Morris Minor Owners Club

If the Traveller has alloy panels between the wood, why do mine appear to be rusting? I've noticed suspicious bubbles appearing under the paintwork near the bottom of the panels directly behind the door post on both sides of the car.

Is it possible the car was rebuilt using steeel panels?

Test them with a magnet.
In fact you can get some blistering with the aluminium panels so that is probably all it is.

I'm sure I just said this, but apparently not Justin Minor told me re his Landrover that steel (B post) touching the alu causes this effect, maybe it's that. Worth checking the steel, I'd have thought.

bigginger wrote:............. that steel touching the alu causes this effect, maybe it's that

I worked with an aircraft restorer for a while, and any joints between different metals had a barrier paste spread between them to avoid the electrolytic action that causes corrosion between different metals. I cannot for the life of me remember what the stuff was called, as I worked on the wooden parts! It was a pale lime green, (almost limeflower!) Might be worth "googling" for more details?

You can tell if the panel is steel by scratching the bubbled surface , if it is redish brown corrosion then its steel. Alloy erodes and the effect is a white chalky blister. Dum dum creates a good barrier between the alloy panels and the wood/steelwork.