

| Subject: | Re: Fixin' Rot Holes |
| Date: | Mon, 24 Apr 1995 11:14:04 -0300 |
>Friends;
>
> Ramona has rot-holes on both of her rear quarters, on the corners.
How big are the holes? larger than say 2-3" and you should consider having
metal brazed/welded in.
You need to sand/wirebrush/hammer off loose rust and the nearby
paint to get fresh/shiney metal exposed. Do this well, then degrease with
paint thinner. Paint the surface with rust paint, POR 15 sounds great BTW.
Apply body filler, long strand type with chopped up fibreglass bits in it.
It is best to indent/dimple in the surface around the rust hole so that the
bondo sits well and you can sand it smooth/flush into the metal surface. A
plastic 'paddle' or spatula makes spreading bondo out easier. Get the
backside area clean too, this helps bond the patch on both sides. You can do
larger holes with metal mesh backing, held in place with sheet metal
screws/pop rivets.
Once the long strand filler is hard, sand and shape the area until
is looks/feels correct. Your fingertips will tell you a lot about how well
you are doing. You can remove screws now if they are too high. Apply regular
bondo to fill in pocks/scratches and resand for 'final' shape. Apply primer,
sand down with 400 grit paper then reprimer and final coat.
This is cosmetic fix, not structural, so if your battery tray is
rusting out with the rear corners this won't strengthen it much. Same for
fibreglass patch repairs. Water is the enemy in either case, if it gets
behind the metal mesh or FG or the bondo it will start rusting again and
fall off. Paint seals the outer surface, so primer/paint then undercoat the
inner side too. There is a Haynes Autobody repair manual, worth looking at
for info.
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