Rust pitting repair

[Happyfunballs]

You have a few options:
-Spot sandblast the pitted area.
-Grind it off and fill it
-Cut it out and weld in new

Whatever you do, eliminate the rust.

A professional bodyshop, in the interest of time and money and depending on the severity, would grind it out and fill it.

[Jim Nilsen]

POR 15 when done properly will stop the pits from bothering you for many years. Do both sides to be certain and follow the directions exactly. POR putty or simple a/b epoxy will fill the pits with no problem.

If you have the skills to patch it with new metal you will have a btter fitting fender than if you buy a repro and it might cost less in the end even if you paid a pro to fix it.


Jim Nilsen

[JoshStratton]

I started grinding it down and I am afraid it may be too much. If I keep going I may pop through in a few spots. I know I will have to patch one part of it, but I would prefer to limit the amount of patches I need to put in.

I thought about the POR15. I was going to use it for the pan and anywhere the sun don't shine, but I was not sure of the outside of the car. I have never used it under putty or paint. What are the possible threats to my fender by doing it that way?

...I just looked at their site. Were you talking about the PorPatch or using the STRAIGHTLINE and RestoGrip solution? That might actually be a usable solution.

[Milow68]

I would not use POR15 under any kinda putty!!!
Some of the pits could be welded over (the little pits, one quick shot with the Mig, not a steady bead).
Cutting out and patch is a very good way to deal with it.
Definately sand blast!! or you will see the rust again.

Just the old .02
Brad

[JoshStratton]

POR supposedly has a putty system that is formulated to be used over the POR15. It is supposed to be pretty good....hmmmmm

I almost want to try it just to see what happens.

[JoshStratton]

I told my wife I might be making a trip to the body shop and she suggested something I had not thought of. Since I grounded the bulk of it down, she suggested using the dremmel to clean/scrape out the holes that still exist, and then fill them in. Anyone done this one? How did it work out?

[JoshStratton]

I figured I would give you all an update. I decided I would be a 'guinea pig' for the StraightLine POR15 product....after all, with every new product, someone has to be the first to try it. I will just get a new panel if this doesn't work.

So far, this is what I have done:
-Cut out part of the rusted panel and welded in a new piece
-Grind off all paint/rust
-Use Dremmel with grinding cone to 'dig' rust out of small pits
-Clean with MarineClean
-Apply MetalReady non-stop for 45 minutes
-Clean metal with water
-Apply POR15 as directed
-Wait 24 hours, sand POR15 and apply some more
-Wait 24 hours and scuff POR15 up with 300 grit sand paper
-Apply the StraightLine filler as directed and sand smooth
***This is where I am currently. I have my (hopefully) last coat (on my 3rd) of StraighLine currently drying. Tomorrow I will sand it and see how we are doing. So far, it sands very well and adheres very well...so far. We will see what happens when I spray the primer down. If it peels off of the car we can consider it a failure.

I am not that experienced with fillers, but I hear you are most likely to see your failures during the priming process. POR15 says that the StraightLine is 100% guaranteed and is the "best filler you will ever use" and it is supposedly formulated for going over POR15, so we will see how that goes.