i have a wheel well iam working on. it had some rust bubbles that when i grinded down turn into small holes.quater size if that. i dont know hot to weld so thats out of the question.the inner sheet metal is still inplace and ingood shape as well. i sprayed that with rust inhibiter as best i could.using somthing to fill the hole till i get some bondo, would that work ?

also i keep on getting bubbles in anything i put on this one area.nothing big but the longer the primer stays on the biget the bubbles get. any idea ?

thanks,
george

 

Short term that will work. But be warned this is a known trouble area for fords - just because the *outside* off the inner panel looks okay, doesn't mean it's okay on the *inside* where you cannot see it. I recently cut off the rust and welded on patch panels, and you would not believe the crap I found lodged between the inner fender liner and the outer fender, right at the wheel well arch.

Pine needles, dead bugs, a couple of wing nuts, acorns, fur (?) etc. All off the organic matter retains moisture and sits right at the seams inside. And guess what - it rusts.

You're going to keep getting bubbles until you disable the rust. Cutting it off and replacing it with new metal is the best method to use. Replacing it with fiberglass is probably a close second. You don't need to weld to do fiberglass work, however I think it's more difficult. I've not had good luck with fiberglass in the past. Maybe you would fare better.

You can try to "inject" a product like POR15 or Ospho into the holes you made, trying to disable the rust, then bondo the holes closed, but ultimately that's going to pull apart and fail. Maybe it will buy you some time.

here is how I fixed my bed... if you're interested.

Patch panel welded on:


Primed:



Painted:



And honestly, it wasn't too bad as far as work. Not including taking the bed on and off, I was able to cut the rust out, weld in the patch panels, grind the welding beads, skim with bondo and in about 7 hours. After everything was nice and smooth, I primed the entire outside of the bed which took maybe 30-45 minutes, then I painted after that which took longer of course.

I am not a professional welder. All it takes is practice.

 

Unless it is an epoxy primer, it will absorb water causing more rust. Most rattle cans are not epoxy. To keep it from coming back, you need to make sure you get all of the rust out, front and back, then treat with a rust inhibiter.

Since you don't have access to a welder, fiberglass bondo would be a better option than regular bondo. When finished, seal everything, front and back with a good epoxey primer, then topcoat.

Frederic, you beat me to it...and nice work on your truck.

 

thanks guys for the tips. i did clean out as much stuff between the outer and inner fender .mine was filled with sand and dirt and yarn ?? dont ask where that came from.ive heard of drilling holes in the inner fender to allow stuff like this to fall out. is this an option ?

thanks

 

One thing that works good if you just want to make it look good, and not fix the problem is this. Sand off the rust and bubbles until the "wound" is flush with the body. Fill the hole with "great stuff" insulation foam. Its an aerosol can, you just spray it in there, and it expands out. Let the foam harden, then cut off the excess foam, and sand it down until it is smooth with the body. Paint over it. It is a quick fix just to make it look better, but like I said it isn't really fixing anything, it's just hiding it!

 

well i went to the body shop today and got the rite stuff. i got glasstron body filler, said this is better then bondo and some fiber glass cloth and resin for the patches.

i cut out all the rust,sprayed mar hyde rust inhibiter on the inside of body pannel (where i could get to) and then start with the cloth. the cloth is easy but messy.
i do have a question about it though. i got to set of directions with the kit.one on the box and one on the paper work. i followed the paper work one and after im done i read the box and the box said to use two layers of cloth, and the paper work said one, which i went by. the thing is, when you use two you do it at the same time, would it be ok to add on another layer or will it not bond rite ?

thanks for hte help. ill post a before shot here in a few.

george

 

dont do that it just will give you a bigger headach. dumb

 

this is your best option try some kittiehair its fiberglass bondo stong ****.

 

well i got it all patched with fiber glass resin and cloth,filled with glasstron body filler and sanded down. still have some low spots take care of.trying to get all this doen with showers in the forcast...if i spray primer on, is it ok in the elements ? reason i ask is iam working outside and the i need the truck to drive.

here a pic of the fender before i started the work. sorry for the color ofthe pic, hit the wrong button.