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What to do for this rust repair?

5K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Cloudy 
#1 ·
Okay, I got the doors off my truck and have started working on them. The previous owner had put some stainless steel lower door guards on, which of course traps water. Overall it's not as bad as I feared and nothing is rusted thru other than the corner areas (where the inner and outer panels almost touch). I know I need to cut those areas out and weld in some patches but my question is for the rest of the lower part. I have wired wheeled and stripped the area and am left with these pock mark areas that the rust was on the top of. None of it goes thru and it is all very solid.

How do I keep this area from rusting thru/bubbling down the road? Should I use "some" product on it and then prime or just clean as good as I can and epoxy prime it? I realize after I get the metal treated/sealed I will need to use some filler to smooth it all. I would hate to think I would have to replace the whole lower part of the door for metal that is in better shape than some I have worked with in the past. Thoughts, ideas, pointers? Here's some pics.

This is what the area looked like after removing the "door protector"



Wired wheeled and stripped (other door)



 
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#2 ·
Ok, I have repaired these types before and there is no easy way of saying that you really need a patch panel.
You can make it yourself if it is not offered, but I don't know of any vehicle that was in mass production that they are not offered for at this time.
The reason for the patch panel is because the metal on the inside will be just as rusty as outside. You will also need to gain access to the inner door shell to clean and seal it from further rust.
The only good way of repairing rust areas is to cut away to clean metal.
I found a product that works great at killing rust in conjunction with POR15 to seal it off. I use a product call RUST CURE in a gallon jug. It's green like Ospho, but 100 times better. I have sugar blasted cars and coated with this product and left them raw metal inside my shop for a year without any surface rust coming back. I live in the Gulf Coast region and if it was not a good product, it would show quickly.
If you don't want to redo this again, cut it out and spot weld in a new panel. To keep from warping your door stagger your plug welds and let cool after each one. A little more time, but will save a ton of body filler repairs to this area. If you can get some welding clay, that would be a better plus. If you want to go high tech, you can panel bond to the upper portion and spot weld the corners. This would be my preferred method.
Good luck!
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the detailed reply.

Actually the inside of the door is in perfect shape, outside of the corners (which you can't see from the inside. I had checked this out before buying this truck as I knew rust was a problem in these areas. Cutting off and redoing the outer skin in the corner areas would give me access to the inner part that is rusted.

The biggest reason I would like to not have to do the whole lower panel is most of the patch panels are very lightweight compared to original metal. I have done a few patch panels in the past and the quality sucks and they seem to warp much easier than the orignal steel.

I'll see if I can track down some Rust Cure. I'll at least cut out the outer corner skin and see what I am working with.

Thanks again.
 
#4 ·
I did some work last night by cutting away the outer corners to see what I had to work with. I really think this is not all that bad. The inside of the panels are really clean and solid. Keep in mind, this was rusting from the OUTSIDE in, not the inside out. Basically the whole lower door had a panel that slid on over the outside of the door skin and was rivited on. The water that started this rust was trapped between this stainless steel panel and the outer door panel.

Here are some pics of what was cut and the area underneith





The thinest area that would be the inside rear corner. I would cut this and replace this "doubled" area



This is the front drain hole and is just thin right around the edge area



Keep in mind this will be a nice driver, not a show truck. It just seems like keeping good ol' USA steel would be perferred over import stuff, at least what I have worked with in the past.

Thoughts and ideas still welcomed and wanted. Thanks!!!
 
#5 ·
After realizing that no matter how carefully I welded my patches I was going to still have warpage, I started gluing my patches with Lord Fuzor Panel bonding adhesive. I don't regret it a bit. Poeple are telling me that I will see some kind of a line on the panels when they get hot but I don't think that it will be that obvious. I takes days off of some repair times for a noob like me. I just cut out the bad metal, bend a new peice, flange it, test fit, screw it, then take it off and glue it and screw it. 4 hours later it's done amd move on. :thumbup:
 
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