rusting issues

[dok]

its got the cancer. i need advice on how to handle this. i dont have the money to take it to a body shop. the car itself is past 100k and a lot of it is city driving. how much would it cost if i took it to a shop? can i make decent repairs myself to stop the rusting?

here are the problem areas. any advice is greatly appreciated.

http://imgur.com/et42F.jpg

http://imgur.com/9PCXF.jpg

http://imgur.com/W3wCn.jpg

[redkneck]

Doesn't look all that bad. Sand it and spray it, you can stop it from getting worse for sure. Find yourself a small shop that will give you a good cash price for a little spray time.

[PhatRoyale]

Your second and third pics don't show up properly.

The metal in the first picture is rusted all the way through judging by all the flaking and bubbling. It's pretty bad.

Your only option at this point would be to cut out the rusty section and weld in new metal to prevent it from spreading any further.

[dok]

Originally Posted by PhatRoyale

Your second and third pics don't show up properly.

The metal in the first picture is rusted all the way through judging by all the flaking and bubbling. It's pretty bad.

Your only option at this point would be to cut out the rusty section and weld in new metal to prevent it from spreading any further.

ill try to get on it asap and see how far it's spread. fun times. thanks.

[morgant]

I've done some rust repair on my '01 Corolla (not to mention numerous Tercels) and the best thing I've found for preventing the rust from spreading even after you "fix" the problem areas is to use POR-15. They have an inexpensive starter kit which contains everything you need to do the job (and that little can goes a long way).

Basically, you grind away as much of the rust as possible (I tend to just use a wire brush wheel on a cordless drill, but that one wheel arch might need to be attacked with a grinder as well), then there's a two-step prep process (a detergent, rinsed w/water and let dry, then an etching agent, also rinsed with water and let dry), then two coats of the POR-15. Spray on your primer while the POR-15 is still slightly tacky for it to actually adhere. A lengthy process, but it loves to adhere to rust, so you don't have to worry about getting perfectly bare metal, esp. if you can coat both sides of the surface w/POR-15.

In the past I always got down to clean metal and did bondo & primer, but it seemed to rust out exponentially faster. With the POR-15 I've never had a patch rust out again, so it's well worth the extra work.

[fishexpo101]

+1 on the POR-15 products. Best stuff that I've used so far in automotive and marine applications. Apply as directed and it will really control existing corrosion and prevent it from spreading further. Actually seems to work better if there is some corrosion on the surface being worked on (not flaky rust, stable rust).

Bare metal (grind down or cut off and replace) + metal prep (chemical etch) + correct primer would be better for most instances - but the POR-15 is pretty close to goof-proof and easier to work with.

[pchalpin]

I can only see the rust in the first picture. If it is indeed all the way through, prepare the area as stated above, and fill any missing metal with JB WELD STICK. Back up the area with a piece of screen, apply the JBWS. The stuff is great. Sets up in three minutes, so good planning on the amout needed for an area is critical. No runs. You can then file it/grind it to the final contour, POR15, paint and it's better than new.