"Bandit" (2bandit)
03/17/2014 at 19:32 • Filed to: Emma
1
18|
"Bandit" (2bandit)
03/17/2014 at 19:32 • Filed to: Emma | 1
| 18 |
I finally got the fender flare removed after days of pb blasting, wrench turning, torching, fiberglass melting, chiseling, and much cursing. This massive hole is what was on the other side. Luckily it's hidden but it still needs repaired. Edit: just realized there are more rust holes in the picture that I didn't see. Darn
jkm7680
> Bandit
03/17/2014 at 19:35 |
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Bondo? Or will you not bother with it.
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Bandit
> jkm7680
03/17/2014 at 19:37 |
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Probably not. I would like metal welded over it but I don't have a MIG welder and I refuse to do bodywork with an arc welder.
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Bandit
> jkm7680
03/17/2014 at 19:40 |
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I just remembered I could do a fiberglass patch like I did for some small holes in my floor. You can't see the damage so it might be an okay idea.
lone_liberal
> Bandit
03/17/2014 at 19:45 |
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One step up from Bondo is this stuff: http://www.amazon.com/USC-Metal-Fill… I haven't tried it, but if you do let me know. I also have an F-body full of tin worm and no MIG welder.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
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jkm7680
> Bandit
03/17/2014 at 19:53 |
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Yeah, A metal patch would be a good solution, Lots of grinding though.
JGrabowMSt
> Bandit
03/17/2014 at 19:53 |
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I'm waiting for a warm day to cover up a spot on my car. I was pointed in the direction of a fiberglas patch by a fellow oppo. Way cheaper, and considering how well it works, probably your best option.
https://mercedessource.com/store/make-me-…
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jkm7680
> Bandit
03/17/2014 at 19:54 |
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Yeah, I hear good things about fiberglass patches.
Takuro Spirit
> Bandit
03/17/2014 at 20:04 |
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Looks oddly familiar, HMMMMM......
Bird
> Bandit
03/17/2014 at 20:06 |
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Don't Bondo/fiberglass it!
Get a super cheap flux-wire welder from Harbor Freight, troll craigslist, whatever you gotta do, but don't patch with fiberglass. You might as well just leave the hole in that case. Bondo/fiberglass will make it rust faster than if you had done nothing at all. It will wick moisture from behind and make the paint lift.
And that hidden area is the perfect place to practice your welding...
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Bandit
> Bird
03/17/2014 at 20:13 |
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I glassed my floor and it is working really well, you just have to prep it correctly.
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Bird
> Bandit
03/17/2014 at 20:20 |
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I would still be worried...I've got a chevy pickup that needs lots of re-repair to previous fiberglass/bondo work. The paint looked good for about 2 years....but anywhere that moisture could get to the backside of the repair, it came through. and started to peel paint and rust from the inside out.
Thisnewformatisrubbish
> Bandit
03/17/2014 at 21:06 |
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Make friends with a guy who has a mig. Or pay someone like me. Friends are cheaper.
desertdog5051
> Bird
03/17/2014 at 23:07 |
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Rust is rust. You cannot stop it unless you go all the way back to virgin metal. Even then, in a wet, salty environment, it will continue to harass you.
Michael H
> Bird
03/19/2014 at 15:05 |
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If it's a ghetto repair or a beater simply worth doing right, then glassing will work in the short term. Your concerns about wicking moisture are valid, hit the back of the repair area with some bedliner or undercoating though and it will seal it up nicely.
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Bird
> Michael H
03/19/2014 at 15:48 |
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If it's worth doing with fiberglass, it's worth doing it out of metal. Who does short term bodywork? Why go to all the trouble of fiberglass that won't last more than a couple years? Even if you do spray the backside with bedliner, moisture can get in. Then you have to repair it again...
If it's 'ghetto' or a beater, why would you do bodywork in the first place?
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Michael H
> Bird
03/19/2014 at 16:04 |
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Let's say you've got a daily driver beater that runs good, but certainly isn't worth the time or money for proper rust repair and a paint job. Some glass and a quick spray costs less than a few hundred and can help you get a few more years out of your beater if you either live in a state/province that will fail your car's inspection for rust holes or you just want to take some pride in your beater for the 2-3 years it has left. I can do some glassing and shoot a fresh coat of single stage for less than $200-300 in just a few days, versus often months and thousands to do it right.
Sometimes you surprise yourself too, I recently ran in to a previously rusty work truck used to have and that I did a quick 'glass-and-shoot to 10 years ago and was shocked to find out it was not only still on the road, but that all the repairs still looked as good as the day I did them (and there was a LOT of f'ing fiberglass in that truck). The new owner got another 100k+ out of a truck that was ready for the scrap heap and I doubt I had $200 in to materials.
I'm totally with you on fixing things right, and fixing them with metal, but not everyone has access to a welder or the skills to do it. If your car only has another few years left and you want to glass it and spray it for $300 or less instead of spending thousands on bodywork and a professional spray, go nuts. If you love the car and want it to last forever, you're right, step away from the bondo and get yourself a welder and some steel.
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Bird
> Michael H
03/19/2014 at 16:20 |
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I can't say I've ever seen a repair hold up well enough to make it worth doing I guess. I didn't think about fiberglassing over rust to pass inspection...that's actually a little scary...
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Michael H
> Bird
03/19/2014 at 16:28 |
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If it's just a hole in a non-structural external panel, then why not. No worse than the rust hole was. The trouble with glassing is twofold, the first problem is that people expect a permanent, long lasting repair, and secondly most people who try a temporary glassing repair have neither the skill nor ambition to do it as properly as possible, which includes grinding out and treating ALL traces of rust, making the repair structurally sound using reinforcing material if needed, then properly sealing both sides of the repair.
Around here, rust won't stop you from getting an inspection unless it's severe and on a structural component, but in some parts of the country a tiny rust hole in the corner of a fender or some other non-critical, non-structural component is enough to fail the car come inspection time, which makes those beaters a perfect candidate for a little bit of fiberglass love.