Side pipe cover refinishing

[Black94rt/10]

So my side pipes have the cancer. Some bubbling and 3 very small holes that you can see through. Has anyone had success refinishing these? I spoke with autoform steve who sells a fiberglass set for about $2400 painted.

Im hoping that someone out there has been in my shoes and had a body shop either reweld new aluminum, or use an aluminum repair putty, then repaint with at least a few years of sucess.

Thanks for your input in advance.

[Sam Goldfarb]

I did mine last year. Had a couple holes that I welded closed, then sealed with a catalyzed primer, base coat and clear coated. My "cancer" was only on the passenger side and my car is generally in a heated/AC building for 99% of it's life. I still need to wet sand and buff the clear coat and will do it in the next couple months. I also replaced the stock cats with Roe high flows. I did a temp test with an infrared tester and was seeing temps in the 125-135 degree range at idle right over the cats. For some reason one of my factory heat shields had a paper backing, the other side was all metal. The metal side reads a bit higher!

[Black94rt/10]

I dont think heat plays as much of a factor as water and moisture. I got the car a year ago and the sills were fine. I immediately did a cat delete exhaust. I clean the car all the time. Washing once a week. The problem i think was me washing and putting the car away in the garage. The water gets into the heat wrap and stays between causing corrosion. I screwed myself by being a neat freak lol. Since the cats were removed my heat was down a lot...but the cancer still came.

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Thanks for the info though. Were the holes easy to weld? Ive heard its a bitch since its thin aluminum

[Black94rt/10]

I wonder if anyone ever tried to vinyl wrap the sills to hide imperfections?

[dave6666]

I clean the car all the time. Washing once a week. The problem i think was me washing and putting the car away in the garage. The water gets into the heat wrap and stays between causing corrosion.

That's the exact reason "heat wrap" is not recommended. Except by people that sell it or that own garage queens and never drive their cars.

The other reason to never use wrap under the sills is over time organic matter accumulates in it and it becomes flammable. Yes, your car catches on fire. It has happened.

I would remove it and put the correct heat shields in. The wrap is another case of failed red neck engineering that everyone says is their upgrade.

[Black94rt/10]

When i said wrap i meant the stock stuff. My pipes are unwrapped but the oem barriers seemed to hold water. My cars been away in the garage for months. Last wash was like november. But the area between the backside of the sill and oem shield was still damp. That stuffs like a sponge. The oem stuff is looking pretty in my garbage pail lol.

[Black94rt/10]

23010

[Black94rt/10]

There was white goop in the damp areas where the corrosion occurred

[Sam Goldfarb]

I dont think heat plays as much of a factor as water and moisture. I got the car a year ago and the sills were fine. I immediately did a cat delete exhaust. I clean the car all the time. Washing once a week. The problem i think was me washing and putting the car away in the garage. The water gets into the heat wrap and stays between causing corrosion. I screwed myself by being a neat freak lol. Since the cats were removed my heat was down a lot...but the cancer still came.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for the info though. Were the holes easy to weld? Ive heard its a bitch since its thin aluminum
TIG weld no problem!

[Sam Goldfarb]

I wonder if anyone ever tried to vinyl wrap the sills to hide imperfections?

If you are referring to vinyl wrap on the outside of the sills, I'm not sure it would hold up to the heat and it would show any imperfections through it!

[Black94rt/10]

Yea i was. Just a shot in the dark.

[SlowPoke McGee]

Yea i was. Just a shot in the dark.

Let me assure you that welding aluminum on these sills is not for the faint of heart. You're correct that the aluminum is thin and can warp very easily if you get complacent with your torch. It's time consuming but if your like me and cheap to the bone, it's time well spent. Watch some good google videos on welding aluminum and practise on some aluminum metal before trying on your sill.

[slitherv10]

i had mine repaired by an aluminum specialist and to be honest i don't know how or what he did to them when he repaired the bubbling but it worked. I also have no cats on the car and did 3M wrap them and nothing has gone wrong all last summer. I don't wash the car often though. I wash it at the beginning of the year. April and when i put it away around September. Never drive it in th rain and i only dust it off before i take it out with a California duster (using it the right way).