Lead is the way to go .I have seen it done on tv but never tried it myself. Since I had the mig welder I filled the area with metal and grinded it into shape. I have been taking pictures through out the repair. When I get finished I will post the pictures.

 

Update--

I'm at the stage of getting some estimates to paint my whole truck (I can't bring myself to do it). I repaired the A pillar rust-through. It wasn't too bad. Unfortunately I found one high spot in the metal on the upper wheel arch I repaired. As I was banging it out I broke the welds along the lip of the wheel arch and cracked out some of the body filler. Obviously I didn't do a good job welding the lip of the wheel well to the lip of the inner well.

Here's what I did--I punched holes in the lip of the repair panel, clamped it to the lip of the inner well, and welded through the hole to bind them together. That didn't work. this time I drilled through both the repair panel lip and inner fender lip and tacked it but only on in a few places. Seems to be holding but is this the best way to do it before I go do that the rest of the way along the lip?

 

It should hold pretty well for you 77. What you're describing is similar to a plug weld and they do work pretty well. Did you put any stitches on the inside as well ? It will add some extra strength and hopefully you won't have those problems anymore. I saw that you mentioned the bondo gold, and you're right, it's crap. My favorite filler is Z-Grip, it's a bit more expensive but in the long run is worth it, it sands well, doesn't clog or pinhole near as much as some of the others. Unfortunately I am a bondo artist, and pretty handy with lead and anything that has to do with heat or flame. lol

The pics you were showing looked great though, working with fillers isn't as much of an art as it is patience and learning the media a bit. Kenseth made an excellent point about getting on your filler just before it gets completely set up, it'll make your shaping much easier in the long run, even if you do clog a bit of paper.

One trick that might help out a bit at first too when making the rough cut on your fillers is to use a cheese grater to start it off, then grab your favorite sandpaper, you're choice of beverage and a couple buddies to tell lies with while you work. Nothing makes for a better early evening in the garage.

 

Thanks, Indy. I've gotten better at it but I'm not sure I'll ever get good at it (not sure I even want to).

When you say "stitches on the inside" what exactly do you mean? Along the edge where the inner wheel well lip and outer lip meet? I planned on doing it once I did a few more "plug welds."

 

I am in the process of searching for someone to repair the rust on my quarter panels. I have patch panels but for the life of me can find anyone to weld them in for a reasonable price. Please Let me know how they held up! Thanks

 

I only had the truck a few years after the repair but it was holding up well when I sold it. My biggest problem was the metal around it got hot and warped, which caused me to have to use more filler than I had expected.

Hope the writeup here helps you out.