Removing the Bumps in Running Board Rubber Inserts

The Morgan Running Board Channels and their Rubber Inserts We know from articles others have written elsewhere that the Nine Steel Bolts used to fix these channels to the Wing are known to rust causing bumps to appear in the rubber inserts. This next photo may be more Familiar showing the Bumps which appear in the Rubber Inserts and was evident in a few cars observed at our recent Weekend Away. Our Morgan had 15 bad bumps, over the 4 channels, out of the 36 bolts used to secure them. During this process I have no intention, at this stage, of removing any bolts or disturbing the protective Wax Oil Coating around the Bolts and Nuts under the wings. Phase I - The Investigation Bumps In The Rubbers A Largish Lump appears to be under the foreground rubber but not in the adjacent background rubber indication the irregular occurrence of the Bolt Rusting. I needed to pluck up the courage to take a look. The rubbers themselves are easy to remove using your fingers to squeeze the insert sides in and at the same time pull upwards thus avoiding any damage to the Aluminium Channel.  I eased each rubber out of its channel along it whole length carefully working towards each end and avoiding any stretching of the rubber as it eventually has to be returned back into its slot. The Underside of the Removed Rubber Insert Here is a photo of the underside of my first rubber to be removed.  It clearly shows the location of each spot over the Bolt Heads that it covers.  The Right hand one was rusty and the Left hand one is still in pristine condition. Some of the Rust has bonded itself to the rubber and will need to be carefully removed during the cleaning process. Rust Transferred to the Rubber Insert There were Four rusty Bolt Heads of the Nine Bolts under this Offside Outer Strip - all near to the Rear End of the strip where the wing tends to dip and water may gather. Rusty Bolt Heads in the Aluminium Channel Here are the Four offending Bolt Heads. Close Up of the Bolt Head One of the Rusty Bolt Heads would appear at first sight to be disintegrated when compared to this original and non rusty one located further along the channel. This is its condition after 7 years on the car. A Non Rusty Bolt Head Mmm. Let us take a look at all of that damage. First I gathered my tool kit to attempt to remove the rust from the bolt head to find  out what is left of it. The Tools I am Using 1. The Screwdriver was used first to carefully break away the large pieces  of rust. 2. Next the serrated edge of the wide file was used to establish the top of  the bolt head remaining. 3. The end of the Triangular File was used to establish the sides and circumference of the bolt head. 4. The Hard Pointed Circuit Tester on the left was used to chip away any remaining rust particles. 5. The Rolled Up Emery Strip fitted in the Slot and was used to clean the  rest of the Bolt Head. 6. The Old Toothbrush was used to brush away the mess until I vacuumed everything clean. First Stage of Cleaning Off the Rusty Crust This Work in Progress shot of one of the bolt heads indicated that there is hardly any loss of shape definition to the Bolt Head showing that it is probably / hopefully recoverable.  Rather than look for Stainless Steel replacements I decided to take the 'Recovery' approach to see if it is possible to obtain another 7 years of use from these 'original' bolts.    The Brand of Rust Killer I used. The Weapon in my armoury that will decide if a longer life is available is this Rust Killing Product called  ' Aqua-Steel '.  It was developed in the Marine industry where Rust due to salt is prevalent . It is both a Rust Killer and a Primer for use on Rust or on Raw Steel. This 500ml bottle will last a lifetime being the smallest quantity I could buy.  I had already used it on a very Salt Rusted Wrought Iron Gate and after 6 months it is still holding up well on the repainted White Gate so I have great faith in it. (Painted with Hammerite Smooth White Gloss, Direct to Rust paint). I was first introduced to Rust Killers by Ed China of Wheeler Dealers who uses it occasionally during vehicle body work restoration.  We will see how well it does for this application in due course over time. A Coat of Rust Killer Applied to the Bolt Head and Surrounding Area. The product requires two liberal coats on the infected area which when dry will turn Black where the old rust was. The First Coat of Treatment Working After one coat the previously rusty Bolt Head is already turning black. Second Coat of Rust Killer Applied Here is a clean Bolt Head with its second coat applied and there is no change in  colour indication that No Rust was evident, but the surface is now protected. I need to leave these to all thoroughly dry for 24 hours before starting on my re assembly process. Lastly I placed each of the Rubber inserts in a Sink of Hot Water and washing Up Liquid to soak before chipping away those blobs of rust and then cleaning the whole surface using an old Nail Brush to give the profiles a good scrubbing.  I checked each one along the way to ensure that it had not been stretched or elongated during the process.  Next time I will find out if the method of reinsertion, that was recommended on Talk Morgan, actually works for me.  Phase II - The Re Assembly It is my intention to coat the inner surface of each channel with a water barrier before re inserting the Rubber Strips.  What will I use for this purpose? I have ACF 50 Anti Corrosion Formula which both prevents Rust and Penetrates into all openings. I also have Vaseline, which works well as a Water Barrier on a Baby's Bottom. And I also have Normal Grease which is also Water Resistant.  First, I checked the rust treatment after the 24 hours required for the Aqua-Steel to cure.  Here is the result. The Treated Bolt Heads. Here are the bolt heads that were cleaned and treated.  As predicted, they are still Black. Treated Non Rusty Bolt Heads Also Treated. These are the original non rusty bolt heads which have also been treated. Overnight I decided that the next stage of my plan would be to cover all of the Bolt Heads with Penetrating ACF 50 which also fights Rust.  Hopefully by using both ACF 50 and Aqua-Steel together they will prevent any re occurrence of the rust on the cleaned bolt heads and also prevent any occurrence on the Clear Bolts. I also use ACF 50, because of its penetrating properties for oiling all of the Joint Beading along the wings prior to washing the car. To do this I squirt the ACF 50 into a small bottle so that I can draw the liquid into a syringe.  The syringe allows me to apply the ACF 50 right into the joints letting the penetration process take place. My ACF 50 collecting bottle and syringe. By using the syringe I am able to administer just the right amount of liquid onto each bolt head. The ACF 50 covering the Cleaned Up Bolt Head. The final part of the creation of a Water Barrier was to use Vaseline rather than normal grease. Using a Narrow Blade Screwdriver I was able to just place enough Vaseline to cover each of the bolt heads. I am now ready to replace each of the Tread Rubbers. The Tool I was recommended to use for this is an old plastic Credit Card or similar.  It may be possible to locate a special tool for the job but I do not have any such tool. This is my card; an old Hotel Key Card. The method of inserting the Rubber Moulding using the Plastic Card is to place the Rear Edge of the Rubber Moulding into its frame and then to tuck in the Front Edge of the molding using the corner of the card. Using the Card The Tread Inserts will have extended some. To cope with removing the effect of this extension, the system I used to re insert the Tread Rubbers included: `1. Insert Both Point Ends First. Using a dry cloth, push the points well into their housing.  Left End Inserted. Right End Inserted. The Excess Length to be worked in during Insertion. 2. Insert a short section at the mid point. Mid Point Inserted. 3. Insert a small section at each Quarter Point. The Quarters Inserted. I found it easier to begin insertions in the area between the bolts and taking a small section at a time, working outwards from the peak of a bump.  Once the whole Tread Rubber is inserted then it needs to be smoothed out to ensure that it is set into its slot. I would have used my small Wallpaper Seam Roller for this but could not find it. I achieved the same result by rolling the wooden handle of a screwdriver along the rubber. As I did this it was good to hear the Vaseline being squeezed along the channel. A Screwdriver Handle used instead of the Roller. Here is the finished result.  I just need to re check the finish in daylight and then give the Wings a good clean and wax them both again. Frank