Corrosion: Chassis Leg to Strut Mount

[Alex Knight]

Hi all,

I discovered something a little perturbing whilst having a poke around recently.

I have discovered a small patch of corrosion where the strut mounting meets the OSR chassis leg, right where the seam sealer is applied, about 1-2 inches long.

It's booked in for next Monday to have this stripped, welded, treated and painted.

I have checked the other side, and it's rock solid.

This small patch appears to have been there for some time, so I'm not concerned that it's something new, however as the car is a keeper, I'm dealing with it as soon as it's been discovered for fear of spreading.

Does anyone else have this problem I wonder?

I also wonder if it's possible that the seam sealer wasn't applied correctly at the factory, or indeed if there is a small channel behind this area which allows water ingress?

The reason I ask is that I had two DC2 Type-Rs, and they both suffered where the rear arches weren't sealed properly from the factory.

I am going to be stripping the area of parts Sunday afternoon so that the professionals can do their work (and save myself some money), and will report back if I find anything more sinister.

[Topdownman]

Well done for finding it and getting on top of it straightaway.

For years we have been saying the mk3 doesnt rust too much but time is catching up with them and we all need to be making sure we are looking after our cars underneath as well as on top!

[Call the midlife!]

It's certainly not the first one to go there, it's been known for it needing cutting out and replacing.

[Alex Knight]

It's certainly not the first one to go there, it's been known for it needing cutting out and replacing.

Both sides, or just one like mine?

[Call the midlife!]

I'm not sure but I know Tricky needed a pretty radical transplant on his for an MOT.

[tricky1138]

I'm not sure but I know Tricky needed a pretty radical transplant on his for an MOT.

It's was the front subframe on mine John, not the rear. But as others are saying, the cars aren't getting any younger and rust will always take hold on any car.

[1979scotte]

I've had 2 with bad corrosion in various places. We are not immune

[Call the midlife!]

I'm not sure but I know Tricky needed a pretty radical transplant on his for an MOT.

It's was the front subframe on mine John, not the rear. But as others are saying, the cars aren't getting any younger and rust will always take hold on any car.

Yup, for some weird reason I didn't pick up on it being the rear on this one, didn't look at the photos properly and just assumed the front, same as yours as I knew yours wasn't a one off.
Go me 😂