RUST....recommendations

[bass_boy]

Hi folks... well my ae86 is pretty good as far as rust goes.. none in the doors, none in the hatch, none under he rear bar and none in the windscreen... the only spot on the car that is an issue is (see pics) under the plastic strip on the pax rear qtr...

now ive never dealt with rust before so would like some pointers on the best way of going about treating it...


cheers in advance. james.

[fixeruperer]

weigh up the cost differance from replacing panles and fixing the ones you have.
rust is like cancer the shit spreads and if you dont get all of it, it will come back.

[Z2TT]

Hi,

If it's just surface rust, you should be able to sand it off and spray over, but by the looks of that picture, the panel is rusted through.

Remove the plastic strip so you can work in the area, the rust has gone under the paint so chip the paint off to see the extent on the damage, so you know what to repair.

You'll need to remove the rust, then use car body filler to fill the gaps, the quality of car body fillers varies so you'll have to do your research. If you have not worked with car body filler before, remember that once you apply the hardening agent, you dont have much time to work with the material.

After you have applied the car body filler give it time to fully dry, then you can begin sanding it. Check your paint code and get the same paint as your car, Holts is a good brand.

Car body filler would be like $20, Paint - $10 or $15. Total about $30.

For that price you could get a replacement panel, but it pays off to fix the rust yourself and get some experience.

If you just want the rust to be gone and don't have time to fix it yourself, just get a replacement panel.

[frostyadonis]

if the rest of the shell is beaten up then fix it yourself.

if the shells straight as a die, then you may want to consider a professional repair

in some cases a 20 cent piece size of rust can uncover an A4 sheet size of rust

how far from springvale do you live or work, theres a couple of viet panelshops (next to the train station) that aren't of the come in spinner variety.

Z2TT. suggested a replacment panel, but i dont think he realised that its the rear quarter panel (not removable, unless you drill out a million welds and cut the "b" piller through)

sheet metal is only 2mm thick so you'd be lucky if the rust was on the surface only.

if you use an angle grinder be careful not to go through the panel.

[Z2TT]

Hi,

Looks like replacement is not an option, First take the plastic strip off and examine the damage, then decide whether you want to fix it yourself or not.

[ian]

hi
from what i can make out it looks like the bog under the repair has got a lot of moisture in it
thats why it bubbles up like that
bog will not rust , but it will hold moisture that feeds rust
you have no option but to remove the bog and re do the job
as i have mentioned in other threads you can buy a glass base bog that does not hold moisture
most manufacturers of bog use talc as there base and resins and catylist as a binder , as you know talc absorbs moisture ,thats why we put it on babys bums

[Screamn_Sleeka]

Cant really tell whats going on with those pics, but i does look bad - also looks like a respray so you really have no idea whats under the rest of the car.

What ever you do, at some stage you will be working with bare metal, when this happens you need to use zinc phosphate treatment onto the steal. With out that rust will start up again (no matter how good the paint is). Ask at your auto shop for the product, there are a lot of different brands, some are called rust converter, dont worry about the name, grind off all the real rust and then use the product on the bare metal. When its done it should make the shinny (sanded) metal go dull grey (this is the colour of the metal before they paint them at the factory, where they use the same product).

Something else looks dodgy, bottom left of the pics. More rust i'd say.

[bass_boy]

hmm.. think i might get it to the panel beaters and see what they recommend... might put some of k-rudds $900 towards it.. stimulate the economy and all that....

thanks for the input

[ian]

where in vic are you
coz someone near you may be able to recommend you to a shop that wont rip you off
ian

[web]

whatever you do make sure ALL the rust is out before applying primer and then filler.

no filler straight to metal
no leaving pitted "cleanish" metal behind repairs
cut out more bad metal if you have to, it's the only way the repair will last.

remove interior panel there before taking it to the body shop, so they can get to the panel from both sides and apply proper treatment. Saves you a buck to DIY any required disassembly.

[Screamn_Sleeka]

If your going to pay some body shop, all this advice is in vain, they will F it up for sure.