I am doing a bare metal up resto on a '72 and am doing my first coats of primer now. I have taken great pains to clean up the gutters but wonder whether its worth drilling some drainage holes through them so that water doesn't sit and re-rust.

Has anyone done this before? Where?

What sort of trim do people put on their gutters afterwards? I know that minimania sells a roll of chrome for this purpose. Is there anyway that I can reinforce the gutter now, because their are some small holes although there is no longer rust.

Also, what product have people used for chip seal for the undersides? Is it worth stripping off the previous stuff (I don't think there is rust) or can I just put a new coat on?

Thanks

~ Conrad

 

Drilling holes will cause more rust. The gutters are a triple layer external body seam that is spot welded together, The roof panel edge should be seam sealed to prevent water from creeping into the seam. Older minis had "splits" in the corners of the gutter outer portion to permit standing water to drain. The splits would be outside the area where the panels are welded together.

 

what ever you do dont fill in the roof gutter's ....... .......sorry phil

 

I'm fix the holes now.....b4 you prime to get the best bonding

if all you have are some very small pits you may want to look at POR-15 products. Their rust preventive paint not only provides a good seal but has enough body to fill small holes w/out additional filler. And yes Virginia it can be painted over (after appropriate priming). The silver POR has additional metal content and is especially effective at filling pitted metal. For pinholes you can simply put tape behind the holes, apply two coats then when dry remove the tape and you have a very solid fill. 4 Somewhat larger holes you can use fiberglass cloth painted with POR exaclty as you would use resin and the finish is as strong. I've used this to fix floor pans and a pitted/swiss cheesed panel area to my complete satisfaction.

http://por15.com/

Hint - once opened this stuff absorbs water quickly, and water absorbtion triggers the process that makes it harden... Do not buy a large can thinking you'll save the rest. I've found efficiency in buying the smallest cans and only opening as I need it. I find the 6 pak of 4 oz cans very handy, especially since you can mix the black and silver in the pak....
Last hit - this stuff applies amazing well with a brush ... it is rather thick out of the can (must be thinned to spray) and flows amazingly. The brush marks in the black just disappear leaving a very smooth finish....(that needs good scuffing b4 topcoated with anything other than POR's topcoats.

(no - I don't sell this stuff - I've just become quite a fan since using it on my 79)

My 79 does not have drain holes ... not sure if they got covered in the earlier rebuild. When I redo the roof there will be holes in the after corners. Properly treated with POR I'd have no worryies about further rust from them. The plastic trim material for the lip is available in silver or black. I have black on a black roof, the only purpose being to cover the somewhat irregular finish on the existing roof lip. Better body work on the lip would make the plastic (black) un-necessary in my case....

 

Good info on the POR-15 stuff. Thanks - I may need it.