How to: Fix your rusted heater bubble (a simple guide for a limited workshop)

[obsesscort]

Don't you hate it when winter swings round (far too quickly for some of us), and all of a sudden, the days are getting wetter and wetter.

I hate it more when I find large puddles of water in the floor pans of my treasured escort, characteristic of the gorgeous beasts.

But where the fudge is this water coming from! It is most definately caused by a 'rusted heater bubble' or firewall, or a combination of both (in my case). We'll stay on the heater bubble aspect for the moment.

Don't despair, it can be fixed, and heres a way to do it without access to a large array of tools when you're on a fairly tight budget.

The drainage system on the ford escort leaves a lot to be desired, with the water from the windscreen spilling into the grill above the hood, which then travels through the heater bubble and out a small hole to drip down the firewall. Leaves and other debris get caught in the heaterbubble providing a barrier for waterflow and a cosy home for that carcinogenic nightmare we know as rust to meet, mate and multiply.

Before I carry on, heres a little shopping list/resource list I've compiled:
- an angle grinder (or drill and hacksaw blade if you can't access one of these)
-chisel/screwdriver and a file of some sort would help
- a rust converter of some sort (see picture below for the brand I bought from Auto1)
- 1m2 of fibreglass
- equivalent resin (From memory around 250gm, its quite a small pot) and small bottle of catalyst (ask your local bunnings man)
- some rags
- plenty of disposable containers
- a few disposable paintbrushes (fibreglassing will ruin these, so don't use grandads horsehair brush)
- a healthy amount of patience

Lets get started!

Heres an example of what your heater bubble might look like at this point of its demise




Heres how I went about repairing mine.....

Get an angle grinder and cut a rectangle out of your bubble (you cant take the hole bloody thing off if you please) but I've cut a small rectangle at this point as I don't have access to any fabrication facilities as of yet. Alternatively, you could drill/punch a hole and get at it with a hacksaw blade




I then got to work with a screw driver and chisel as well as a rasp file and really roughed up the visible rust. Get all the large pieces out, you don't want any flaky metal left, so give it a real good giv'er. Once all the debris has come out, really file that metal back till its shiny and lustrous, although with most converters, this is not necessary, as the converter neutralises this rust and forms a substrate.







Now get your rust converter and spray a liberal amount on the effected area, I gave it a really good spray in and around anywhere I couldn't get to/see

Around the bottom of the bubble


Up under the grill (make sure you file/sand back any paint etc.)


My rust converter


Let this dry as per the instructions on the rust converter bottle - don't worry, it won't look like the horrible orange, it turns black (mine did anyway!)


Now comes the part for patience - fibreglassing.
I believe fibreglassing is 90% preparation, 10% application, so I like to get everything ready before that catalyst hits the resin, because thats when the clock starts ticking.

Firstly, I cut out strips of the fibreglass sheet and lay them just as I would when the resin hits them. I like to allow for a liberal amount of overlap to really create a bond. Its also handy to have little peices cut and ready to fill in any gaps occurring when you are glassing, this will give you more time with the resin, instead of cutting away while that resin dries.

Once you have a plan of attack for your fibreglassing, make sure the surface is free from dust and any debris, and mix your resin. I reckon 100ml with, i think 25 drops of catalyst did a layer of glassing on this, better to be under than over, you can always mix more, whereas leftovers are only good as pretty ugly paperweights.

Apply a generous amount of resin to the surface of where you're about to glass, then kind of smoosh in the pre cut sheets in their positions creating whatever overlaps you chose. Then get the brush and really dunk it in the resin, and give it a firm dab on the fibre sheets, you know you're getting a nice bond when the fibres go from that flaky white to a nice gooey clear colour.

Don't try brushing the glass to much, it will most probably tear and deform leaving holes and inconsistencies. Instead, I like to use the dabbing technique.

I would like to note right here that fibreglassing isn't something you pick up the first time you do it, I'm still no pro but this is the technique I use, and one which I find most efficient.

Another thing - don't stress, go with the flow, remember, you can always patch over it, and this isn't a part of your car requiring a cosmetic grade.

Heres how mine turned out - this is after maybe 2 - 3 coats of glass from memory...



The walls around the heater fan



Keep glassing until you're positive theres not holes, then, after 24 hours, get a hose on your windscreen (on spray to simulate rain) and get in your car for the moment of truth!

Don't despair if you're still getting wet floor pans, and don't let that give you cold feet - my victory still hasn't come after a year of discovering this problem, but its definately improved, and I just slowly work away at it.

If its stopped leaking - you've solved the problem, well done, but remember, stay vigilant and clean out that bubble throughout the year to remove debris (you might want to keep that rectangle cutting out as an inspection point).

If it hasn't stopped leaking, its possible the rust has formed in other areas, which was the answer in my case, with the whole firewall being pretty rusty!!!

This gives you a vague idea





But don't worry - this should keep you busy until I post the next how to on the firewall problem!

Stay positive, stay vigilant!

When my escort frustrates me like this, I just see it as another learning curve and remember that it is always adding to your knowledge!

I hope this is clear - any other questions don't hesitate to ask/PM me.