Would think there would be next to inpossible to seal 100% even when new. seems to be a lot of holes bolts etc.
But would like to think rust treatment and dintrol treatment would slow it quite a bit.
If new what about galvanise the complete thing before fitting.
Just my thoughts.
Currenty looking at mk 2.5 chassis rails getting a lot of looking.
All the top and side holes can be filled with rubber grommets (90% done on mine so far) cant make my mind up about filling all or just leaving a few open, some would say airflow required but I am not sure, more research to be done 
the real interesting thing for me is I have never kept vehicles that long except my old bike but I talk about the 5 as being kept forever! Wouldn’t bother me all this rust talk normaly because it would be sold long before it was my problem 
hmm interesting idea, but i was thinking more of a:
bolts will seal off nocely with some sealant around them or even anti seize paste? what do you guys think?
about holes… i would be thonking of a seam welding of inner and outer plates edges together and smoothing them out and finally treating with dinitrol, smaller holes could be drilled out bigger and then seamwelded edges could make them smaller back to roughly around same diameter. smoothing and treating afterward…
consequently ending up with sandwich closed indide out… so what are your opinions for that??? 
surely this will be affecting behaviour of sandwich deformation during crash, but we not intending to crash our precious 5s do we? ;))))
Thank you very much Mike.
You guys are adopted “Southern Scots”!
Penny is going in on Monday 8th Sept for her rear wings & sills next. The new panels from Andrew at Autolink have arrived. David Graham of DG Engineering in Falkirk reckons she will be good for another 10 years rot free enjoyment after that but also reckons some new front & rear wishbones & a good chassis clean/ Dinitroling would polish it all off. By that time we will both be 70 anyway!
Penny’s entire front end, from the CAT area fwd is now Dinitrolled, including the (surprisingly) rot free front wings, together with every nook and cranny.
The whole thing will have ended up costing £2450.00 by the end of next week, but as has been said before, the car is 100% mechanically perfect apart from a zizz from the Torsen on low speed pull, so that will be getting drained and refilled with yon fancy Castrol stuff.
No, I don’t give up easily Mike as you have witnessed.
Meantine, following his successful Help for Heroes national campaign, old Bruce, my Mk1 Auto has been “restored” to his former self. In the Spring, he will be getting some custom H4H logos, and we will set off through the UK together again for another H4H adventure. Not decided the gimmick yet, but Bruce will think of something!
The old boy is determined to keep fighting for the welfare for all our injured boys and girls, not just Scottish ones. They are all brothers & sisters in arms.
He is getting his new sills this month too, so bang goes another £700.00!
Here he was yesterday paying homage to his namesake at King Robert the Bruce’s resting place in Dunfermline.
( Utterly solid chassis rails incidentally!)
Onwards and upwards Mike!
I am with mike very usefull tread. As i trying to find a nice 2.5 to buy and would never of checked the chassis rails before hand.
I am still not sure what is best way to protect them. think i will go rust treatment and dintrol way. As to me if not treated from new were only buying time. salt spray will of got everywere :( Might try some galvanized paint after rust treatment.
I have never kept a car when it needs major work from rust so will have to see when time comes if I upgrade or buy new rails, shotblast and galvanize them before fitting.
I have friend who has old cosworth with galvanize parts and there sticking it well.
Thomas,
Insofar there is a glaring inconsistency with this “issue”, there are lots of solid rot free examples both older and younger than mine.
I’d say keep your pecker up and just choose wisely and carefully.
At least we all know a bit more than we did a few months back!
Good hunting and let us know how you get on?
Thanks for the words of encouragment scottishfiver.
Trying not to rush it but current good weather making it hard 
Will let you all know once i buy and try to put up photos.
Well now,
Slightly off top topic.
Now the thing maybe won’t kill my wife in a frontal, it’s time for it’s bottom to get some attention.
Good Lord! Factory fresh steel! Well whatever will they think of next?
looks like a good job.
should be a great 5 when your finnished.
Thanks Tam!
Just thought though…I don’t see evidence of new drain-holes! Just occurred to me last night. Think I’ll take a toddle up and have a look see.
“Blackndecker-Blackndecker-Blackndecker-Blackndecker”
Just as I was managing to get to sleep at night after the front chassis rail you post new horror photos!!!
How I wish I had kept my MK1. It was a late jap import and had no rust what so ever. Unbelievable for a sixteen year old car and believe me I looked. They reckon its likely due to the absence of salt on the roads. I could not believe that I could undo the bolts securing the lower front wing to the sill and find the wing and the inner sill still with black factory coat on them. Why oh why did I sell it!
The thought of spending a lot of money on suspension, hood and exhaust seduced me to a Mk 3 which despite others holding out hope I am sure will follow in the Mazda tradition of infestation by the tin worm unless I find a specialist to rustproof it properly. Anyways I bought it at four year old so its probably in there now and not sure how effective its is waxoyling after the tin worm is in.
I hope you got round to writing your article for STHT as its important to my mind for both owners and potential owners. Lets see a picture of the final repaired car back on the road.
At the risk of sidetracking this thread towards a Mk3/3.5 bias again, not my intention, as at least one other poster has said we are all in this together. Is there any conclusive proof that MOT testers have had notification from VOSA re rot on M3s or any other model or is this perhaps just an MOT testers rhetoric? “Oh sir, you weren’t wise buying a Nissan, terrible for getting punctures sir” It has been known.
Perhaps the MOT tester was referring to the known issues with the Mk2/2.5 and putting a bit of spin on it? Now, don’t get me all wrong here, I stick by what I was saying earlier in this thread, there is nothing substantive yet passed my eyes to suggest that the Mk3 and 3.5 s will not eventually go the way that many Mk2/2.5s are going. As far as I can see and understand, with my engineer’s hat on, the basis of the construction is not dissimilar, this is something that I am more than happy to be proven wrong about just not by hear say and rumour. My Mk3.5 will still be getting a proper Waxyol/Dinatrol or whatever product my research shows to be the best on the market at the time I get round to doing the work, I want to keep this car well into our respective old ages and for the car that will be considerably more than 10 years old.
So, again, can we perhaps find out where this notification from VOSA resides so that we can all have a good look at the document, surely these documents are nor “eyes only”
Cheers,
Steve.
p.s. Scottishfiver has done this community a real service with the information and the pictures provided on the repairs carried out to the Mk2.5 Sport, thank you sir.
Hi there Miike…nice to hear form you again. Look, in all honesty, I doubt Mk3s will be so badly inflicted but only time will tell. If I had your car, I’d certainly be getting it injected but only if it was along term “keeper”. What harm can it do?
Yes, I’m putting something together for STHT. so by hten I’ll have done my duty to God, The Queen, and country I think!
Oh…checked David’s work this morning and I’m happy to say there are beautifully fashion drain holes…it’s just that they are inboard a bit from the usual place.
I think David is beaming about his work, and from what I can see, he has every reason to be so.
After this, Penny will be out of his premises tomorrow to be transported to AutoTechnic in Falkirk for finishings & paint, baked of course.
After that, she will be getting clay, sealed & Carnuba.
After that…she had better bloody behave!
Be good to know if MOT is checking this.
I am trying to look for it when buying my first 5 but is next to impossible to check without pulling bits off. And i dont think many sellers would be impressed with me pulling bit off there car.
Would think of buting something else but all seem to have the same problem. Friend drives MR2 mk2 it think And after using it one winter salt had sills in pinholes.
So am off to look at an other 5 this evening to see how it has held up to the salt.
Tam, get him at least to full lock the steering both ways and shine a pwerful halogen torch in to take a peek at the ARB mounting areas. If they are sound it’s a good start. Check the rails from the top inside the engine bay. I would advise if there is any crustyness around (oddly) empty drilled holes, walk off. Tip of proverbial iceberg…they are what lit the touchpaper with mine and they did not look that bad from the top tbh.
Or, and I kid not, look out for a Mk1 import Roadster instead. “All” you have to worry about rot wise is the rear sills and they are far easier to judge. You saw the photos of my Roadsters chassis rails. Nothing unusual…that’s the difference.
Scottishfiver,
Thanks for the information on the front chassis arms. I talked myself out of mk1 as of the age there would all be high maintenance.
Driving wise what is the diffrence in mark 1 and 2/2.5? Sorry for being off topic.
What is the ARB mounting?
Went looking at a 2002 sport today after work but couldn’t find it and seller wouldnt answer his phone? Oh well must not of been for me.
But good thing is now i am armed with a good tourch.
ARB = Anti Roll Bar mounting as far as I know.
Thanks Phil,
Simple when you hear it!
Be careful with such sweeping statements. These are all photos of Roadsters undergoing rust repair in Japan. Note how clean the under carriage look
Bodged Japanese repair not holding up:
Spot of Mk2 rot, Japan style:
They’ve even got Mk2.5 rust now:
In fact, there is this buyers guide in Japan, that specifically warns about sill rust:
http://mrrs.jp/blog/archives/201105/11-063426.php
At one time, Roadsters were less rusty than UK cars. That was a while ago. Imports of good Mk1s more or less dried up in 2006, and the currency collapse in 2008 pretty much put paid to any more cheap imports from Japan. The majority of imports came in between 1998 and 2002 (you can work out the numbers on howmanyleft.co.uk). So most imports have been over here a good 10 years, or more. The rust free description is less applicable these days.
Depressing, huh? While most of the rot is in the usual places, some of it is a bit different from here, for instance the advanced front wing rust. I think this is rust from the outside in. Recently removed the wings on my car, and think I caught it in time.
No easy way getting round the rust problems then.
Been a steep learing curve. But happy I am doing it before I hand over cash.
So Thanks everyone.
