Rust behind the dash.

[Ojc]

Right I've found a rust patch behind the dash just to the right of the steering column which is leaking water into the drivers and passengers footwells.

What would your plan of action be to repair it and to stop the rust from coming back?

Oh and is it hard to remove the Mk2 dash to get to it?

Cheers

[peester]

must be windscreen rubber. on my viva (my avatar pic) it had got so bad it rusted holes in the floor. had to have a 'gravestone' slab of metal welded over it and all schultzed so it would come back.
look under the carpet see what the floor looks like and you could used a thick rust proof paint; red led or a hammerite. footwells is where water will build, behind the dash the water shouldn't have done much damage because it would have just ran down. but check it all out and as i sed replace youre windscreen rubber if not already.

[_Ben_]

Burn out all the rusty bits and plate up with new metal.

Pull the battery out and have a poke around with a screwdriver.

The dash isn't too much of a hardship to remove, a bit fiddly. I'd be more worried about all the wiring that you'll have to remove when it comes to welding plates over the damaged areas.

[Ojc]

Carpets and the rest of it have all been removed, the floor is is good condition.

http://www.corsasport.co.uk/carimages/1342/novastrip8.jpg
http://www.corsasport.co.uk/carimages/1342/novastrip9.jpg

[peester]

check under all that soundproofing; just in case. it all looks soaked. one thing youll find is how heavy the soind proofing is; this is why its good to rid of it lots of weight loss- but roadnoise, bumps and engine noise all a lot louder. sometimes is better to keep it.

[Euan]

does the windscreen have to be removed in order to replace the seal?

[_Ben_]

Yes the windscreen needs to be removed to replaces its weatherseal.

On the subject of the floorpan, I'd pay special attention to the seam which is below where your feet would normally rest - if its rusty I'd get it sorted whilst everything is stripped out.