lets talk rust!

Anything about BXs
spatt
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lets talk rust!

Post by spatt »

hi, fairly new to the forum, and looking for some advice! I have the chance of buying a 86` BX. The only problem is that it seems to have had plenty of underbody welding on previous MOT`s! I had a BX many moons ago and wasn't aware corrosion was a problem, is this normal? and if so is it a big problem? many thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.
Cheers Scott
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panky
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My Cars: 1985 BX 19 GT (DKK), 1971 Morris Minor Traveller, 1971 Commer Auto-Sleeper, 1969 Commer Jennings Roadranger.
'88 BX GTi (a long time ago)
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Re: lets talk rust!

Post by panky »

Unfortunately any car will eventually rust somewhere (ask me how I know :roll: ) Like you I haven't owned a BX for many years but hope to get one soon, fingers crossed. If the repairs on the car have been done properly then I wouldn't have a problem but if it's been bodged to get through an MOT with the minimum effort (patches covered in underseal for instance) then I would avoid. I would also be concerned about what else is hiding beyond the repairs mentioned.
Have a look at this for some nice BX rot and check out his other BX related vids, I especially like his use of a meat cleaver to remove the rood side trim :lol: . Chris is something of an expert on BX's but he can get a bit sweary :D

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spatt
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Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2022 9:38 pm
Location: Durham
My Cars: none

Re: lets talk rust!

Post by spatt »

Many thanks, that's great!
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Vanny
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Re: lets talk rust!

Post by Vanny »

All cars have rust, even new ones.

Structural rust, now that can be an issue. And with all car repairs, they will all rust eventually. No matter how consciencious the repairer was, any change to the factory surface will provide a point at which the metal will be prone to fail again.

Or, to put it another way, welded repairs on a BX are not uncommon.
Most BX's still on the road will have had a front inner wing and probably a door hinge repair by now. A bad repair is often obvious, but a bad repair can also be well hidden and appear good. As Panky says, the quality of the repair is often linked to how long the car is expected to stay on the road. I've done 'quick' sill repairs in the past, they were structurally sound, but typically only lightly treated as the cars were nearing end of life.

I wouldn't let it put you off that a BX has had metalwork, but I'd be giving it a damn good look over both the outside and inside of the repair.