It's funny, almost every rig I have seen down here has the rusted bib. In the US, it seems like it is less-than half which rust out. I don't know why this is as snow is something most Aussies only ever see on the telly - never on the road. It is also a dry climate generally, so I have yet to understand why this is such a rust-prone area.
Your repair looks really nice. I've always been amazed that there are not more Aqualu bibs down here.
Josh
Hi Josh.
Aussis and kiwis have traditionally been of the opinion that a real 4WD doesn't need to be garaged.
And our homes are generally much more basic than those we see on the telly as being typical in the US.
We have only recently (like the last 20 years) started having double-garaging as the norm. So even if families wanted to garage their 4WD, they haven't generally been able to (in the recent past).
And those that could afford extra garaging generally bought poser/comfort-4WDs like Rangerovers rather than rugged workhorses like 40-series landcruisers.
Remember that condensation can cause rust too. Sometimes on a fine frosty morning the underneath of my bonnet/hood is covered in millions of massive drops of condensation, that, as the temperature warms, run down and pool elsewhere.
But in the States, the higher standard of living (that sadly you guys appear to be losing to other countries now) meant that cruisers could often be "garaged and forgotten", even by families that would never have been termed "wealthy" in your eyes.
Hence you have your useful "barn finds" while we just have our waste-of-time "field finds" where our prize is just a mound of rust particles (amongst chunks of rubber and a few bits of plastic).
That's my take. Now go ahead and tell me I've got the picture typically-skewed for someone living down-under.
Sorry for the diversion Gwest.
I must say I prefer to have the inside of the bib "clean" so that no moisture can hang-up anywhere on it.
I'm not sure about Chris's adhesive idea. I know some are really strong. But they haven't been tested for 30+ years yet.
Before the addition of that piece of angle, your welding skills looked better than mine.
And overlap welding (like I did on my seams) is easier than the butt-welding you did but you still need to use the same technique (of doing spots spaced-out along the length and then gradually filling in the gaps while keeping the panel cool).
