time to attack is here

jvandyke

jvandyke

True Classic
Okay, I have to address rust issues. Yesterday I opened the front trunk and that seam bead along the underside of the front of the trunk lid fell off. Yikes. I have horrible rust on the right front fender and spots on door edges and such. I knew this when I bought the car, it's a commuter, not a show piece....so I tell myself.
Anyway.
Plan is to bite the bullet grind the rust away, fill, prime top coat with supposed color match and live with it and keep driving, someday I can "do it right". I'm having a hard time moving from "decent looking with rust spots" to "not so good looking but rust at bay".
There's a mental switch over there somewhere ya know? I'll get over it. Since I've owned the thing I've attacked all the rust I can with removing, treating (POR 15, Naval Jelly) toping with primer all this in 'unseen areas" floors, rear trunk pockets anywhere I saw "brown", in the name of "preservation for the future" I know there's no stopping the worm but I hope I can slow it way down.
 
Go here...

http://www.midwest-bayless.com/stor...Detail.aspx?sid=1&sfid=208227&c=0&i=250925701

Then why not take the car to a local ONE DAY paint center...

Most have some $399.00 specials and if you do most of the body work, you can have something you will not be embarrassed about as a DAILY DRIVER.

Our friend Rudy here did so with his last BLUE car and MANAGED the work they did. I think he spent probably about $1000 in paint AND bodywork but they did what would have normally been a $3000 dollar paint job. Seems that THEY cared about doing a good job because he SHOWED that he cared about them doing a good job. Anyway... it worked!

His car was absolutely beautiful and flawless in its paint and body. Here is a quick foto...

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5535/011pb.jpg

Oh... BTW... Black Tooth looks pretty good in this shot also... that's a ten year old $400 paint job...
 
!

It's really surprising how well you can paint enamel or urethane auto paint using a brush. You can use one of those little tiny rollers or one of those foam paint brushes.

As I've said before, you can also buy the little spray cans with screw-on glass jar on the bottom. Fill with paint, screw on the aerosol top part, instant spray can!
 
I've used the little aersol ones before and yes, it worked well. I guess I was just fishing for a confidence boost. Snow flies soon and the X will be driven as far into it as I dare, and I dare. Rust will have a field day with this thing on our salted roads, poor baby. I want it as protected as can be.
 
Started in on it. The worst spot anyway. Popped off the rusty "cap" with my finger nail. Used a grinding stone with my Dremel to grind down. Revealing a nice hole. Smothered in a rust convertor. I'm going to just throw some bondo in there and prime. Then go buy something like this
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-angle-grinder-91222.html
and go to town on all the bubbles, repeat the process; rust convertor, prime, bondo, prime, top coat, clear. Won't look great but the rust will be slowed down for the time being and I'll sleep better at night. I've only ever dabbled in body work, fixing one little spot on one car and it worked out alright. If I can do a good enough job to "get by" for a while, I can do it all proper in a few years.
 
That's pretty much what I've done with mine - quite a few small rust areas that I didn't want spreading any further. Perhaps I'll do a more professional overall finish job DTR, but for now it's working for me!
 
I already feel better about the one spot I did, just sitting with raw bondo on it at the moment and ugly as sin but it's not rust and it's not a hole.
 
rust proofing

Can you take a pic of the rust and it's location on the car? I have been doing body work on my new x shell for a month or so. I have it 85% media blasted. I recemend welding instead of bondo though if you have a MIG or TIG.
 
bill said:
Can you take a pic of the rust and it's location on the car? I have been doing body work on my new x shell for a month or so. I have it 85% media blasted. I recemend welding instead of bondo though if you have a MIG or TIG.
Click to expand...

Also an option (if you can't get your hands on a welder or don't feel confident using one) would be a metal to metal bond adhesive. I did this for a quarter panel and it worked REALLY well. I did run a small weld but for the most part it was better than 90% adhesive.

IMG_4472.jpg


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IMG_4488.JPG





Image014.jpg


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Best pic I have (tended to avoid that side), this was taken early in the spring, since then it had worsened exponentially. I don't weld (yet) so it's filler for now.

fenderrust.jpg


Weird place for rust no? Car was tagged in this corner so it had been worked on before, door fitment, headlight pod fit are both off, door is pretty bad. One thing at a time.
Did I mention it runs great and is really fun to drive?

Another shot, whole album actually.
http://gallery.me.com/jvandyke#100322/0319001124a&bgcolor=black
 
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I like J.B. Weld as well...

Used it first after cleaning out the rust area, works really well for filling small holes. File it down and filler over top to smooth. And if you can reach the back side of the repair, smooth some over that area too, then paint or undercoating.

You can also get a tube of "spot putty". Pre-mixed filler, works great for air holes and deeper sanding marks in the bondo. Hand-held rubber sanding blocks to keep it flat/straight and easy on your hands.
 
Black-Tooth said:
... or PHOTOSHOP!

HA!

Good work!
Click to expand...

Thanks Tony :) - I work with Photoshop daily but not on those pics :italia:

I will add in regards to JB Weld or any other metal bond; they are FAR more superior than traditional welds for preventing rust as welding introduces oxygen to the metal that could increase the risk of future corrosion. but the bonding "glue" (lack of a better term) does not.

BUT...they are not meant for repair on structual areas. You could argue I miss used it but with a uni-body car it gets tricky. If/when I use it again, I will be sure to follow the original seem points best I can.
 
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