rust repair question

[VRTSid]

I did a search and I didnt find what I was looking for, or I didnt know that I had.

 

I just got a wagon, its in pretty great shape, but there is a little rust I'd like to take care of now rather than later.

 

Interior: the driver side floor has 2 decent size rust spots, but not terrible ones about 5"x5" and the other is in the nook of the front left foot well, looks about 7"x4". Is welding in panels the best/only way to repair this?

 

Exterior: 5 little pin holes of rust. Im sure its all around the hole but say about 1"x1" each. whats the suggestion for this?

 

I have 0 body work experience, I dont know how to weld, the terms I know are por15, bondo, fiberglass... so please be gentle :)

thanks

[Cruzn620]

personally, i would weld up the holes. i have the floor pans rusted OUT of my 620, and i am going to weld in new pans. from past experience, i have learned, the less bondo you can use, the better. I am no body expert, but i would rather take the time to weld in fillers than try to patch with fiberglass or bondo. i think there is a how-to on this site about how to repair a fender or something with fiberglass, and its a good write up...but i like metal on metal myself. what i would do first is actually see how bad these "spots" are. get a sander (or some paper) and sand the area down. on those 1"x1" holes, sand at least a 2"x2" area, till you get to good metal. then you can see how much you really need to remove. for body work you can get a pretty cheap welder and have great results since you are really only tacking things into place. let me know what you decide on doing with this, if you decide to weld it yourself, i can attempt to give you some pointers on that. good luck!!

[VRTSid]

thanks!

yeah this weekend if I have time is going to be exploratory sanding.

the holes on the roof are pin holes, but the area around the hole Im sure is rusty just not rusted through, or held together by paint :)

 

I think the floor is a weld situation for sure.

[hang_510]

if you can grind it off(interior) and its just surface rust, it should be ok w/ the POR. if it was a ca car its likely surface rust on the interior.

otherwise find a SD shop that will do the proper welding repairs for you.

 

even mine w/ bad seals, parked for 10 years, only had surface issues on the inside.

 

FG>bondo. now is a good time to learn.

im learning...that i hate body work! :fu:

[]2eDeYe]

You can also use a converter on that rust to stop it from spreading before treating it with POR15.

[hang_510]

2eDeYe;36245'']You can also use a converter on that rust to stop it from spreading before treating it with POR15.

 

oh yeah, i did that too, phosphoric acid (in many diff brands) turns the rust back to a solid that can be painted/POR15

[VRTSid]

the interior actually has holes through, the surface stuff wouldnt be that big of a worry and the area around the hole might just be surface, but I know I'll need to patch the hole.

[Cruzn620]

if you are going to work with bondo and need some good results, don't use bondo. now the bondo "gold" is good stuff, but i prefer to use RAGE body filler, and i learned that from my professional body shop friends. RAGE is quite a bit more expensive, and comes in an ugly purple can, but it is sooooo much better to work with. this weekend, do your exploritory sanding, post pictures of what you are dealing with...and we'll see if we can't come up with a really good game plan.

[Pacific coast Datsun]

Sid i can repair those areas for you. Been doing bodywork since high school, have a welder & tools. Hit me up on yahoo messenger or call me 619-723-6235.

[Cruzn620]

now THAT is what a forum is for!! way to step in there PACDAT!

[VRTSid]

really! thats awesome! I'll be hitting you up.