Footwell Corrosion - Revision history

Lithopsian: /* Painting */ latest Frost POR15 Starter Kit url

2018-01-10T12:21:44Z

Painting: latest Frost POR15 Starter Kit url

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:21, 10 January 2018
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	===Painting===		===Painting===

	To paint fully prepare and paint the floor you may want to pick up a [~~http~~://www.frost.co.uk/~~silver~~-por15-por-starter-kit.html POR15 Starter Kit], which contains appropriate marine cleaner, metal ready primer, and POR15 paint.		To paint fully prepare and paint the floor you may want to pick up a [https://www.frost.co.uk/black-por15-por-starter-kit.html POR15 Starter Kit], which contains appropriate marine cleaner, metal ready primer, and POR15 paint.

	The floor needs a good clean with a solvent panel wipe to remove any dirt or oils that would react with the paint, you could probably use brake cleaner for this.		The floor needs a good clean with a solvent panel wipe to remove any dirt or oils that would react with the paint, you could probably use brake cleaner for this.

Thorburn at 19:57, 10 January 2012

2012-01-10T19:57:06Z

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 If your car is fitted with the rubber footwell mats it is strongly recommended to remove them immediately so that the floor condition can be assessed.
-=Cleaning and painting guide=
+=Mat Removal=
 Remove the original floor mats which are stuck down with double sided tape around the edges.
@@ Line 27: / Line 23: @@
 [[Image:M111 - Footwell Treatment - Step 1.jpg|thumb|center|400px]]
-==Step 2 - Cleaning==
+=Cleaning=
 Give it a good clean up with a stiff brush and vacuum up the dust.
@@ Line 41: / Line 37: @@
 [[Image:M111 - Footwell Treatment - Step 2.jpg|thumb|center|400px]]
-==Step 3 - Filling==
+=Treatments=
 Remove the remains of the double sided tape from around the edge of the floor. I used a hot air gun, glue remover (solvent) and a razor blade scraper.
@@ Line 51: / Line 61: @@
 [[Image:M111 - Footwell Treatment - Step 3.jpg|thumb|center|400px]]
-==Step 4 - Painting==
+===Painting===
 To paint fully prepare and paint the floor you may want to pick up a [http://www.frost.co.uk/silver-por15-por-starter-kit.html POR15 Starter Kit], which contains appropriate marine cleaner, metal ready primer, and POR15 paint.
@@ Line 74: / Line 84: @@
 [[Image:M111 - Footwell Treatment - Step 5.jpg|thumb|center|400px]]
 =Links=

Thorburn at 20:48, 9 January 2012

2012-01-09T20:48:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:48, 9 January 2012
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	Although this may sound bad, and while the floor panel is bonded in as part of the aluminium chassis around which the Elise is based, the floor panel itself is not a load bearing panel and even heavy corrosion can be repaired without necessitating a replacement chassis.		Although this may sound bad, and while the floor panel is bonded in as part of the aluminium chassis around which the Elise is based, the floor panel itself is not a load bearing panel and even heavy corrosion can be repaired without necessitating a replacement chassis.

	=~~Mat Removal~~=		If your car is fitted with the rubber footwell mats it is strongly recommended to remove them immediately so that the floor condition can be assessed.

			=Cleaning and painting guide=

			By M111 - A Guide to cleaning and painting the footwell, from this thread - http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=141325&page=2#pid3004015<br /><br />

	If ~~your car~~ is ~~fitted~~ with the ~~rubber footwell mats~~ it is ~~strongly recommended~~ to remove ~~them immediately~~ so that the ~~floor condition can~~ be ~~assessed~~.		==Step 1 - Mat Removal==

			Remove the original floor mats which are stuck down with double sided tape around the edges.

			If possible find a loose edge and use this to pull the floor mat up, or use a Stanley knife to cut the mat in the centre - although if doing this be careful not to score the floor underneath. Do not try and lever the mat up against the kick plate at the front edge as a screwdriver or similar will mark the soft aluminium of the kick plate.

			You can then see the extent of the corrosion, the white powder is where its starting to get bad & the black parts are were the anodizing has just been eaten away. There will probably be a few lumps where the worst corrosion is because it tends to pile up like a mole hill.

			[[Image:M111 - Footwell Treatment - Step 1.jpg\|thumb\|center\|400px]]

			==Step 2 - Cleaning==

			Give it a good clean up with a stiff brush and vacuum up the dust.

			Next I used some alloy wheel cleaner which is basically detergent / acid mix & a stiff brush to scrub off as much of the of the remaining oxidized ally as possible, this does take quite a bit of time & effort to do, you will start to see how badly the corrosion has set in. Also I would advise working in a very well ventilated place or wearing a mask because the acid fumes can get a bit strong!

			When I had got as much off as I could I then washed it all out with plenty of clean water to remove any traces of the acid, if this is left it will start to corrode the panel & any splashes on other parts of the chassis will leave a dull stain.

			To remove all the corrosion from the pitting I used my Dremel with a stainless steel wire brush, this is also quite time consuming but has to be done very thoroughly to remove all the active corrosion.

			You can see how bad it is once its all been cleaned away. What looks like a small spec of dust could be a deep hole once its cleaned up.

			[[Image:M111 - Footwell Treatment - Step 2.jpg\|thumb\|center\|400px]]

			==Step 3 - Filling==

			Remove the remains of the double sided tape from around the edge of the floor. I used a hot air gun, glue remover (solvent) and a razor blade scraper.

			I made sure the floor pan was completely dry by leaving a small heater under the floor pan, this is important because you don't want to trap any moisture.

			The pitting was then filled with some chemical metal which is just an epoxy type glue available from most DIY shops. I did this by scraping it in with a Stanley knife blade to leave a nice level finish. There was only 2 very small holes so I stuck some tape to the underside which stopped the glue from going all the way through, it can hardly be seen from the underneath.

			[[Image:M111 - Footwell Treatment - Step 3.jpg\|thumb\|center\|400px]]

			==Step 4 - Painting==

			To paint fully prepare and paint the floor you may want to pick up a [http://www.frost.co.uk/silver-por15-por-starter-kit.html POR15 Starter Kit], which contains appropriate marine cleaner, metal ready primer, and POR15 paint.

			The floor needs a good clean with a solvent panel wipe to remove any dirt or oils that would react with the paint, you could probably use brake cleaner for this.

			Most paints wont stick to aluminium very well so use the metal ready or a special primer is required. This is called an etch primer and contains acid to help it key into the surface. Some primers are a 2 part paint so needed to be mixed with an activator.

			I applied 2 coats of primer with about half an hour gap between using a small foam roller to get a nice even & smooth finish. I would not recommend using aerosols because the over spay would go everywhere.

	~~The mat is attached with adhesive around the outside edge. If possible find a loose edge and use this to pull the floor mat up, or use a Stanley knife to cut the mat in the centre~~ - although if doing this be careful not to score the floor underneath. Do not try and lever the mat up against the kick plate at the front edge as a screwdriver or similar will mark the soft aluminium of the kick plate.		[[Image:M111 - Footwell Treatment - Step 4.jpg\|thumb\|center\|400px]]

	~~[[Image:Elise Footwell Passenger Side Before~~.~~jpg\|thumb\|center\|400px\|Rubber floor mat fitted~~ on the ~~drivers side of an S1 Elise, note~~ the ~~footwell centre divider has been removed for ease of access~~.]]		After being left to dry the prime needed to be lightly sanded with a fine Scotch Pad or Wet & Dry, then cleaned well with some panel wipe to remove any dust or dirt. If you were really fussy & wanted a perfect finish more coats of primer could have been put on giving a thicker coating which would allow the primer to be wet sanded to a perfect smooth surface for the paint. The final paint finish depends on the preparation.

	~~With~~ the ~~mats removed peel up any remaining rubber still attached to~~ the ~~floor and hoover out any dirt, debris and surface corrosion~~.		The silver paint was then mixed up with a small amount of thinners and applied in the same way as the primer.

	~~=Treatment=~~		I gave it 3 coats this time and it seems to have covered well. Because of the cold weather I left a small heater under the car to help the paint dry.

	~~The action to take will depend on the severity of the corrosion to the floor.~~ If the ~~floor has corroded to the point where holes have appeared~~ in the ~~surface then the best course~~ of ~~action is to fit secondary floor panels (Part No. A117A0235S)~~.		If the time and effort is put in a perfect finish like the outside of a car can be achieved if that's what your after.

	~~If corrosion~~ is ~~minimal then apply a coating of ACF50 to inhibit~~ corrosion ~~and fit breathable fabric floor mats. Be sure to lift the floor mats regularly to clean and wipe up~~ any ~~moisture and reapply the ACF50 every 12 to 18 months~~.		The main thing is the corrosion has been stopped so I shouldn't have any more problems with it.

	You may wish to rub down the floor with Scotch Brite Pads to remove any sharp edges and to reduce the visible surface corrosion. If doing this be sure to wear a face mask as a considerable amount of dust will be created. After sanding and cleaning the floor either spray it with [~~http~~:~~//elise-shop.com/acf50-anti~~-~~corrosion~~-~~chassis-protection-p-502120~~.~~html ACF50~~] ~~to inhibit corrosion or paint using [http://www.frost.co.uk/silver-por15-por-starter-kit.html silver POR15~~] ~~to match the aluminium chassis.~~		[[Image:M111 - Footwell Treatment - Step 5.jpg\|thumb\|center\|400px]]

	=Links=		=Links=

			http://forums.seloc.org/p/3004015<br />
	http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=318085<br />		http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=318085<br />
	http://hazelnet.org/corrosion/index.htm		http://hazelnet.org/corrosion/index.htm

Thorburn: /* Links */

2012-01-07T17:09:41Z

Links

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:09, 7 January 2012
Line 31:		Line 31:
	=Links=		=Links=

	http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=318085		http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=318085<br />
	http://hazelnet.org/corrosion/index.htm		http://hazelnet.org/corrosion/index.htm

Thorburn: Basic guide

2012-01-07T17:09:25Z

Basic guide

New page

=Issue=

Footwell corrosion is an issue which can affect S1 and early S2 Elises fitted with the bonded down rubber floor mats.

[[Image:Elise Rubber Floor Mats.jpg|thumb|center|400px|Rubber floor mat fitted on the drivers side of an S1 Elise, note the footwell centre divider has been removed for ease of access.]]

The non-breathable rubber floor mats can cause moisture and salts to become trapped against the floor which can then react with and corrode the aluminium floor.

The severity of this reaction can vary, from minor cosmetic marking of the floor to pitting, or at worse corroding through the floor panel.

Although this may sound bad, and while the floor panel is bonded in as part of the aluminium chassis around which the Elise is based, the floor panel itself is not a load bearing panel and even heavy corrosion can be repaired without necessitating a replacement chassis.

=Mat Removal=

If your car is fitted with the rubber footwell mats it is strongly recommended to remove them immediately so that the floor condition can be assessed.

The mat is attached with adhesive around the outside edge. If possible find a loose edge and use this to pull the floor mat up, or use a Stanley knife to cut the mat in the centre - although if doing this be careful not to score the floor underneath. Do not try and lever the mat up against the kick plate at the front edge as a screwdriver or similar will mark the soft aluminium of the kick plate.

[[Image:Elise Footwell Passenger Side Before.jpg|thumb|center|400px|Rubber floor mat fitted on the drivers side of an S1 Elise, note the footwell centre divider has been removed for ease of access.]]

With the mats removed peel up any remaining rubber still attached to the floor and hoover out any dirt, debris and surface corrosion.

=Treatment=

The action to take will depend on the severity of the corrosion to the floor. If the floor has corroded to the point where holes have appeared in the surface then the best course of action is to fit secondary floor panels (Part No. A117A0235S).

If corrosion is minimal then apply a coating of ACF50 to inhibit corrosion and fit breathable fabric floor mats. Be sure to lift the floor mats regularly to clean and wipe up any moisture and reapply the ACF50 every 12 to 18 months.

You may wish to rub down the floor with Scotch Brite Pads to remove any sharp edges and to reduce the visible surface corrosion. If doing this be sure to wear a face mask as a considerable amount of dust will be created. After sanding and cleaning the floor either spray it with [http://elise-shop.com/acf50-anti-corrosion-chassis-protection-p-502120.html ACF50] to inhibit corrosion or paint using [http://www.frost.co.uk/silver-por15-por-starter-kit.html silver POR15] to match the aluminium chassis.

=Links=

http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=318085
http://hazelnet.org/corrosion/index.htm

[[Category:Lotus Elise]]
[[Category:S1]]
[[Category:S2]]
[[Category:Chassis]]