Rust repair ... Need I say more?

[MoparKid]

I need advice for fixing some rust holes on my 69 dart the worst of it is by the taillight benzels a quarter sized hole on by the rear window (right by the tip above the trunk lid), holes at the bottom of both doors. I was wondering what would be the best way to fix these the toughest ones for me would be the window and tailight holes.  I was thinking just using body filler and bondo on the doors but I don't know *bites nails* also I want to take off the side trim and I was reading an article from car craft on filling the body holes with body solder (http://www.carcraft.com/howto/3065/) would you guys reccomend trying that for a newbie like me.  lemme know. 

[azz7772]

best way is cut them out and weld in new

[fourspeed]

Weld in a patch. Anything else I know of is just a temporary cosmetic fix. Welding may sound intimidating, but it's not that tough.

[Jim_Lusk]

Welding is the best fix, but twenty years ago I took the fenders off my 68 GTS and sand blasted the lower portion behind the wheel opening. It turned to swiss cheese in a hurry, but it got rid of all the rust. I got some fiberglass mat and fiberglass body repair (instead of plastic filler). That rust has never come back. I did the same thing on the rocker panel, but obviously I could not get the inside. That rust has returned, but not that bad. I will have the rockers cut out next time, but I'm hoping to replace the fenders.

[MoparKid]

I would weld a new piece but its in an awkward spot almost touching the trim/weatherstripping of the back window heres a picture for your viewing pleasure 

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[abodyjoe]

best bet on the trim holes is to weld the and cool them quick with air ..... then carefully grind them and make sure you don't get it too hot...






  as far as the rust by the window goes... cut it out and weld patches in...

[Jim_Lusk]

The back window is going to have to come out to fix that. Joe's pictures show the best way to fix it.

[1967dart406]

NEW METAL AND LOTS OF PATIENCE
GOING TO START THE SAME SPART ON MINE IN ABOUT A MONTH TO A MONTH AND A HALF

[azz7772]

you can get a glass company to remove your window for you safley then you look like you will need new trim clips you can get brand new ones on ebay. i just got some they are great for about 10 bucks.

[MoparKid]

    Awesome!! That helps a lot joe, but where did you get that patch? Also one more thing I ask for advice on this hole..

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[Bakaruda]

That is a good looking patch.

[Jim_Lusk]

I think Joe got the patch pieces from a donor car. You'll need one for that area by the tail light, too. Remove the light and bumper along with the black rubber piece (two screws) between the top of the bumper and the body. You'll need to see how far the rust really goes.

[MoparKid]

Donor car.. 

[demon340v]

wow that's some nice work there joe.  someday i'll get to that level of doing my own metal work like that

[Jim_Lusk]

Kid, yes Donor car. There are still some here in the valley. Prices may not be cheap, but the stuff is out there.

[sweatybetty]

best bet on the trim holes is to weld the and cool them quick with air ..... then carefully grind them and make sure you don't get it too hot...






  as far as the rust by the window goes... cut it out and weld patches in...

abodiejoe, nice job

[Halfaed]

And to think he sold that car Just pickin joe!

[abodyjoe]

but where did you get that patch?

  i cut them out of a junker...  you can rent a cordless saw zaw and goto the yard ..  there were quite a few in the yards in this area...


  on your taillight area i would do the same thing...   infact i had a small spot of rust in that area of mine and i ended up going to the yard and cutting it out...  its not really that hard to do..  just take your time and fit the pieces properly...


   here you go.. here are tons of pictures of the metal work we did on the car.. maybe they can help you out..   http://www.abodyjoe.com/pictures/dart/

[abodyjoe]

And to think he sold that car Just pickin joe!

  gee thanks Halfaed .....  ..

[jet-taz]

what are you going to do with the trim you removed? i might be interested in them. jet-taz

[b569rr]

Welcome to the wonderful car hobby of fixing old cars. Have a game plan and don't get frustrated. Things will happen slow. At 17 years you're probably not loaded with money. Before you start you will need some tools like a welder. If you don't have one find a freind with one or I can steer you towards affordable ones.  An $80  4.5" grinder with .045" disks and a steady hand is all you need for cutting at home.

Don't be overwhelmed by welding or cutting. Most of these old cars need some rust removed (unless you live in Washington state) . The people on this board and myself can walk you through it.

It is going to be difficult doing this kind of work to your daily driver. You may want to find a cheap car for transportation. When I was 17 I had a tired '69 442 that I used to play with. I found a reliable '74 4 dr Dart for $300. You won't have to worry about getting the Dart drivable for the next trip to work / school. This makes for rush jobs which can result in mistakes and possible safety issues. I still make mistakes with the car in the shop. I guess these cars are Civics now but I don't buy foreign cars and Darts / Aspens are not $300 anymore.

When I got my first job at 16 my dad told me to buy a tool everypay period. Take car of them and most should last a lifetime. I don't think my dad cared for me misplacing his tools once in a while. But he was right. I am 37 today and still have most of those old tools. This was great advice.

Back to the original question, I'm not a body man but tried glass on my Olds. Remembering back I think it is alot easier welding in replacement metal than glassing. All looked good on my patches but I got bubbling a couple years later. Working outside in Seattle rain didn't give me the best bodyshop environment at 18 years old.

Tom

[MoparKid]

Alright I decided to do a TEMPORARY FIX and see how it works out I know some of you may scoff at me, but my hole didnt turn out as bad as I thought and not even on the same level as joes.  I decided to try using fiberglass and these are the results, I'm going to let them cure overnight and attempt to make them pretty tmw.  If your wondering what the random spots are I wanted to see how far the bondo went .  Also I gotta try and figure out how im going to get that line back that was covered with fiberglass . And when I get to it Jet-Taz ill let them go for cheap if you still want them and i'll get you some pics as well.

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[allblknblue]

It looks awesome for a temp fix.  Just take a spray can to it so no one knows 

Does anyone know why the rear window is such a popular place for rust? Did they put all the trim on it or something before painting it in the factory?? I don't see why this spot would let rust in any more than any other spot? Does water get under the trim and just soak? I don't think theres bondo back there on my 69 but it does look like its been massaged.  I really want to avoid this in the future. 

[Jim_Lusk]

Jennie, that is a spot where water tends to just sit if left outside in the rain.

[DJVCuda]

all that work and he sells the car..... 

[MoparKid]

All of the darts ive worked on had vinyl roofs, I don't know if anything trim related was different on non vinyl roofs but the little gutters always dumps the water in that spot so thats my guess. 

[sr71mopar]

And most important is the beer