Rust!!

rusty01 · May 30, 2012

So the rust on my truck has all but taken over. The whole truck frame is rusted with very little paint left (no holes though). It seems like the last 2 years have played hell on this truck's body and frame. Both rocker panels now have holes (they were still solid last year), rear door almost all the way through on the front lower corner, right cab corner rusted, left rear fender rusted through about 10-15" x 5" long hole, right rear fender rusted bad almost through. What should I do? To get it repaired would cost me damn near $4G! I just don't think it's worth dumping that kind of coin into this truck. My only conern is the rocker panels and water getting into the cab. What would you do or what do you reccommend I do at this point? Is there any "easy fix" to rusted out body panels?

Prokopchuk_9 · May 30, 2012

short answer to your question. no. their is not an easy fix for body work, do it right or do it again and again. its not cheap either. mine is getting some attention in 2 weeks. rock chips.

rusty01 · May 30, 2012

Well since the truck is only worth about $8k it's hard to dump $4k into knowing I will never recoup that cost.

TimmyG · May 30, 2012

Buy some replacment pannels and weld them in your self its not as hard as it seems

And use por 15 on the frame, it stops rust

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00Silverado4x4 · May 30, 2012

Vehicles are never going to be an investment that build true equity. So know it's going to be for you to decide if your vehilcle is worth (money, time & years left of ownership) repairing vs replacement. I'd fix my truck up in a heartbeat. It's paid off so $4k now vs paying out a new $YYY car payment for the next several years sounds VERY economical to me

jBlaze3000 · May 30, 2012

I remember watching a video in high school with a guy who grinded down the rust spots on his olds cutlass, then he drilled through the holes where it had rusted through (to make sure he got all the rust out I assume), then used Bondo in the gaps. He then sanded it, primed it and painted it with paint from the auto store. Looked good as new.

I used to have a 98 Dodge Dakota that started to rust along the bottom side panels. Although I never got the balls to do it I always wanted to sand over the rust and then do a 12" or so line of roll on bedliner on the bottom of the side panels. Not something I would ever do on a newer vehicle but I think with some tape and some patience I could have made it look pretty good.

asc08 · May 30, 2012

It really boils down to what you want to do. If you are looking for an 'excuse' to get a newer truck, there is nothing wrong with that.

Is it paid for? How does it run?

If you borrow $15,000 for a newer truck, for 4 years, that is somewhere around $350 per month, or $4,000 per year. So if you can get another year out of it, and be happy with it, I would get it fixed, keep it for another couple of years and trade it without holes rusted thru it.

As chevyboy said, if you are going to spend the money to get it fixed, get it fixed right!

spankrz · May 31, 2012

I remember watching a video in high school with a guy who grinded down the rust spots on his olds cutlass, then he drilled through the holes where it had rusted through (to make sure he got all the rust out I assume), then used Bondo in the gaps. He then sanded it, primed it and painted it with paint from the auto store. Looked good as new.

I used to have a 98 Dodge Dakota that started to rust along the bottom side panels. Although I never got the balls to do it I always wanted to sand over the rust and then do a 12" or so line of roll on bedliner on the bottom of the side panels. Not something I would ever do on a newer vehicle but I think with some tape and some patience I could have made it look pretty good.

i would hate to see what that cutlass looked like in 6 months

rusty01 · May 31, 2012

I am so torn! The truck does run good and I like it a lot. I know of a few people who do body work on the side that may be able to help me out and save me a few $$. I absolutly hate to see how bad my truck has gotten. Three years ago there wasn't a spot of rust on this thing. Gotta luv Michigan winters!

jBlaze3000 · May 31, 2012

I remember watching a video in high school with a guy who grinded down the rust spots on his olds cutlass, then he drilled through the holes where it had rusted through (to make sure he got all the rust out I assume), then used Bondo in the gaps. He then sanded it, primed it and painted it with paint from the auto store. Looked good as new.

I used to have a 98 Dodge Dakota that started to rust along the bottom side panels. Although I never got the balls to do it I always wanted to sand over the rust and then do a 12" or so line of roll on bedliner on the bottom of the side panels. Not something I would ever do on a newer vehicle but I think with some tape and some patience I could have made it look pretty good.

i would hate to see what that cutlass looked like in 6 months

So what's the right way to do it? Seemed like a pretty effective to me although I've never tried it:

-Grind off all rust

-Fill

-Sand

-Prime

-Paint

Also, I know a lot of people hear the word "Bondo" and think "Oh that stuff is junk" but in reality it's a good product if you know how to use it. The trick is to spread it on thin (1/8" or less) and the stuff will last forever.

j13smiley · May 31, 2012

sand blasting is better than grinding imo... it gets rust pits out with out removing good metal.

TimmyG · May 31, 2012

sand blasting is better than grinding imo... it gets rust pits out with out removing good metal.

each has there use, both can bulid up enough heat to warp the pannel id your not carefull.

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spankrz · June 1, 2012

I remember watching a video in high school with a guy who grinded down the rust spots on his olds cutlass, then he drilled through the holes where it had rusted through (to make sure he got all the rust out I assume), then used Bondo in the gaps. He then sanded it, primed it and painted it with paint from the auto store. Looked good as new.

I used to have a 98 Dodge Dakota that started to rust along the bottom side panels. Although I never got the balls to do it I always wanted to sand over the rust and then do a 12" or so line of roll on bedliner on the bottom of the side panels. Not something I would ever do on a newer vehicle but I think with some tape and some patience I could have made it look pretty good.

i would hate to see what that cutlass looked like in 6 months

So what's the right way to do it? Seemed like a pretty effective to me although I've never tried it:

-Grind off all rust

-Fill

-Sand

-Prime

-Paint

Also, I know a lot of people hear the word "Bondo" and think "Oh that stuff is junk" but in reality it's a good product if you know how to use it. The trick is to spread it on thin (1/8" or less) and the stuff will last forever.

i use bondo frequently, yes it is a good product.

however, from what i understand he is drilling a hole in the metal and then applying bondo over top of it. bad idea. also, if there is rust coming through a panel, it has eaten completely through from the other side (unless there was no paint and there is just surface rust). the only ways that i know of to fix this properly is to cut the affected area out and weld in a new peice of sheet metal, or to buy a replacement/patch panel and put it on (whether it is weld-on like a rocker or cab corner or bolt-on like a whole fender)

the main thing to remember is, bondo is a body filler, to fill in low spots. it is not a rust fixer or a hole filler. please please please nobody chime in and mention great stuff foam.......

00Silverado4x4 · June 1, 2012

I remember watching a video in high school with a guy who grinded down the rust spots on his olds cutlass, then he drilled through the holes where it had rusted through (to make sure he got all the rust out I assume), then used Bondo in the gaps. He then sanded it, primed it and painted it with paint from the auto store. Looked good as new.

I used to have a 98 Dodge Dakota that started to rust along the bottom side panels. Although I never got the balls to do it I always wanted to sand over the rust and then do a 12" or so line of roll on bedliner on the bottom of the side panels. Not something I would ever do on a newer vehicle but I think with some tape and some patience I could have made it look pretty good.

i would hate to see what that cutlass looked like in 6 months

So what's the right way to do it? Seemed like a pretty effective to me although I've never tried it:

-Grind off all rust

-Fill

-Sand

-Prime

-Paint

Also, I know a lot of people hear the word "Bondo" and think "Oh that stuff is junk" but in reality it's a good product if you know how to use it. The trick is to spread it on thin (1/8" or less) and the stuff will last forever.

i use bondo frequently, yes it is a good product.

however, from what i understand he is drilling a hole in the metal and then applying bondo over top of it. bad idea. also, if there is rust coming through a panel, it has eaten completely through from the other side (unless there was no paint and there is just surface rust). the only ways that i know of to fix this properly is to cut the affected area out and weld in a new peice of sheet metal, or to buy a replacement/patch panel and put it on (whether it is weld-on like a rocker or cab corner or bolt-on like a whole fender)

the main thing to remember is, bondo is a body filler, to fill in low spots. it is not a rust fixer or a hole filler. please please please nobody chime in and mention great stuff foam.......

Dang it...and I was just about to....