great. -Jeff

My first priority was to make the interior water tight. -Jeff

No time to bring the camera today so I used the cell phone for a couple of shots of what I have done. Basically clean out the entire cowl the best I could of all debris, rust and previous repair attempts. Then treat the entire length of the cowl with POR-15 Black and let it start to set up. Install the mat in pre-cut sections made with paper templates start at the end and overlap toward the middle piece. It will be the highest and last piece put in. Let this all set up hard and then before it's totally cured another coat of POR-15 over the top to insure it's rigid and water tight. The after shot didn't turn out looking well with the phone cam but you get the idea. This shouldn't ever leak or rust through again. I did the whole cowl this way. The new heater core and dash will get installed Monday morning after I replace all the dash lamps and tighten all the gauge connections. (Click for larger pictures)

Sorry, my bad I read RS and was thinking RX. -Jeff

Perhaps I will look more carefully at the date next time.

Check and make sure the Radius arms are solid both where the bolts attach them to the lower A-Arms and the other end at the frame. I had a loose one on the Brat when I got it and it was pretty violent during braking.

Why not try some POR-15? That stuff is like magic with rust. You can use fillers and paint over it later once you are ready. I had never even seen it until a few days ago and I'm a believer now.

What are you treating it with?

It's well worth doing though. My EA81 in the wagon has never run so well. GD's writeup is perfect. -Jeff

Well after reading all of the posts on here from people with diverse skills I figured I had better make this a priority and bring it inside the shop at work. I pulled the dash, heater and evap core cases for a better look. Removing the hood and hinges made it easier to work out to the ends of the cowl area. Most of the damage was from the cowl area rusting through and the wiring harness grommets on both sides were leaking badly also. There was also some leakage from the right lower corner of the windshield. Compared to what some of you are dealing with this is nothing. I have seen some REAL pictures of rust on here since buying the Brat:eek: It's water tight now. I cut the rusted sections out of the cowl made paper templates and rebuilt the cowl area with Por-15 and Sea-Glass mat. It worked great. It looks fine and will probably out last me. I'm going to replace the heater core and tighten the gauge nuts on the back of the cluster before the dash goes back in early next week. As for the pillars the Sea-Glass mat and Por-15 from behind really made a big difference. Once I get it out of the shop and the weather gets a little better I'll pull both doors and finish it up. -Jeff

Couple of things to check, When you start it up cold is the noise worse for a second or two and them calm down as the oil pressure comes up? Could be a worn rod bearing. It could also be the piston skirts are starting to colapse by a few thousands and you are hearing some slap sometimes this will quiet down as the engine gets warm after a freeway drive for example

The "C" shaped bracket breaks away from the cheesy little rubber block and you end up with tons of slop in the mounts. I tried jamming chucks of rubber/hose/younameit in there to tighten them up and out of desperation to find out if that was the problem I pulled out both mounts and stared at them for a minute. Just smash them down a little tighter so the part that broke off of the rubber contacts it again and the problem is solved permanently. The mounts get reinstalled in two pieces but they work great once tightened up. -Jeff I can take a picture of mine and post it tomorrow if you like.

You don't need to replace them. Just pull them out and pinch the "C" shaped bracket in the vise (1 for each side) until they are tight but still fit and put them back in. It works great. -Jeff

Great project! The spare tire well really needs a coat of POR-15 before the water comes in through the dash:eek:

The running gear and the back end is what really makes it for me. It drives REALLY nicely with only some minor repairs. I have a plan to seal off and stop the interior water leaks that I will start on this week. The dash will still have to come all the way out to clean everything up and treat the inside properly. I plan to make it nice and drive it. The green might have to go though. Thanks Again Eric, I wasn't ever pointing any fingers at you. I could have looked it over a little better but then I might not have bought it, and I'm still glad I did. I still would like to find a nicer tailgate if anyone has one for sale. -Jeff

I had never seen POR 15 until now. Perhaps I'll pick up a pint and try it. I still think I can get to most of it through the cowl. I'll take pictures of the progress made if there is any interest.

I can't just give it away. It drives really nice now, even with the old 4 speed in it.

I already have a Nice Rust free silver 83 GL 4x4 Wagon with an EA81 and a D/R 5 speed. The car runs great but the engine needs a rebuild. I could do that swap with what I have. I could put an SPFI EA81 back in the brat and sell it. I would end up with a really nice Turbo EA81 SW. [EDIT] Not worth the time and trouble

I imagine Eric wanted out of it pretty badly or he would have fixed it up himself. At least he isn't stuck with it now. I'm not blaming him either. He gave me every chance to check it out for myself and I missed it. I'll have to do something with it. Thanks for your opinions. -Jeff

Ya, my bad I could have looked it over better. I didn't even think the cowl would be that rusted out. I was looking at the frame, front and rear, shock mounts, radius arm mounts, ect.

There are several projects ahead of this one and I'll have to keep it drivable for the short term until I am ready to tear it down and do it right. That would be the time to do the heater core too. I was wondering if I could pull the cowl and wiper trans, sandblast the area the best I can, use some rust converter and then maybe fiberglass it. Would that buy me some time or is it just a waste of effort? Space is pretty tight in there without cutting it all apart. I just want to keep the inside dry for now.

Hello, I just picked up Zap's 83 Turbo Brat last weekend. I did the rear brakes, front axles, rear shaft u-joints, and tightened up the front radius arms (they were falling off) to make it safe to drive. It runs and drives great now. The frame is solid front to back including the rear shock mounts. There is some rust though and that's where I would like your opinions. The front cowl and both pillars are pretty bad. Water pours directly down inside the dash on to the floor through the cowl vents. This thing must have been a real swamp inside when Zap picked it up. I have it dried out now. Here are some pictures. You can see where somebody tried foam insulation or something as a temporary fix. I know the right way to fix this is probably pull the dash, fenders, and doors for a further damage appraisal. Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated. Thanks for any input or advice. (Click thumbnails for larger pics) -Jeff

The D/R trans from an SPFI car (some '87 and 88+) should have a Neutral Safety Switch where as the earlier 85 D/R (carb car) will not. Something else to consider if you want or need this feature. -Jeff