I spent about 12 hours over Saturday and Sunday under the Alpine with my
brushes. There are some real dirt traps down there. At the junction of the
forward part of the rocker panel and the cross member there is a 3" square box
with an oval hole in the bottom. One side was very full of silt like sand.
Naturally there was grime under and over the plate at the intersection of the
cross member.
Directly above the rear axel casing is a shelf about 8" wide [front to back of
the car] and 24" long [side to side of the car]. It is attached to the back
sheet metal of the boot and the compartment that receives the soft top when
folded down]. Near as I can tell it has two functional purposes. 1. It
stiffens the two compartment walls it is attached to; and, 2. It holds about
10 lbs of road grime [perhaps the weight improves traction].
I found that a small wire brush is much more effective to remove surface grime
than a larger, stiffer, brush. As for grease soaked undercoating, I went for
a wood chisel. Anything that did not come off easily with that could stay.
I found no cancer other than two rather small spots, one on each side at the
far rear of the car, directly below the tail lights. That is proof positive
of the value of oil leaks: no rust except where the oil doesn't reach.
Rob Carpenter
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