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Rust! Running Boards

K

KennyT772

Veteran CEG'er
Joined
Jan 6, 2008
Messages
842
My 'tour has started rusting out on the drivers and passenger sides in front of the rear wheel well. The pinch weld is not signifiganly effected yet, and I want to make sure the car will not rot out from under me.

I'm planning to have the car repaired over the summer, if any of the vetran 'tour guys would be interested please contact me. Other than that is there anything I can do to prevent any further damage?
 
Its rusting in the bottom corners right before the wheel well. Right where the rear of a side skirt would be. Just something to fix.
 
Bet it would be to costly for the worth of the car. It's just going to come right back unless you completely cut out the cancer.
 
I have a big rusted out section in the same area, just before the rear wheel well on the driver side. I had two repair estimates, and both of them told me that, at over $1,000, it isn't worth it for this car. The proper repair entails getting a new rocker panel (which is integrated with the center pillar) and cutting off the center pillar, removing the rocker panel from the car, and welding in the new one. The rocker panel is a discontinued item, so you'll need to look around to find one. The bottom line is that it isn't worth it for these cars.

I'd like to know why this one area of the car is prone to rust.
 
Lou3 said:
I have a big rusted out section in the same area, just before the rear wheel well on the driver side. I had two repair estimates, and both of them told me that, at over $1,000, it isn't worth it for this car. The proper repair entails getting a new rocker panel (which is integrated with the center pillar) and cutting off the center pillar, removing the rocker panel from the car, and welding in the new one. The rocker panel is a discontinued item, so you'll need to look around to find one. The bottom line is that it isn't worth it for these cars.

I'd like to know why this one area of the car is prone to rust.
Click to expand...

don't know why i have holes in the same spots, but i found this that maybe some help.

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/bodywork.html
Repairing Rust


  1. Use a scraper, putty knife, or flat-head screw driver to scrap off the rust chips, scales, and paint flakes that are in the rusted area. Be sure to check both sides of the panel you are working to ensure that the panel has not rusted through. All loose rust must be removed from both sides. If you end up poking holes in the rusted out areas, the rusted out metal must be removed. If the panel did rust through, you will have to cut away the rotted-through metal. Using tin snips or a drill and a course file, remove about 1/8" to 1/4" of the metal around the hole so that there is solid metal surrounding it. Make sure that the edges aren't sticking out at all and use pliers to straighten out any kinks made by the tin snips. Be careful not the scratch up or nick the areas that still have good paint on them. If you just have a few pin holes, you don't need to cut-out the metal.
  2. Completely removing the rust from the metal surface is the most important step of body repair, unless you are using special paint that is designed to paint over rust (such as POR-15, which I recommend). If you are, follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Avoid "rust conversion" primers; they generally don't work. Otherwise, take a piece of 60 or 80 grit sandpaper or a wire brush (wire brush then sandpaper works the best) and clean up the metal areas that were exposed in step 1 (on both sides, if necessary). Sand until you see shiny metal and then scrap again with your scraper to ensure the metal is solid metal and not metal over the rust. Keep sanding and scraping until you are down to solid, shiny metal.
  3. Gently sand using a finer sandpaper (150 - 220 grit) and feather out into the good paint surrounding the affected area until you can see the spread of the layers of paint (bare metal-primer-color coat-clear coat).
  4. With a plastic brush, scrub and clean the area with soap and water and dry thoroughly. Dish washing detergent (such as Dawn) works well.
  5. If you are not using a special paint-over rust paint, you must use a rust remover compound to remove the rust from the pitted areas that can't be reached by sandpaper. There are easy to use gels such as "Naval Jelly" or powders that have to be mixed with water such as "Rust Raise". "Naval Jelly" or equivalent can be found at most auto parts stores and is easier to apply because it stays where you put it. Follow the instructions on the package and apply more than once until all of the visible rust is gone, but don't allow it to get onto the painted surfaces that you don't intend to repaint. Mask the area from the rest of the panel using masking tape and paper if you want to. "Naval Jelly" leaves a white powder on the metal after washing it off. Scrub this off with a plastic brush or sandpaper to see the metal below. Use clean 100 - 150 grit sandpaper between applications to make sure no rust is hiding beneath the surface. It is vital that all the rust be removed otherwise it will "crawl" underneath the new paint and you will be back to square one.
  6. When all rust has been removed, sand the surface one last time with a clean piece of 150 - 220 grit sandpaper and scrub and clean the area with soap and water and dry thoroughly. Use a heat gun or hair dryer to ensure the surface is completely dry, and allow the surface to cool for a few minutes. Don't wait too long before applying the first coat of primer because the bare metal begins reacting with the oxygen in the air immediately which starts the formation of rust.
Patching Holes

If you don't have any holes in your panel as the result of the above section, you can skip this section. Otherwise, this section will detail how to patch those holes. If you wish, you can apply a coat of primer before patching a hole. Please read the instructions on your patch kit to see if this is possible. If so, you may want to try using a rust conversion primer here instead of regular primer. I recommend using "Extend" spray-on rust conversion primer. See the First Priming section for more details.

  1. There are various ways that you can make patches. The most common way is to use a fiber glass patch kit which is available at most auto parts stores. I will not go into details on how to use the kit because the procedure can vary. Read the instructions on the package carefully. The patching almost always takes place on the back of the panel and there is usually little surface preparation necessary besides cleaning the surface with a light solvent such as alcohol. Be sure that the patch does not stick out the outside of the panel beyond the surface of the surrounding metal or you'll have a hump. Allow for sufficient curing time before proceeding.
  2. After patching the hole from behind, you'll need to fill the gap in to smooth out the surface. Proceed to the Filling Dents section to accomplish this.
Filling Dents

This section is used if there are any dents in the panel as the result of an impact, or patching holes as in the above section. If you wish, you can apply a coat of primer before filling the dents, unless you have already done so before patching holes. Please read the instructions on your body filler to see if this is possible. If so, you may want to try using a paint-over-rust primer here instead of regular primer. I don't recommend using spray-on rust conversion primers, such as "Extend". See the First Priming section for more details.

  1. If damage from an impact caused the metal to stick out from the original surface further than it should, these section need to be pushed in so that they don't stick out when filling takes place. A light "body hammer" or even a regular hammer and a wooden block will work to push the metal back some. You can always fill a gap with filler, but you can't shave away metal that is sticking out.
  2. There are a few different body fillers out there, but most of them are a polyester filler (such as "Bondo"). They're fairly easy to use, but require mixing (like epoxy) in order for it to cure. Read the instructions carefully. Apply the mixed filler to the dented area with a putty knife so that it extends out a bit from the surface of the panel and allow it to cure. Since "Bondo" uses a hardener, it does not matter how thick the Bondo is, the curing time will always be the same (as long as it's mixed correctly).
  3. Using 100-200 grit, sandpaper dry sand the filler until it is nearly flush with the surface of the panel, but be careful not to sand into the primer if you primed the surface first. A long straight edge, such as a framing square or level, is useful if the area being filled is quite large. Use progressively finer sandpaper as you near the surface of the panel so that the filler becomes smooth. Using 300 grit wet sandpaper, wet sand the area until the edge between the panel and the filler is smooth and the area of the filler is flat relative to the surface of the panel. If you have a flat, very sharp file, you can very carefully cut down any high spots. Otherwise use the sandpaper against a hard, wooden block to shave those spots down. If you used a paint-over-rust primer and accidentally sanded to bare metal, you can try to re-apply the primer, but it may cause the edges of the filler to flare up. If this happens, you'll need to sand them down again and the effectiveness of the primer may be inhibited.
  4. Once the filler is smooth and even, wipe the area down with a clean cloth and water and dry thoroughly.
  5. Small gaps or dents can be filled with "spot putty". Allow the putty to cure and wet sand it down with 300 grit sandpaper.
  6. Replace the masking, if necessary and proceed to the First Priming section (even if you have primed once already).
 
You guys should see my Escort, I'm starting to call it the "Rustscort."
My Mystique don't really have any yet, just a spot of paint pealing up on top of the pass. side underneath of the "dog leg" they call it. It is surface rust so it's saveable. My deck lid on the corner has a tiny little spot below the reflector. That part got repainted over and it came back through. Good luck on your rust, it is defiantly hard to get rid of. My blazer is getting bad it just got its first hole the other day.
 
Zetec_contour said:
you should see my rust holes,they're freaking HUGE!!!:help:
Click to expand...


Bet Ive got ya beat lol.
DSCN0339.jpg
 
weave2k0 said:
don't know why i have holes in the same spots, but i found this that maybe some help.

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/bodywork.html
Repairing Rust
Click to expand...
I found a few Web sites with similar information. It seems that this sort of rust repair is okay for small spots of rust that are just beginning. For more severe rust, it's usually inside the metal far beyond what shows on the outside. If you patch the rust hole, in a few months you'll likely have rust coming up around the edge of the patch. You'll need to keep going back to patch more. Some sites say that applying rust converter after grinding away the rust will keep it from coming back, but the auto body pros I asked said it doesn't work very well. The only real way to get rid of the rust is to replace the panel.
 
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