[JOgo]

Hi I am compleatly new to this. I just bought my first car and want to do as much as possible myself.

My question:
Which types of rust gt which type of treatment. I have one hole by the gas pedal that needs to be professionally fixed. I have bubble rust around the fenders and the passenger side door, and I have some soft spots near the base of the passengers side door. What things can be sanded down? What things need to be replaced with fabricated pieces of sheet metal? When do I need to go to the body shop? Once it is sanded, then what do I do? What kind of sheet metal should I use?

HELP!

The car is in such great shape, but I just want to get it to as perfect as possible, but I just don't know where to start.

 

[slider in wa]

Any holes through medal should have the souronding area cut out and replaced. Small bubbles will have pitting under them . You`ll not know when you sand them down.It is important to get all of the rust removed or it will just come back. On pitted areas i have used a sand blaster/ media blaster to take away the surface rust. When you are down to bare metal it should be wiped clean with a solvent and primered, until you go to the body shop. Not being able to see your rust , you will have to depend on the body shop guy to help you make the call on replacements.
Contact the Halloween king on the site. He seems to the the go to guy here for body and paint.Besides he likes his chev engines orange and black. (true Harley colors)
Hope this is a starting point for you. Keep us informed will ya?
Slider in Wa.

 

[JOgo]

thanks slider!

 

[JOgo]

I'll defeniatly keep you guys updated.

What kind of sand paper should I use?

 

[Lightspeed]

i like 220 grit, but don't go any rougher than that on sheetmetal.

 

[bullheimer]

if that is your car i would leave it alone as long as possible, once you start sanding the first thing to go is obviously the paint, then you have to get rid of all the rust no matter what that takes, some small holes can be filled, but that means it squishes out the other side so it holds. you dont want to have to see it. some small holes can be welded shut, like screw holes. you can not weld rust. once you start to fix your car it sounds like it will be all primer before long. you either have to live with the bubbles for now or buy a grinder, small one is about 80-90 for a dewalt, and find some paddle pads for it, they are the only way to go, they have like 20 little flaps instead of one solid flat peice of stone. maybe they're called flap wheels i forget.

 

[[email protected]]

try "Dear Rust" or "To any Rust it may Concern".

 

[TurboS10]

Originally posted by Lightspeed:
<strong>i like 220 grit, but don't go any rougher than that on sheetmetal.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I have to strongly disagree. I use 36 when I can find it. This give the primer something to really hang on to. If you are scared of marring it too badly, use 80. I would not every use less than 120 if you are going to bare metal. Anything less and the metal is left pretty slick.
Just my .02.

Chris

 

[BstMech]

Right on Turbo, I've seen my brother use 36 grit more often than not on rust.

 

[mmetalman]

I repair autobody rust for a living. Holes must be cut out and new metal welded in for a lasting fix along with any areas that are so thin that they are soft. I do not sandblast sheetmetal because it hardens it too much making it easier to crack in any stressful areas, also it can take more good metal off in the surrounding area, weakening it. The sand doesn't care if its rust or not. A much better proven way is to wirebrush or wirewheel the areato remove loose rust, blow or wipe it off and sray or brush a layer of Rust Destoyer on it (http://www.rust007.com/html/body_rust_destroyer.htm), let it dry for a few days, sand it down and putty & paint it. It kills the rust and acts as a primer for almost any paint. I've done cars with this stuff 12 yrs ago that still have not returned any rust bubbling so I know it works better than its 5yr warrantee. It rains here alot too, not a single come-back on any of my rust repair.

 

[62PTCruiser]

I agree with MMetalman. Media blasting removes good metal too. Plus, most people will reuse the media on different metals. Steel or alunimium particals left in the media, on certian metals, will cause dissimmilar metal corrotion. Nasty stuff that only shows up after you've painted and think everything's allright. Use a good insulator for electrolyte ie primer.(por 15 seams to be good too) For galvanic corrotion to form, it's got to have and electrolyte (water most of the time) If you seal it, it won't come.

Spoonie

 

[JOgo]

O.K. Putty, is that bondo? Could you explain the putty thing a bit more?

 

[62PTCruiser]

Use a metal to metal filler.
Checkout http://www.eastwoodcompanyURL.com

 

[62PTCruiser]

Oops. Didn't work.

Search for Eastwood. They've go all kinds of fun stuff.

 

[slider]

This one will;

<a href="http://www.eastwoodcompany.com/" target="_blank">http://www.eastwoodcompany.com/</a>

Good stuff. Some's a little pricey is all.