So i found a good sized rust hole on the Left side rocker panel, just beyond the door (2 door). 13 years old...i guess it was bound to happen sometime when it has lived in salt filled winters for the last 13 years. The paint is beginning to peel off the bopdy side and there is bare metal exposed. having had ZERO real world experience in rust repair, whats the best way to go about repairing this? It doesnt have to look perfect, i just need it to not have rust on the body...it bothers me. First car i have ever owned that had rust, let alone rust through the body. Can i cut around the hole, sand the surface rust, bondo, prime and paint? paint is black so i can match it with krylon or somethng.
2006 Honda Civic EX Sedan AT-Galaxy Grey Metallic Pearl, 37,000 miles,Loaded with everything except Leather and Nav, Tint-5% rear, 20% front, Calipers painted Subaru WR Blue, Ipod Integration, XenonDepot 4300K HID Conversion kit, Debadged, Optima Red-Top, No performance mods because its an auto, and its under warranty.
i've heard something about sanding, so i would probably say sand the surface rust prime it and paint it. But that's just me.
listening...i have the same problem...same spot.
really depends on the size of the rust hole... best off with a patch or some screen might work. when i had my lumina i riveted a piece of sheetmetal over the hole, and used bondo over it. then ground down the rivets, sanded the bondo, primed and painted. could hardly tell it was ever there. you need to be real careful with the bondo, not laying it on too thick or it will crack.
Did I mention I drive a 2000 Lumina now?-----wigm-tuners.org member
the hole is about the size of a stick of AXE deodorant, which means by the time i get done cutting it could be the size of a small box of kleenex. LOL.
hmm...screen huh? never thought of that. Im more worried about maintaining the original body line. It has to be a bondo repair as I have no access to a welder...
2006 Honda Civic EX Sedan AT-Galaxy Grey Metallic Pearl, 37,000 miles,Loaded with everything except Leather and Nav, Tint-5% rear, 20% front, Calipers painted Subaru WR Blue, Ipod Integration, XenonDepot 4300K HID Conversion kit, Debadged, Optima Red-Top, No performance mods because its an auto, and its under warranty.
Then take it to a body shop. The only rust repare that will last is cutting it out and welding new in. Covering it up will not stop the rust from spreading.
An option if there isnt a hole is a special paint called
POR-15. It's very good stuff, just follow the directions and you wont have a problem.
nope, no body shop. I paid $1,000 for this car, im not putting any serious money into it.
Im figuring i can cut the rust out, sand and prep the area, then bondo/screen the hole and sand....then paint to match.
2006 Honda Civic EX Sedan AT-Galaxy Grey Metallic Pearl, 37,000 miles,Loaded with everything except Leather and Nav, Tint-5% rear, 20% front, Calipers painted Subaru WR Blue, Ipod Integration, XenonDepot 4300K HID Conversion kit, Debadged, Optima Red-Top, No performance mods because its an auto, and its under warranty.
You'll regret trying to use body filler to do that repair - within the year for sure.
The best "low-buck" way I found to "fix" the rust hole was this:
1. Get some of the "rust converting" paint to work into the metal that's already rusted there. If possible, cut away any really loose stuff - it's not doing any good there anyway.
2. Get a small sheet of aluminum (not foil), and use snips to cut it to approximately the size you need. Try to keep the shape of it as rounded as possible (no sharp corners).
3. Put your new "patch" against the body and shape it to fit as closely as possible.
4. Drill several holes around the perimeter and pop-rivet it into place.
5. Clean the surface with thinner (lacquer thinner works great), allow to dry for at least 15 minutes, then spray over with paintable "rocker guard". Do this thinly for one coat, (allow to dry) and then apply a second coat extending out a way from the repair so that it blends in with the surrounding area. Make sure to concentrate around the edges of your patch to hide the lip of the aluminum, and the rivet heads.
6. Once this has dried adequately, spray the area with the correct color paint.
I did this on a car I bought at the end of high school, which i then drove for 3 years before scrapping it. I later found it waiting for the crusher (4 years later - 7 in total since repair), and the repair still looked as good as when I did it.
It certainly won't be "perfect", but it won't fall out within the year like the body filler will - and unless you're experienced with the filler, this will likely provide a better result.
After your repair has had some time to set-up (approx a month), try to get behind it and spray the area with a penetrating rust spray. This will help to keep the rust from spreading as quickly behind your repair. I spray my entire car every year - and so far no issues. Many others around here are looking a little rough around the edges in comparison.
Hope this helps...
John
it helps alot, thank you very much sir.
2006 Honda Civic EX Sedan AT-Galaxy Grey Metallic Pearl, 37,000 miles,Loaded with everything except Leather and Nav, Tint-5% rear, 20% front, Calipers painted Subaru WR Blue, Ipod Integration, XenonDepot 4300K HID Conversion kit, Debadged, Optima Red-Top, No performance mods because its an auto, and its under warranty.
The Sheet metal pop rivet is probably the best solution. But if you can also use fiberglass to form some harder to follow body lines. If you do use Bondo make sure it is spread real thin it will crack. I had an old beater that was starting to rust out and did the fiberglass/bondo repairs, held up good, ended up junking the car 2 years later, so I am not sure how long it lasted.
