The worst things to go wrong on a Bongo in 2014 ??

[Simon Jones]

I have to agree Mark. It's similar to fitting wheel arch trims to cover rust. It traps moisture in which hastens corrosion and you can no longer monitor what is happening. If an uncovered pipe develops a tiny leak you can usually spot tell-tale signs and then apply a repair to the damaged area. If the whole pipe is enclosed, the lagging will trap the water which then means the undamaged pipe is sat in a pool of rusty water which will attack the remaining good metal. You've then got to carefully remove the lagging and locate the original cause of the problem.

My approach is good quality anti-freeze to protect the inside and clear waxoyl applied to the outside. It will soften when warm which helps to make it self-healing in the event of it getting scratched or rubbed.

[helen&tony]

Hi
You're both right...lagging will ACCELERATE the rust, and once it starts under an apparently impervious layer, it works it's way very rapidly under the skin and the corrosion works better than if it was exposed to air where it gets a chance to dry out periodically. There was a highly thought of rust preventative coating in the early '70s that EVERY main dealer recommended to their customers...claimed to be far better than underseal, and everyone hailed it as the answer... By the mid to late '7os, everyone had found out that the rust had crept under the still immaculate coating, and the bottom had dropped out of their cars, and the market for the product.....BUT, at the time, you wouldn't even buy a car second hand that hadn't been treated from new.....
Fact: steel / iron plus water or moisture = rust...no argument, no cure...just keep your eye on it and treat it every year or two!
Cheers
Helen

[Gasy]

If you gonna wrap them in something
Wrap them in denso tape

Sounds good. I'm looking at item 400146706091on eBay. Would that be it? Guess it could usefully lag the autobox pipes as well if I clean them up as I'm guessing the denso tape can resist a bit of pressure also?

Yes that's denso tape
Messy stuff to use
But it's not a seal it won't hold pressure
But is design for wrapping pipes for corrosion and waterproofing protection
Lasts for years
Easy to remove
If you gonna wrap them this is the boy for the job

Would be ideal for the job

[BongoBongo123]

Call me weird but, rub down, Kurust or similar then good old paint is probably ok if you have life in them still. My concern is starting to fiddle with them and causing an issue that might otherwise have lasted a while. Anyway for now I have the new pipe.

Not glad to hear about a load of mild steel pipes under there, both sides and auto fluid pipes. Gulp Oh well there has to be some place that goes eventually. Will consider what to do next year when the weather dries.

[Spencer54]

This might be an option - they have all sorts of types of hoses, with Stainless bends, spring formers etc etc.
I have in the past used Silicon hoses with a spring former on a racebike - which worked a charm.
It was heater hose that the bike used as its main heater hose (ID was the same).

If a braided solution could be done - I'd be up for that.

http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/hoses-and-clips

There are some kits in the US for exactly this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-intake-heate ... 5e&vxp=mtr

[BongoBongo123]

I can add one of my very own to check for 95-96 owner/members.

Front cross member rust (this is the piece of metal under the front bonnet that runs across the top of your radiator). I checked mine and can see thats the next job on the list. Same plan for me... rub down burnish with wire brush drill bit, Kurust and Hammerite.

I don't think it seems a massive problem to replace it but the one piece of metal is £130.00 new so not exactly cheap and I suspect where one Bongo rusts so does another.

[mikeonb4c]

I can add one of my very own to check for 95-96 owner/members.

Front cross member rust (this is the piece of metal under the front bonnet that runs across the top of your radiator). I checked mine and can see thats the next job on the list. Same plan for me... rub down burnish with wire brush drill bit, Kurust and Hammerite.

I don't think it seems a massive problem to replace it but the one piece of metal is £130.00 new so not exactly cheap and I suspect where one Bongo rusts so does another.

Mine was professionally dinitrol'd but it still lost the battle. Start saving for a new one to be welded in its looking rusty.

[Northern Bongolow]

I can add one of my very own to check for 95-96 owner/members.

Front cross member rust (this is the piece of metal under the front bonnet that runs across the top of your radiator). I checked mine and can see thats the next job on the list. Same plan for me... rub down burnish with wire brush drill bit, Kurust and Hammerite.

I don't think it seems a massive problem to replace it but the one piece of metal is £130.00 new so not exactly cheap and I suspect where one Bongo rusts so does another.

the front cross member is the box that the front rad sits on, its at the bottom of the rad and holds it in place, the top panel is called the slam panel.

[BongoBongo123]

I can add one of my very own to check for 95-96 owner/members.

Front cross member rust (this is the piece of metal under the front bonnet that runs across the top of your radiator). I checked mine and can see thats the next job on the list. Same plan for me... rub down burnish with wire brush drill bit, Kurust and Hammerite.

I don't think it seems a massive problem to replace it but the one piece of metal is £130.00 new so not exactly cheap and I suspect where one Bongo rusts so does another.

the front cross member is the box that the front rad sits on, its at the bottom of the rad and holds it in place, the top panel is called the slam panel.

Ok thanks for clarifying terminology, it's the top piece that has some surface rust I want to tackle.

cheers

[rita]

I can add one of my very own to check for 95-96 owner/members.

Front cross member rust (this is the piece of metal under the front bonnet that runs across the top of your radiator). I checked mine and can see thats the next job on the list. Same plan for me... rub down burnish with wire brush drill bit, Kurust and Hammerite.

I don't think it seems a massive problem to replace it but the one piece of metal is £130.00 new so not exactly cheap and I suspect where one Bongo rusts so does another.

the front cross member is the box that the front rad sits on, its at the bottom of the rad and holds it in place, the top panel is called the slam panel.

Ok thanks for clarifying terminology, it's the top piece that has some surface rust I want to tackle.




If it has not already been treated you will probably find that the Cross Member will require attention, it can be a MOTT failure.

cheers

[Simon Jones]

The paint on the slam panel is paper thin and is very prone to rusting. It's also fiddly to get to the underneath and annoyingly it cannot be unbolted.

[BongoBongo123]

Well today I made time to have a bash and the weather is perfect. Always worse than you think of course cause the surface rust spots were also under that filter ducting attached to the top piece and so I pulled off filter housing so I am not doing a 1/2 job with patches of surface rust under that plastic filter duct. Same old, today I have only time to Kurust and touch up the spots with inappropriate colour silver Hammerite this afternoon.

I have 750mL dark green on it's way that will be fine under there. I will buff the top surface up slightly so the green second coat has something to grab onto. The paint the entire slam panel.

Just glad to get this done before winter. The weather is blessing us.

Simon you are the man, and know a hell of a lot about the Bongo ! Damn right it is indeed not like the rest of body work paint on the Bongo and very thin, I was not even sure it had been primed !! I guess they thought it's under the bonnet 1 top coat will do.

Yes spot on once again Rita, regarding cross member saw the radiator lugs were dodgy and the cross member not to bad but light surface stuff coming through paint. This year I am doing a 1/2 jobby on that, literally indiscriminate and complete painting of Kurust through the bumper along entire cross member (Freda has nice big bumper/grill holes !) and I will also thickly coat with dark green Hammerite as well when that turns up.

Next year I might have the whole bumper off.

The Bongo knowledge on here is scary ! You know your onions.

[Simon Jones]

To get a proper coat of paint on you have to do quite a bit of dismantling first. This was the old van after painting with some treatment:



Added Waxoyl in & on the front crossmember:


Did similar job on the new one (this was taken before treatment & was already virtually rust-free):

[BongoBongo123]

Cool, very extensive job, some serious mechanical enthusiasts here.

So post Hammerite painting (and full drying of) you recommend a brush on of some waxoyl? I have a new screw top bottle of clear does that dry semi hard-ish ?

[BongoBongo123]

I suspect that the foam rubber bonnet dampener is a source of potential moisture retention. I reckon that dew and condensation might be trapped underneath during the winter thus being one cause of the slam panel corrosion. I expect not to have to do that again as it is in essence protected under the bonnet and for 19 years the rust was very minimal.

I managed to gloop on some thick silver Hammerite all over the cross member horizontal/rad bottom lugs and L/R angled sections which weld on to the verticals. As far as was possible through the bumper/facia holes. Got the vast majority coated. I will put dark green second coat (Bongo is dark green) when that turns up and this has hardened and dried properly.

I will certainly have a good grip on whether Hammerite is good or not in a years time.