lower door rust--how to fix?

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July 05, 2008, 09:33:37 AM

O.k., this is something im sure we all need info on. Bodyshop guys, what would you do?

I'm wondering what is the best way to deal with rust on the lower seam on doors. Not working on the dart right now, but my dakota and my girls ram both have rust on the bottom edge id like to fix. Its only in an area about 6-8" long and about 1/2 to 3/4" high on both vehicles, but the outer and inside frame have it bad enough i think is going to require more work than im thinking to fix it. Whats the easiest way to tackle this?

--chad

new doors from wreckers?. Cut, grind, weld in patches which ever is easier to you

We talking show car good or just good enuff? I can see that folding of the outer skin over the inner can be a pain. The easiest way to do any patches for us non body people is to place the patch under/behind the cut out area. So you made the patch a 1/4" wider/longer then the cut out area and just weld it (lots of little tack welds) and fill with bondo to level it off. Works really well on small area's. So I'd cut out all the rust area's, get to good metal, make an inner patch weld it in. For the outer do the same and butt weld it to the inner on the bottom, so you don't have to deal with folding it over the inner. It's pretty easy to add a little curve to the outer panel to match the body lines.

Either that of make your own patches the match the cut out area's and butt weld.

I was just hoping there would be some "miracle" stuff i could use on it to fix it, but yes, i guess it will prob have to be cut out and fixed right making alot more work than i want. But it has to be done, so i guess i will tackle it. Im actually thinking of blasting the area and see wahts left of it, it might make for a little less work---we'll see. Just getting tired of something that looks real good except for those little spots and the damn rust stains that form after a while on the other panels.

--chad

There is the expandable foam spray, they sell at home repair stores. Trim it down and fill with bondo.

Quote from: rumblefish on January 06, 2006, 01:35:10 AM

www.por15.com

I'm going to use their system on my '83 Imperial. The spots on the lower door and quarter are small enough that I can't really justify cutting the panel and replacing it. I'm using the standard POR-15 on the rusted areas and then using their Resto-Grip filler which is a fiber reinforced filler that is formulated to bond to the POR-15 coating. For the final filler, I'm just going to use a standard off-the-shelf light-weight filler due to the cost of POR-15's Straightline body filler. I've read on a few forums and webpages where they used POR-15, RestoGrip, and then a regular filler with good results.

I did the cheapo version of this last year with my old daily driver that had holes in the trunk. I coated both sides of the metal with POR-15 and then used good 'ol Bondo fiberglass over it and then a topcoat. It looked the same after a year on a car that sat outside with a bad trunk seal. I think that the key to success with POR-15 is making sure that you prep/clean the metal very well before application. That, and don't let any moisture make its way into the POR-15 coating because from what I understand a drop of sweat, water, or whatever falls into the can will ruin it.