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Problems with rust

5K views 18 replies 7 participants last post by  trancend 
#1 ·
What would be the best way possible to repair these rust spots? (Pics below)
The major one is the hole on the right side skirt and i’m not sure if i should fix it or get a new sideskirt since my budget is very low.
Since its an old car and i only paid $700 for it (engine it’s in amazing shape) i just really wanted to plastidip the whole car black just to hide the imperfections for a couple months until i have enough money to get a paint job or wrap.
Any thoughts?
 

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#2 ·
The front fenders can be easily replaced so, they're not a big deal. The rusted out sill on the passenger side though, the only fix is to cut out the rust and replace it with new metal.

I'm not clear what's up with the passenger side read fender.

For a $700 beater, I'm not sure I'd spend much fixing it up. I might wire brush the sill rust off, paint it with POR15, fill the hole with expandable foam then shape and top-coat it with undercoating to hide the foam. You'd have to wire brush the driver's side to see how far the cancer has spread.
 
#6 ·
I used wired brush to see how deep the rust is, and from my knowledge I don’t think it is that bad. Now I don’t really know where to go from there.
 

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#7 ·
It looks to me like someone has already tried to repair it once. The layer under the paint looks like bondo. You could just continue repairing it like that. Heap up some bondo into the hole then shape it to look like the panel and move on.

I consider all this rust to be serious. I don't live up north though. To me any perforation of the body sheet metal makes it a terminal case.

This would be a fun car to practice welding skills on.
 
#10 ·
BIG UPDATE. I asked my girlfriends dad for some help and we did a great job using wire brush and taking ALL THE RUST off everything (besides side skirt). However i used lots of rust reformer and undercoat on the side skirt and around it to get as much rust as i could covered. After that we used lots of fiberglass sheets to fill up the hole and make it ready for some bondo. The car will be basically “rust free” for a while and i don’t mind at all to keep repairing it every once in a while.
I didn’t get the chance to get any pictures today because there’s a huge thunderstorm coming, but I covered the car and i will keep updating you guys. Thanks for the support!!!
 

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#8 ·
yeah that looks like pretty much a lost cause to me without serious fab skills, only to realize the entire body is shot with rust inside and out. If it's already that bad in those spots, it's that bad in others, you just can't see it yet. Nothing you do is going to last, so I wouldn't spend money on it. The front fenders and bumpers could be replaced easy enough, but even the back could be replaced too with enough money and the right shop.
 
#11 ·
I really don’t mind constantly repairing the car. I’m sure i’m going to find a shell at some point so this is one of my least worries. It definitely looks like a lost cause that would cost lots of money, but i’m getting ready for the worst and getting rid of these rust spots to make the car look cleaner is annoying but it’s also pretty enjoyable. Also isn’t that what every project car is all about? Always improving?

It’s an honor to have you on my post btw HAHA
 
#12 ·
I know i will. That doesn’t really bother me, but yeah that’s the problem with living up north. This car has a whole history behind it but all i know is that the old owner was a Vietnamese dude and that the car spend a long time in Connecticut then in Jersey, so you already know how bad this thing is lol
 
#13 · (Edited)
Have any shots of the underside?

I've got a bunch of nasty surface rust all over everything, including all front and rear suspension.

There are a few spots here and there on the underside of the body, but most of it is on the suspension pieces. So, I have to drop the entire rear end and sand blast it, as well as both sides of the front. I'll be chasing rust forever as well, it's like cancer, it doesn't stop after it starts. But as long as it doesn't turn into rot then there is hope. Rot has to be cut away and depending how prevalent it is will determine if your vehicles body is feasibly salvageable.

From what I've read POR-15 isn't that effective and/or requires perfect application in order for it to not bubble back through.

It probably has its uses, like quick or short-termed fixes, but it seems like most serious restoration guys despise the stuff, especially if it needs to be grinded back off (something I wouldn't want to breath in).

Another option I've been reading about is a "cold galvanizing compound", but it requires more prep and skill to apply correctly. ZRC is the only product I read about so far.
 
#17 ·
I did not have a chance to check underneath, my jack stands are coming next week and i will definitely post some pictures. IF it's as bad as i think it is i will try to get a welder, however my plan is to clean everything with brake cleaner, use some rust reformer and use lots of undercoat. No big deal.
 
#15 ·
From what I've read POR-15 isn't that effective and/or requires perfect application in order for it to not bubble back through.
It's not going to work over oily parts. POR-15 is as close to liquid powder coating as you can get but there are some caviats.

1 - It doesn't like the sun. You have to top coat if its going to be exposed to the sun.

2 - You don't paint over oily stuff.

3 - It's not high temperature. It's not good near exhausts or on top of the car where the sheet metal hits high temps from the sun.

If you have sheet metal that's rusted through or the rust has penetrated if, the POR-15 can stop the rust on top but it won't stop the rust on the other side of the sheet metal. This guys sill for example, rusted out from the inside out as did his driver's side rear fender. You can coat over that but when the underlying metal rots out from the inside, the POR-15 coating will go with it.

I used it in my trunk. I had surface rust on the inside on the sides of the trunk below the carpet. I coated it 2-3 years ago and it's still clean and rust free. It was only rusting on the side of the metal I painted though.

The problem with rust is once it's gone though, you need to get it all out before it'll (mostly) stay gone. I had some rust on the leading edge of my hood. It was smaller than a dime. I cleaned it out and the hole and rust got bigger and bigger. By the time I was done, I had a 6" wide strip of rusted out metal. I had to cut it all out and replace it.
 
#16 ·
Yeah I realize you have to scrape down to bare metal (well, I guess not too clean or it will peel off since the compound reacts with the rust), and it cannot just be "slathered" over the top layer, but I've seen some compelling evidence that it doesn't hold for more than a few years. There's always the possibility that these posts have been staged, but I myself am not a fan of the stuff. I mean for a quick spot here and there sure, but I've got some restoration to do and I certainly don't want to do it twice, and also have to grind that stuff off to boot. It's super toxic.
 
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