Chris
Sounds like you've done it all.
Here in the land of the tin worm, I have learned that the more you rustproof
the
better you are. Be sure and rustproof the windshield (windscreen to Brits)
frame. I have seen owners remove the glass only to have the frame crumble.
It seems that condensation rusts the frame from the inside. Spray as much
rustproofing inside as you can. I removed screws and used them as access
holes
to spray into. With windshield off you can spray the area under the cowl. I
sprayed until it ran out the small holes either side of the cowl. Remember to
save
the small rubber shims that the windshield bolts go through. Keep them in
order
as this is how the tilt of the windscreen was done.
Remove the softtop hinges to gain access to the area behind the door striker,
sometimes the dog leg. Rustproof there. Remove the inside kick panels
under the dash and spray the area up under the cowl.
Remove the aluminum door sill plates and drill access holes to allow you to
thoroughly rustproof the inside of the rocker panels. The sill will hide the
holes.
Finding repro rocker panels that fit can be a chore. I'm glad I have a set of
NOS
rocker panels in the garage for when the time comes.
If your gas tanks are out, spray the area under the gas tanks. The tanks
sweat
from the cold gasoline and this area will rust. In fact if you still have
your original
fenders, they should have small drain holes in them on the bottom to allow
this
condensation to run out. Repro fenders don't have these holes.
As you can imagine, I'm trying to stave off the tin worm as long as I can.
Here in
the land of road salt, I've seen Corvettes rust. I scrapped a Tiger years ago
whose
frame crumbled when you grabbed. I was afraid to tow it for fear it would
split it
two. It was a source of badly needed parts for Tiger owners in the area.
For rustproofing, I prefer a parafin based fluid. It never dries out and
creeps into
small areas. After 20 years it still hasn't hardened. It was made by Rusty
Jones
and I got it from a car dealer.
Good luck with your project. Your fun is just beginning.
Dave
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