Tech Articles

Rust

60s, like other cruisers, are prone to rust. Some places are obvious, some not. This is a list of areas found on my cruiser, or suggested by others, especially George Harrach.

The rear body of the 60s were made by spot welding two or three layers of sheet metal together. The more layers, the more welds you have. And the real problem is that the sheets were not rust proofed nor were they galvanized, thus they create great places for moisture and dirt to promote rust. And for some reason, the driver's side (LHD) of 60s tend to rust more than the passenger's. No one really has any idea why though.

Areas that rust:

• Along the bottom of the rear window, both inside and out. And also around the wiper and spray nozzle.
• Outside of rear window support, beside the rear vents.
• Raingutters, inside and out. Can start beneath the sealant and bubble up.
• Where the inner and outer quarter panels meet, due to the bottoms being clogged and not releasing the moisture.
• Door sills, due to blockage.
• Lower section of rear tailgate and door bottoms, due to blocked drains.
• Fenders around the rear wheel wells.
• Inside floor where it attaches to the rear wheel wells.
• Rear floor where it meets the far rear roof supports. The rust is often seen from the underside while the inside floor has a small rust spot.
• Attachment plate inside the rear wheel well for the rear seat. This plate has an abundance of spot welds to hold it on and its shape collects dirt.
• Rear floor in front of the rear wheel wells. The rust can be a small patch to a curved line matching the general shape of the wheel well. This area sits just behind the body mount for the floor.
• The area in the front of the rear wheel well. In this area the under coating may look like its coming off; this is often an indication of rust.
• Front floors next to the side kick panels.
• On the transfer case bump that is part of the transmission hump.
• The upper support for the rear shocks. When this goes, you can have a bit of a problem on your hands...