Fixing rust

How!

I did a small patch on a 1964 quarter panel today and made a photo walkthrough so I thought I'd share just in case you're interested. Half the guys here can probably do an even better job of this patchwork, but this is just a post to show the process. It can apply anywhere, and YOU can do it! This is how:

I used a cutoff wheel to expose the rottenness. Yuck!




A file to clean out the edges



then a red Scotch Brite to knock off the loose dirt and rust inside




wet with wax n grease remover and wipe clean with a rag



mask the outer panel and edges of the hole and apply a good coat of self etching primer



Now is time to make the patch



lay the cutout over some fresh metal



give it a shot of paint



cut out with a die grinder



match the contour of the patch to the repair area



tack weld it in place



slowly work your way around and keep the area cool to avoid excessive heat warpage



use a small screwdriver to keep the seam level as you go



finished weld, cooled and ready to grind down



get out the die grinder. Only grind the weld, and stop as soon as the edges are gone and its level. Go slow due to heat.



this is how it looks after that



then I use a purple Clean-n-Strip disc on another die grinder, across the cutoff wheel marks



finish off with a DA sander. I used 120 grit.



Looks fine! But theres kind of a dent there now. Not unusual. I dented the patch with my vise grips a little before welding    



so I got out the stud welder



it gives you a way to tug on the dent



attach the special slide hammer



gently thump it just enough to pull the dent out. Use several if needed, reuse if possible. Twist em off with side cutters when you're done.



Sand again



coat with the self etching primer. Further hammer work can follow if needed, and a thin coat of bodyfiller will take care of the rest!

 

CHOP...CUT.......REBUILD  
"We build Excitement"

........ hand me the bonesaw    

Not bad id.
Good post.  
Engine builder,self taught auto body guy.
Horsepower sells engines and torque wins races

Yes it is...We need to get you you're own show. Call it "I DRIVE JUNK and YOU CAN TOO", only kidding, you're helping alot of young dudes out, a picture tells a thousand words, or something like that. -T  
"We build Excitement"

+1!
Steve  
A little help... 'cause we don't all have to learn the hard way!

Thanks gents! One day I'll start on MY junk  

Excellent posting IDJ.. Body work was never one of my strong suits.. Posts like this show me how stuff can be done.  
Jim,

Great info, keep it coming. Yeomans  

Thanks, Pontiac Lovers.

Heres a link to the photo album for the whole frame-off body restoration project. It is over 200 pics now and growing every day. Plenty of this stuff to look at there.

http://s878.photobucket.com/albums/ab345/drivejunk/1964%20Chevy%20Impala%20SS%20restoration/

 

WOW!!!!!!!! Nice Work    

A belated thanks, Justin!  

If you are interested in seeing more, I have a couple blogs about metal repair now. Find them at these web addresses:

http://idrivejunk.blogspot.com/

http://idrivejunk-silverford.blogspot.com/

Some of my friends here have expressed more curiosity about repairing rust in hard to reach areas. There has been much discussion but I have some more examples I want to share with all, so I thought I would bring this thread to the front again with additional info since its already here and sticky. I get to do this type of stuff quite a bit. This repair is on a current job, but there has been much water under that bridge and I have many informative examples to show. If you have a specific request, speak up. Hopefully some of you can apply the concepts shown here to your own pride and joys and by all means ...

If you have pics to share of a rust repair you have made, feel free to pile 'em on for all to see. The big idea is to empower the Pontiac lovers here to tackle the tough spots and preserve their fine rides!

So we start-

This thing ('75 Br-ahem-onco) came back from the sandblaster with a few holes in it. The area we are focusing on is between the driver's lower door hinge and the back of the fender. It is a stiff, boxed structural area that holds the door hinge still. In this case, the boxed area filled with debris and could not drain properly. Rust ahoy!

So ... ignore the tape that says "finish?" on it, look at the one that says "fix". See all the little holes around it? Yeah, sorry, you'll need to scroll over to see, but I wanted to leave the pics large. Theres a link at to the photo album at the bottom of this post if you want to look there to see the pics better.



Yeah, thats rust. Lets hack it open with a cutoff tool and find out how bad:



Dang! Look at all that crud!



A short exploratory with a drill then spotweld cutter, wire brush, ice pick, and a shop vac reveals the ugly truth. This Bronco is actually a very nice specimen, but that is a hotspot for rot! The vertical panel on the left letting light through is the kick panel, on the other side. So theres a hole by the driver's left toe, where the floor kicks up.



Oh and then if you really stick your head in there, aw man look theres more. I can't even tell for sure what its supposed to look like. Fear not, I know exactly what I'm gonna do, watch ...



As shown in the debris pic above, I can take a cutoff wheel that I have used up on my guarded 3" tool, and mount it on my die grinder to reach tight spots like this. Then I used a sharp chisel after the tool. The angle at the top of the vertical rectangular hole is what the air tool access would allow. I removed minimal steel, but everything I left passed the ice pick stab test. Also shown in the debris pic is the butt of a purple 3M clean n strip disc which I also mounted on the die grinder for cleanup.



Then I whipped out the Eastwood Rust Encapsulator (not converter) and a paint brush. Stuffed it in everywhere. Second shot looks up and you can see the brace just above my cut. See the spotwelds too? Its totally boxed in right there. Trying to keep the repair small and cost effective here.




Went to lunch and let that dry. Came back and made the first patch. Just happened to have some leftover Bronco inner rocker from another job. This patch is painted on the backside with 3 coats of good black spray paint.



OK now I'll make a couple L shaped pieces to tie all this part back together ...



Look away! Bzzzzt ..... bzzzzzzttttt. Spark spark rattle rattle psst psst. OK you can look now. I welded it all up, ground the rough stuff just a little, drilled a DRAIN HOLE, cleaned it up and fogged it all heavily with spray paint. Fixed!




So- we are on the downstroke now- Make a patch, mark the factory spotweld locations... paint the backside then drill the plug weld holes. In the second pic you can also see where I drilled and plug welded one of those L braces in from the front side.



Tack it up there.



Yep that fits, go have a smoke or get a Coke and check back. I gotta do this part slow and keep the metal cool with my air hose between tack welds.



Slick as a whistle. Lemme grind that and slap some mud on it, then its primer time. And the end of this demonstration. Thank you all, and I hope I've passed the audition!



To view the pictures large and without narrative, go to:

http://photobucket.com/rustfixes  

Heres another fix, a quickie. Copying a post I made on another site. And theres more to come.

A picture is worth a thousand words ...







 

Nice job junk man.  
Engine builder,self taught auto body guy.
Horsepower sells engines and torque wins races

Man thats some fast weldin, I went to get a drink and came back and you had it all welded up already.  
"We build Excitement"