Rust spot behind louver by 3x8 gas cap - help! | FerrariChat

Rust spot behind louver by 3x8 gas cap - help!

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by battman, Jan 22, 2004.

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  1. battman

    battman Karting

    Dec 1, 2003
    68
    Milwaukee, WI
    Full Name:
    Jeff Batt
    Hello All,

    My (new to me) '86 328 has a pretty nasty rust spot near the gas cap. (Pardon my incorrect terminology...) If you unlock the triangular louver/vent/window cover so that you can access the gas cap, the rust spot is on the lower far left (about 1" in Diam) - as if gas had been carelessly spilled around the gas cap area, flowed along the track where the bottom of the triangular louver/vent/window cover rests in the closed position, and then was left there to eat at the paint. I've noticed that this same spot collects water too when I wash the car...in fact, a lot of water. I would even speculate that the either gas or water or both made this rust spot.

    So a few questions:

    1) Is this a common issue with 3x8's?
    2) I will of course fix it, and I'm thankful that it will be hidden under the louver/vent/window cover, but I'm a little worried about how far the rust extends under the rubber window moulding, which is right next to the rust spot. If this is a common issue, have others removed thier window moulding to 'make sure' that area's ok? How difficult is it to remove this moulding? And more importantly, how tough is it to put it back?
    3) Assuming this is a common issue, are there any more exotic fixes like installing a drain hole or something? I'm not likely to drill a hole into my Ferrari if I don't have to, but I'm just curious.

    Thanks! Jeff
     
  2. flyingboa

    flyingboa Formula 3

    Nov 27, 2003
    1,564
    Italy/India
    Full Name:
    Eugenio
    My car (328 86) does not have such a problem, neither had the others that I inspected before buying mine...


    Ciao

    Eugenio
     
  3. rjdavatar

    rjdavatar Rookie

    Nov 17, 2003
    36
    Zurich, Switzerland
    Hi Battman

    see the thread on 'rust prevention', a couple of months ago, in this forum.
    There were some good suggestions there, particularly a list of potential rust locations offered by Verell.

    I had a spot of rust in a similar location to yours, but behind the passenger side louvre. It turned out to be very superficial. I cleaned up the location with a scraper and fine water paper, and then coated with Tectyl ML. Suggestions of other rust treatments are given in the thread refered to above.

    I recently removed the wheel arch covers and got a light up under the louvre bays. I found the interior to be in remarkably good condition, with no other sign of rust. To do a proper inspection and repair, if necessary, I guess that one would have to remove (or at least free) the fuel tanks. That task seems resonably straight forward, and you will find descriptions of the procedure also here at FerrariChat.
     
  4. peajay

    peajay Formula Junior

    Apr 17, 2002
    454
    near Paris, France
    Full Name:
    Paul
    I have no problem like this on my 1987 328 GTS.
     
  5. ChrisfromRI

    ChrisfromRI Karting

    Jan 28, 2003
    230
    Foster, RI
    Full Name:
    Chris F
    My '84 308 GTB QV has a drain hole in the valley to the left of the fuel filler pipe (under the louver). This drain hole drains directly to the ground below, apparently through a hose or pipe -- since the fuel from an overflow gets down to where your shoes are in about a split second. No rust though, and this overflow drain line is clearly free-flowing.

    Possibly GTBs are different here, the louvers are certainly different.

    Kind Regards, Chris
     
  6. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
    USA
    Jeff,
    This is not a common problem, especially on the 308/328's from 1984 on, when Ferrari (finally) started getting serious about rust prevention. 328's seem to be even better than the 84/85 QV's in this respect (IMO). BUT, a 328 can still get rust spots in various locations if the car is kept in a humid enviroment, or left outside in the rain a lot.

    Fix it (be thorough) and forget it.
     
  7. BigAl

    BigAl F1 Veteran

    Mar 17, 2002
    6,146
    TX
    Full Name:
    GSgt Hartman
    Jeff, I HIGHLY reccomend a product called "Neutra Rust". I've used it for years and once you treat an area, rust never comes back. I've used syringes and squirted it into cracks and hard to reach places in order to neutralize rust. You can get it at Auto Zone, etc.
     
  8. Cincy Ken

    Cincy Ken Karting

    Jan 24, 2004
    219
    Cincinnati
    My 1989 328 had a rust spot about the same size near the gas cap. Specifically, mine was at the lower left-hand corner of the driver's rear quarter window, just below the louver hinge. The visible portion was about an inch in diameter, and it had been treated and repainted by a prior owner. I also noted that water accumulates there when I wash the car, and I am careful to dry it as completely as possible. The drain hole in that area is in the center, between the rust area and the gas cap, but, surprisingly, that does not seem to be the low spot.

    Despite the fact that the spot was not visible, I didn't want it to get worse, so I had my body shop repair it. To do so, the rear quarter window was removed, including some interior work (I believe it was the rear shelf area where the top-cover drape snaps on. Some of the factory lead joining body parts in that corner area was removed, and the area was repaired and repainted, with the join line (which I cannot see) being placed completely under the louver so only factory-original paint shows with the louver closed. Again, I can't tell that it's different from new, and it looks really good now. The body shop owner told me that the rust had continued beneath the rubber molding, but that it had all been repaired.

    I don't recall the total bill on this, as I had a number of other very minor things corrected at the same time. As I recall, this particular job amounted to a few hundred dollars, probably a little under $500. I thought this was a small price to pay for preservation and peace of mind.
     
  9. bert308

    bert308 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 30, 2002
    1,776
    Roermond Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Bert Kanters
    The small side windows can be removed without any effort, just pull back the rubber a little from the inside and push it out.
     
  10. eric lipper

    eric lipper Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 2, 2003
    169
    I have the exact same problem with my 1986 GTS. I have owned the car since new and the rust showed up in the first two years I had the car. Ferrari offered to fix it, without question, under warranty but I told them that I would rather leave it alone since I had no clear picture at the time of how good the repair would look. I never bothered to fix it and the rust spot, in the last 16 years, has never gotten any bigger than about the size of a penny. Since I stopped daily driving the car in 1988 the car has not been in the rain so the rust may have stopped because water no longer collects there leaving the rust without a catalyst. My two cents would be to leave it alone, drive the car and enjoy it. I put 20K on my car in the first two years.
     

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