DIY: rust removal
wagodizzle
Council Member and EDM expert
I got this DIY off the old forum, it’s a knowledge several of us could use..haha. credits go to HondaRcB .....so anywho
Supplies:
Fiberglass Sheets
Fiberglass Resin (Gel)
Bondo
Electric Sander
Something to mix and apply bondo with
Scissors to cut fiberglass sheets
Aluminum Angle Iron
Screws
Die Grinder
Tyvek Suit
Gloves
Goggles
Respirator
Note: Fiberglass will get everywhere when sanded: in your skin, lungs, eyes- be careful.
Before we start here's an assestment of the amount of rust we're dealing with:
Step 1: Cut off all rust with the die grinder. Be sure to leave no remaining elements of rust as it will quickly spread. Here's my dad taking his turn with the grinder.
Step 2: After this we made a cardboard template of the quarter panel from the other side of the car and made a fiberglass over lay of it. We then put some resin on the bare metal and attached the fiberglass template to the car. We used this to guide us as where to add more fiberglass. Sorry no pic as of now.
Step 3: Apply resin over the fiberglass overlay. Place cut fiberglass sheet onto the resin and proceed to cover the sheet with more resin. Allow to dry 30 minutes or so depending on the temperature.
Step 4: Trim the fiberglass and sand to create a gap between the door and quarter panel.
Step 5: Since we had to remove so much metal we cut this aluminum angle iron to form to the arch of the wheel well. We attached it to pieces of the inner fender well with sheet metal screws. This adds stregnth and allows you to create a lip for a stock like appearence. We also screwed parts of the fiberglass to this before using the body filler.
Step 6: Apply resin to now-dried fiberglass and on the metal lip created in Step 5. Apply the fiberglass sheets on top of the resin and coat with more resin. Again, allow to dry.
Step 7: After the resin has dried apply body filler over the fiberglass. After filler has dried, sand and repeat applying filler until desired smoothness is achieved.
That's about where we ran out of time today. I'm back at school this week but will be coming home to work on it some more this coming weekend. I'm pretty happy with how things are going so far. We have some more body filling to do and sanding before priming and getting some paint on it. We have a little bit of rust to take care of on the other side of the car along with some around the rear window wiper and some around the windshield. Then we're going to take care of some dents and fill in the antenna holes, paint the trim and bumpers, and decide what we're going to do for paint. So far not a bad weekend for trial bodywork.
Supplies:
Fiberglass Sheets
Fiberglass Resin (Gel)
Bondo
Electric Sander
Something to mix and apply bondo with
Scissors to cut fiberglass sheets
Aluminum Angle Iron
Screws
Die Grinder
Tyvek Suit
Gloves
Goggles
Respirator
Note: Fiberglass will get everywhere when sanded: in your skin, lungs, eyes- be careful.
Before we start here's an assestment of the amount of rust we're dealing with:
Step 1: Cut off all rust with the die grinder. Be sure to leave no remaining elements of rust as it will quickly spread. Here's my dad taking his turn with the grinder.
Step 2: After this we made a cardboard template of the quarter panel from the other side of the car and made a fiberglass over lay of it. We then put some resin on the bare metal and attached the fiberglass template to the car. We used this to guide us as where to add more fiberglass. Sorry no pic as of now.
Step 3: Apply resin over the fiberglass overlay. Place cut fiberglass sheet onto the resin and proceed to cover the sheet with more resin. Allow to dry 30 minutes or so depending on the temperature.
Step 4: Trim the fiberglass and sand to create a gap between the door and quarter panel.
Step 5: Since we had to remove so much metal we cut this aluminum angle iron to form to the arch of the wheel well. We attached it to pieces of the inner fender well with sheet metal screws. This adds stregnth and allows you to create a lip for a stock like appearence. We also screwed parts of the fiberglass to this before using the body filler.
Step 6: Apply resin to now-dried fiberglass and on the metal lip created in Step 5. Apply the fiberglass sheets on top of the resin and coat with more resin. Again, allow to dry.
Step 7: After the resin has dried apply body filler over the fiberglass. After filler has dried, sand and repeat applying filler until desired smoothness is achieved.
That's about where we ran out of time today. I'm back at school this week but will be coming home to work on it some more this coming weekend. I'm pretty happy with how things are going so far. We have some more body filling to do and sanding before priming and getting some paint on it. We have a little bit of rust to take care of on the other side of the car along with some around the rear window wiper and some around the windshield. Then we're going to take care of some dents and fill in the antenna holes, paint the trim and bumpers, and decide what we're going to do for paint. So far not a bad weekend for trial bodywork.
Comments
Not to put your job down, but we are doing it right. Cut out all the old rust & WELD IN NEW METAL. Cover the metal with fiberglass and bondo to get shape. We are using 2 spare FRONT fenders and welding those into the rears. It works surpisingly well. If you use fiberglass & bondo without any metal backing... you will be doing that repair again. It's just a matter of time. Again, i don't want to sound like a dick, but i guess i do.
Be of luck on your restoration, I HATE RUST IN ANY FORM. Glad to see that you are taking the time and care in fixing it.
If you don't put new metal in then basicly you are sacrificing safety for ???.
The wells i'm not so concerned about but the sills and floorpan are extremely structural and integral to the safety of the vehicle.
You have to draw the line at somepoint as to where you say 'is this really worth doing, because i might just drive 2000kms to buy a southern rust free wagon' those words have been said many many many times by me.
I've officially hi-jacked this thread. me = jerk.
no hard feels, i didn't write this
but yea, you made a few good points. so you used front fenders cut and welded to the rear quarters?? i will be getting a second wagon project this coming summer and it needs a full out restoration. rust = :twisted: i can't express how much i hate rust :x a well wutever
Gee Quarters, at first I thought it was you posting this thread.
I think the original poster is doing what he can with the knowledge he has. I myself am a big fan of bondo. :P
Cheers !!
P.S. I don't think you're a jerk. :twisted:
the Right/Front fender cut to fit the Left/Rear and Left/Front cut to fit the Right/Rear works quite well.
The reason we did this was because NOBODY makes a replacement panel other than Honda. and they want A LOT of money per side.
There is still going to need to be a fairly substantial layer of bondo over top the metal due to the metal shrinking back from the welding. We hammered/grinded the weld as best we could to smooth. but of course, bondo is involved. But if you look at absolutely ANY classic car restoration, the car is almost entirely covered in a layer of bondo. It's only when you start to use bondo without a metal backing that it won't last. Bondo over metal will last a long time. My restoration is almost done and there will be lots of pics.
and if you want to see some real artistry, see if you can find anybody still leading cars instead of using plastic fillers like bondo.
what did you do to preserve structural integrity along the sills?
yes, I agree that it would be optimal to use as much metal as possible to repair the rusted sections.
I may need to put the wagon down for a bit til I get the body fixed