W126 rusty under fuse box

[Arthur Daley]

Just noticed a fairly crusty area under the fuse box to the point where the anti roll bar clamp itself is pretty rusted and has come away
It looks like it will be a really tricky area to weld as a lot of stuff is in the way has anyone had to do this
Or could it be terminal ?

 

[grober]

Picture might help?

 

[Arthur Daley]

Hi grober Ive took pics but having trouble uploading from my phone
It doesn't look great though
It's hard to see as well but at least part of the roll bar clamp has rusted away and the area generally feels soft and crusty
I'm just hoping it's fixable

 

[grober]

W126 The EPIC has BEGUN... Project "Sway" is Underway! - PeachParts Mercedes ShopForum

Front Sway Bar Bushing Install W126 - PeachParts Mercedes ShopForum

 

[spike60]

I did my 1989 300SE under the battery tray on the opposite side, it was fiddly. It depends if you want concours or useable, once I realised it didn't have to be exactly as factory, just structurally sound it was a lot easier. On mine the mount was ok, it as the surrounding area that was eaten away as was the ARB bush cap. A new cap was about £14 and if I had to replace the mount I'd look at using a cap welded in as a new mount, it would be beyond my fabrication skills to make a new one.
If the fuse box side looks crusty it's probably a good idea to take the battery tray out on the other side to get a full picture. I was unsure when I when I was doing it but after it was painted, undersealed and all the gubbins back in it was fine. If you want I may have some pics.

 

[spike60]

I see the link posted above is for removing the anti roll bar, I didn't. I took the side I was doing off the suspension and the mounting then jammed it as far out of the way as I could get with a block of wood. Seems a big job removing an ARB

 

[wu56Shoozz]

Grober's right a photo will help...

1/ Rub it down - removing all loose rust

2/ Using a rust inhibitor treat the affected area - Dinitrol/Jenolite/Kurust/Vactan

3/ Prime using a high content Zinc Primer

4/ Using Epoxy 121 Paint the affected area.. Leave 48 hours to cure

5/ Paint...

See around 21:17 its shows "roughly" how to repair..

Series 9 Episode 6 - Wheeler Dealers Episodes

 

[spike60]

Mine was a little beyond steps 1-5 listed above, as the original posters probably is as he is saying the ARB clamp has come away. Mine was corroded but intact under the fuse box but the other side under the battery tray looked like this on first inspection.


The pic is taken looking vertically down where the washer bottle, battery tray and battery normally live, the battery acid seem to make this side a little more crusty. Predictably, it was much worse when stripped out and taken back to good metal and the angle makes it appear a flat panel, it is however a complex 3D structure I found challenging to repair. The big hole at the top of the pic is in the rear of the inner wheelarch, - an easy repair!
When I came to do the repair a few weeks after the pic was taken the clamp had snapped, I didn't know from driving.