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rusted tailgate bondo ??

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Old Jan 23, 2008 | 07:31 PM
  #1  
whitebassbenny's Avatar
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rusted tailgate bondo ??

well the bottom of my tailgate had some problems last year so i took a grinder to it and was gonna fix it but then just got busy so i never got around to it. now there is some good rust and i wanted to fix it and fill in the missing areas with bondo then repaint it. so could i just use some or the rust paint i used for my frame to stop the rust then use bondo over it to fill in the holes then just repaint it?

or would that not work at all ? the area i need to fix is like half the bottom part of the pulled out area of the bottom of my tailgate so it's like a ~1".
 
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Old Jan 23, 2008 | 08:18 PM
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You will want to sandblast or grind out all of the rust and weld up all of the rust holes with new metal. Filler only works on clean bare metal and shouldnt be used to fill holes.
Just sandblast or grind out all rust
Weld up rust holes and smooth out welds
Apply filler sand smooth
Apply primer and paint
 
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Old Jan 23, 2008 | 09:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Ford150/428/dud
You will want to sandblast or grind out all of the rust and weld up all of the rust holes with new metal. Filler only works on clean bare metal and shouldnt be used to fill holes.
Just sandblast or grind out all rust
Weld up rust holes and smooth out welds
Apply filler sand smooth
Apply primer and paint
or you could just buy the $99 import gate from JC whitney spray it and be done...
 
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Old Jan 24, 2008 | 07:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Bern_F150_4x4
or you could just buy the $99 import gate from JC whitney spray it and be done...
Ya and replace it every few years.

Dud's got it right. Get rid of the rust, repair the holes and then use a filler for the final finish and paint.
 
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Old Jan 24, 2008 | 11:07 AM
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Another way is to do the rust removal. Shoot it with epoxy primer and then scratch that down and apply the bondo over the top of the primer. Then reseal, reprime, repaint, etc. Some of today's "bondo's" are made to go on top of primer.
 
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Old Jan 24, 2008 | 01:19 PM
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The epoxy primer is a good idea also, many epoxy primers take a long time to cure before they can be sanded easily. This is because they almost have a greasy coating to them that will clog up the sand paper, and when they cure they are hard as a rock. You should be fine with using like 80 grit on DA or die grinder to roughen up the surface before filler, making sure your filler is compatable with the epoxy primer "as mentioned previously".
It just depends on the extent of the rust and if it is fixable or unfixable. It may be easier to buy a new one or find a used one in better condition. Im not sure because i have never seen a aftermarket tail gait. I heared they are lower quality than the OEM.
 

Last edited by Ford150/428/dud; Jan 24, 2008 at 01:23 PM.
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Old Jan 24, 2008 | 01:23 PM
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I like the aftermarket tailgate my self and they make a fiberglass that mixes like body fillers and gets real hard, If your metal is separated? sounds like welding time
Jim
 
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Old Jan 24, 2008 | 04:41 PM
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dud gives you the correct recipe for success. The cheap tailgate is an alternative, but don't expect it to fit right or look right.

My $0.02,
 
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Old Jan 26, 2008 | 05:26 AM
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or you could buy an oem gate
 
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Old Feb 6, 2008 | 10:34 AM
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I'm looking for a tailgate too...And I think i might go to the junkyard and pick one out..It seems to me like the best bet...


Brad
 
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 10:12 PM
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well i painted it and its not all that bad. works enough for me.
 
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Old Feb 8, 2008 | 12:21 PM
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A strip of dimond plate will cover it up( out of sight out of mind)
 
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