Side Sills Paint Bubbling

[Sparky3GTS]

It seems like every year the paint on my '97 GTS side sills bubble on the top where the hood covers the sill. I have had it repainted several times and it continues to bubble. When I remove the side sills to have them painted, I notice corrosion inside where the bubbles are located. How can I prevent this?

 

[Martin]

You have to get the new side sills - if they're still available. This was a VERY common problem that most of us had. I got it covered under the 5 year corrosion warranty, but now I think it's going to be on your dime. I'm not sure if there are any other solutions out there...

 

[RobZilla]

Heat shields or "venting" the sills. Do a search, the infamous Dave6666 has extremely well vented sills with a great write up.

 

[Sparky3GTS]

Could I just get rid of the heat shields and get an exhaust rap?

 

[RobZilla]

Getting rid of the heat shields will most likely make your problem worse. You can try that cheap wrap, my opinion: that won't help in the long run.

An easy and cheap solution is just to drill hols in front and back of the sills to allow for air flow. Try doubling up on heat shields. Those a cheap attempts at a fix. Personally I like to do a job right the first time. VENT 'EM!!!

 

[eucharistos]

hi flow cats will help a ton, less heat means less (no) paint bubbling, smaller cat means less corrosion, & better sound than stock

search the subject, you are not alone

 

[Martin]

I always thought that the cause of the problem was a galvanic reaction in the original equipment sills, and the fix was an improved design set of replacement sills. If it is a galvanic reaction, venting and heat shields might slow the progress, but it's still going to happen again eventually.

 

[PDCjonny]

DON'T wrap the exhaust in anything, thats the opposite of what you want.
You need more air flo, not less.
Hi Flo cats will help. Replacement sills are a fortune.

 

[JonB]

hi flow cats will help a ton, less heat means less (no) paint bubbling, smaller cat means less corrosion, & better sound than stock. search the subject, you are not alone..

BINGO !!!

PS about galvanic corrosion: This occurred primarily with Gen 1 and early Gen 2, and ONLY as a result (and in the area of) the riveted insulation.

 

[Martin]

BINGO !!!

PS about galvanic corrosion: This occurred primarily with Gen 1 and early Gen 2, and ONLY as a result (and in the area of) the riveted insulation.

Good to know - because I don't want to deal with that problem again. It's about time for new cats anyhow

 

[All Blue ACR]

I'm a big fan of these in addition the hte hi-flos I got from Jon
http://forums.viperclub.org/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=474

 

[TS6]

Its most likely from corrosion. It could be heat, but I am having the exact same problem and my sills are nice and cool. I have no cats at all. I've had them repainted twice, each time they last less than a couple weeks.

 

[treed]

Is this problem a "time" based issue, or a "mileage" based issue? I've had my GTS for a couple of years now with no problems, but I don't drive my car very often. Mine were repainted right before I bought my car, but even after a couple of years no "new" problems. I can't imagine that my sills were "upgraded"... just curious as to how much you have to drive them before they begin to bubble...

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Not to disagree with anyone but...

the root cause is the contact of dissimilar metals - aluminum againsts steel. Heat from the exhaust only accelerates the chemical process, but does not initiate it. The factory fix was galvanized sheet metal screws because the galvanized coating was a sacrificial material- it corroded instead of the side sill. (Same idea as those anode radiator caps...)

Repainting helps only while the new paint acts as an insulating layer between the aluminum and steel. The permanent fix is permanent insulation between the parts. This sounds goofy, but when I got my sills replaced under warranty in 1999 I put duct tape on the inside where it contacts the strips on the frame. I have used the galvanized Dodge screws and also Home Depot screws that come with a sealing washer - one with a captured rubber gasket under the washer. This way the screw is insulated from the frame.

No, duct tape is not a permanent fix, but since I've changed the exhaust a few times it was (OK, accidentally) replaced several times. Perhaps some header wrap is a longer lasting idea. Nylon washers or high temp silicone might be other options. If anyone has restored an original Cobra (not me!) they have faced the same issue since the aluminum fenders were riveted to the steel frame. Ask a car restoration shop what they would do.

Guess what - for all the abuse my car gets (wash once a year whether it needs it or not, drive in the winter and rain, cats in the exhaust, multiple stone chips and rock hits leaving no paint behind front wheel) there aren't any bubbles on the top of the sills!

Everything everyone said here makes sense in the bigger picture.

And before Martin chimes in again - hey, mineral vs synthetic saves me a bunch since I have a 10 qt sump!

 

[ViperVon]

The corrosion is what everyone is telling you (contact of different metals). For your bubbling issues...get a set of these high flow cats from JonB

 

[Matt Houston]

The corrosion usually occurs in the rivet areas. My question is...what are the rivets "riveted" to?

 

[Martin]

And before Martin chimes in again - hey, mineral vs synthetic saves me a bunch since I have a 10 qt sump!

Well, I shop at Wally World for my oil, and Rotella T Synthetic is still around $13 a gallon so no excuses there I buy it more because I'm too impatient to wait five minutes for the turbo in my tractor to cool down after heavy use. The Rotella Synthetic doesn't coke up in the turbo bearings like mineral oils, and my turbo still spins like a top at shutdown Oh, and the tractor has a 12 qt sump, so I have you beat. So there.

 

[sirhc76]

The corrosion usually occurs in the rivet areas. My question is...what are the rivets "riveted" to?

Through the side sill and heat shield, they hold the heat shield in place. When I had my driver’s side sill re sprayed I didn’t put rivets back in. The heat shield will stay in place without them. There is a good post on why you should strip and re weld these spots to avoid future corrosion.

http://forums.viperclub.org/rt-10-gts-discussions/598655-stripping-paint-sidesill.html

Post #9

 

[dave6666]

Autoform makes a nice non-metallic (fiberglass) replacement side sill available for a fraction of a what a new set of OE's would cost. There is also ebay for used as they are usually under $1000 for a set. Sometimes higher if really nice, but in all cases much lower than $12K for dealer new.

Regardless, High-flo cats, good ventilation and insulation is a must. To support what Tom said above, heat is not a catalyst to the corrosion, but it is an accelerant.

 

[FATHERFORD]

Whoever started saying buy new and throw your others in the trash has a stock of NOS ones they are selling for a premium....

 

[Martin]

$12K for dealer neww ones??? Crap - i was really pressing to have my dealer let me keep the old ones that bubbled up, but he didn't want to because he said he had to send them back to Chrysler for warranty verification... I'll bet they ended up in the dumpster. Crap, crap, crap....

 

[michaelnouri]

we also have carbon fiber at 1850 for pair, promise you they will not rust.
we have them in two styles, with side exhaust and without.
fiberglass is all resin and a little glass
carbon fiber, is all carbon and tiny bit epoxy resin

 

[dave6666]

we also have carbon fiber at 1850 for pair, promise you they will not rust.
we have them in two styles, with side exhaust and without.
fiberglass is all resin and a little glass
carbon fiber, is all carbon and tiny bit epoxy resin

Pics, especially the outlet on the side exhaust?

Weight?

Paintable?

 

[Simms]

My GTS as the rivets in the side sills. If I strip them down to the aluminum, weld the holes shut, and repaint, will I be good to go? (Assuming the insulation stays in place without the rivets)

 

[Sweet Ride]

we also have carbon fiber at 1850 for pair, promise you they will not rust.
we have them in two styles, with side exhaust and without.
fiberglass is all resin and a little glass
carbon fiber, is all carbon and tiny bit epoxy resin

+1 for more info on these sills. Pictures would be nice too.

 

[michaelnouri]

no problem, i get them up there.
as you can see from are gen 3 rockers, they are flawless and bolt up perfect.
you can paint them, or clear them, the best look is painted, and leave the port whole tape off and just clear that to show the weave of the fiber.
lifetime structural warranty on gen 2 and gen 3 carbon rockers.
even if you break them in accident or driving, we fix them for 100 dollar flat fee, will throw back in the mold and fix them as long as you are repainting them yourself.

 

[michaelnouri]

weight was 3.00 pounds, they could be lighter, but they are stout, no a overlay, full carbon, just like the gen 3 ones that we have sold over 20 units.

 

[dave6666]

no problem, i get them up there.
as you can see from are gen 3 rockers, they are flawless and bolt up perfect.
you can paint them, or clear them, the best look is painted, and leave the port whole tape off and just clear that to show the weave of the fiber.
lifetime structural warranty on gen 2 and gen 3 carbon rockers.
even if you break them in accident or driving, we fix them for 100 dollar flat fee, will throw back in the mold and fix them as long as you are repainting them yourself.

That's about 1/4 the weight of the fiberglass parts at only twice the price. Sounds like good math to me!

Gotta see some pictures though... I did look at your site for them.

 

[dansauto]

My GTS as the rivets in the side sills. If I strip them down to the aluminum, weld the holes shut, and repaint, will I be good to go? (Assuming the insulation stays in place without the rivets)

yes, I have done this in the past, I have seen these bubble from corrision in places where there are no screws so I dont buy the gal reaction entirely. Everyone I have fixed I grind and tig weld the spots back up, then use epoxy primer inside and out and stainless screw fasteners. So far none have bubbled again.

 

[Simms]

yes, I have done this in the past, I have seen these bubble from corrision in places where there are no screws so I dont buy the gal reaction entirely. Everyone I have fixed I grind and tig weld the spots back up, then use epoxy primer inside and out and stainless screw fasteners. So far none have bubbled again.

Thanks Dan.