joshh44

what is the fastest cheapest way to fix rust?
i dont own a welder but i have some rust wholes by the driver side and alittle bit on the passenger side.
im thinking of cutting it out. spraying it down with rust paint.
and riviting sheet metal. and on the joints and rivits, cover it up with some of that black seam filler stuff they have on the seams of the car or something to that effect anyways, something to cover up the means and rivits really, and then spraying over top of that with rust paint. would that work? its going to be covered up anyways so your not going to see it. ill do the same process on the back side(under the car) as well.

i dont own a welder. but im thinking of something i can do Fast and fairly cheap and also something that really easy. and by far i think this is very easy to do. sheet metal i can get a ton of for dirt cheap. i have hundreds of rivits and a rivit gun. and i already got 5 cans of rust paint and rust primer. i got the tools to cut out the rusty areas and i got 1 sheet of 12" x 18" sheet metal. that is plenty for the driver side and maybe alittle bit for the passenger side. all i would have to get is some of tht seam filler or whatever type of stuff. soemthing to keep water from going threw the rivits and seams.

Saber

iTrader: (2)

As long as almost all of the prep work is done by you, paying someone to weld in new pans, or sheet metal is not too expensive. If you have small holes however and are not looking to get it welded in you can rivet in shetmetal. Over the winter break while i was home for school i laid down new carpet and patched some rather large holes, i however need new floorpans and this is a temporary fix. I would highly encourage getting the metal welded in so you dont have any problems with leaks way down the road, But my patches turned out rather good and i think they can last a long time. Altogether i temporarily patched one big hole(about 12x10) and about 5 small ones untill i can get the money for a new floorpan this summer.

Cost me
20 bucks on seam sealer
5 bucks on rivets
30 bucks roughly on sheetmetal
35 bucks on POR-15

This summer however i will be getting a new floorpan and getting these patches all welded in. I was getting a quote for patching all my holes before i realized i needed new pans as i was originally going to have them welded in but he said my pans were so bad he might keep blowing through the metal since they were so thin after grinding rust down. I was quoted 200$ to do all that work with welding, and 115$ to have him patch and rivet metal in, i opted to patch and rivet myself and save up for new pans.

jamon8

iTrader: (3)

get some panel bonder from 3m or the cheaper alternative that I use alot is the plastic welder stuff you can get at wally world

its way better than riviting

F41eatsFords

I used roofing tar to fill in the seams on mine. Another thing I did before that which my HS shop teacher suggested was to used some of that spray-in insulator you can get at Home Depot to help seal it. after i patched, I undercoated my entire underside, but what you're thinking should be good enough, as long as the holes aren't too big and don't interfere with the pinch weld.

SinthetikIroc

iTrader: (1)

I would buy borrow or rent a MIG welder. Then cut out the bad spot and patch it with a donor peice. Instead of getting a new floorpan just have somebody cut a peice out of a junk car that has a solid floor. Lay patch over hole and scribe the patch from underneath the car. Trim the patch to fit as tightly as possible them tack it in. It is a very easy task. MIG welder is also very simple. You should be able to practice for about 10 mins and get the hang out of it good enough to patch the floor yourself. Once the welds are cooled and ground down. Put some seam sealer and coat with your choice of coating.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

use the "Pimp my Ride" method, just bondo over it

L.I.N.Y.92CAMARO

FIBERGLASS IT! Easiest way and actually a very good way to fix/stop/prevent rust if done correctly.

-LINY

joshh44

i have no idea how to fiberglass. it sounds like it would be a messy job.
and the rust areas are no bigger then maybe 3" long and maybe 5" wide max.
there just maybe 2 spots on the driver side that seem to got threw. and there is a bigger hole on the passenger side. ill see what i can do for that side.
and the holes for the rivits will be the smallest i can do with the rivits.
if it was for me to go that way.
roofing tar is a good idea. isit that torch on stuff? i could probably do that. just torch it up!
ill take a photo of that im talking about. most of it is just suface rust that isnt eally that deep. its pretty much use a wire brush gets rid of it.

driver side is just about done. just gotta do the area by the pedals.
i hate that show pimp my ride. watched it once. i thought it was lame tv show. tho they do have some good ideas and some kool tips. otherthen that. nah.
i like over hualin, or Pinks. thos be my only 2 good car shows.

back on topic.
i would weld it but to much finicking around. its a floor.its getting overed up. whos gunna see it? it can look like crap for all i care as long as its does its job :P i was thinking of just riviting it up. seat it up good. real good. both sides. and spray it up on both sides as well. fairly easy and simple. and i can do it in probably 5 - 10 mins. if i really wanted to i can always rent up a welder and weld everyyhing after riviting later down the road but i think this could be fine. i wasnt sure if it do its job. thats why i was asking.
and to get maybe other easy tips that i can do with out really welding.

i could always bolt it up. but that will be a pain.

2fast4u92z

I think he means DURAGLASS not fiberglass.

In general bondo is for large deep dents. However there are may different kinds of body fillers.

Say you have a floor pan to replace and there is a small say 1/4" overlay in the floor and the new pan. After welding you duraglass the lip edge.

I have seen a kid spend thousands on a flush firwall on a show truck. Only to find that that 2-3" of bondo doesn't hold up to well. Huge pieces fell into the motor bay. HAHA

92RS_Ttop

iTrader: (3)

If the rust hasn't eaten through yet, then there is no need to cut anything. You just need to wire-wheel it and then spray it with one of those rust-converting products and paint/undercoat it to seal it. That's what I'm doing in several spots under my car, although it does have some large rust holes as well. Those are getting cut out and new metal welded in.

What your suggesting for the holes will work. Yes, it will look horrible, like the half-a$$ed patch job that it is, but if you can live with it then go for it. It should hold up just fine. I would avoid roofing tar to seal it though, at least on the inside of the car. It doesn't "dry" and will eventually work its way through the padding and carpeting, giving you a nasty little stain on the carpeting. Your best bet to seal it would be to run a thin, say 1/8"-1/4" bead, of seam sealer or rtv around the edges of the hole, then rivet your patch in place on top of it. Then run another bead of sealant around the edge of the patch and use your finger or a putty knife to smooth it up against the edge of the patch. Just make sure you use something that will take paint well. Otherwise the paint will eventually chip off and you'll have rust starting again.

327_TPI_77_Maro

iTrader: (8)

Oh man PLEASE do not do a hack job w/ pop rivets and bondo. I'd rather see fiberglass w/ mat as a floor pan repair, than a nasty pop rivet job. Neither way is correct but one will look a whole lot worse.....

1991Camaroz28

when i was filling in the sunroof on my car i used sheet metal and JB weld. i had good results and no one can tell what i did. after you cut away the area you wanna cut your replacement panel to size. you want to have your sheet metal bigger than the opening so you can secure it easily. insert your panel on the inside of the body mix up enough jb weld and put it all around the area around the opening. i used self tapping screws cause they are quick. you could use rivits if you wanted. after i get the panel screwed in tight and even i let it dry. then grind down the heads on the screws or rivits so they are flush. after the jb weld has dried they wont come out and they are not really needed to hold the panel anymore. then you can use your body filler to smooth it out and make it look nice. take your time on the body filler because to get it to look nice you have to layer it and sand over and over to get your body lines to look like new. the bigger the area the more you have to work at it.

87 formy

LMAO, or you could use the "Unique Whips" method and throw a layer of dynomat over it

Would it really be a big deal to have a shop weld it for you though? I'd imagine if you have it all prepped and ready to go, they could just weld it up for you without any problems.

L.I.N.Y.92CAMARO

If your going to use any sort of Paint use the POR15 line of products even for the seam sealer... I've been using them for 10 years+ and have nothing but extremely positive things to say about them. Toughest paint I have ever used for any type of work. Only thing that even comes close is IMRON(SP?) Paint and that stuff is a mess working with and also has a hugeee drying time but that is also very tuff paint.

Wish You The Best With Your Project And Take It One Step At A Time... Thats The Only Way To Complete A Project With Great Results.

Good Luck,

-LINY

slow_90firebird

Just foam it in with that expanding aerosol foam. Let it harden and sand it, then paint.

SinthetikIroc

iTrader: (1)

...and people wonder why third gen's are looked down on.....

CamaroKid89RS

iTrader: (1)

Riveting will be fine. I am an airplane mechanic, and entire airplanes are held together by rivets. I don't have a welder either, and that is about the next best thing for amount of time/money spent. Gluing the panels together would work fine also. Just make sure you seal the seam somehow. Previous owner on my El Camino riveted a patch panel in on the floor pan but did not use seam sealer. How I discovered it was tearing up the carpet wondering why it was wet.

GTA50

The real consideration is ... what do you want to do with the car. If you're looking for a quick flip and don't care (a practice I don't condone) then do whatever is cheap, fast and easy. If, on the other hand, you want to keep the car and enjoy it, I think a number of previous posts have provided great advice. The only thing I would offer regarding rivets is that for the most part you are using aluminum rivets on steel. That in itself will create rust due to electrolysis between the different metals.

For myself, fine a floor pan and either learn how to weld, or have a shop tack it in for you (as was mentioned earlier).

joshh44

well its going to be mostly a strip car with very minimal street use.
its being covered up by some fabric anyways so i dont see what the big deal about that. and there is no way im replaying my floor pan for afew 4x4 rust spots. i found some really awesome stuff to seal it up. its an industeral type stuff. super heavy duty and it feels like a rubber once it cures. it really likes to be contact with metal. it wouldnt want to come off so ill use that. i was thinking of making a small bead around the hole. cut out big enough piece to cover it up. and then rivet. then seal it up on the edges and cover the rivits on both sides.
let it dry then bam. spray it with some rust paint on both side.
i have all the stuff to do it from the rivits to the paint. so i can do it tommorrow. im going to see if i can find a half decent mig welder. i found afew for $99 but that was on sale. so if i see one ill probably snag it up. i just dont have a welder at the moment and i dont want to rent one use it. and then have to go rent it again in a next few weeks. and then again in afew more weeks after that.
im just short on cash to buy a welder. got to many bills to pay!
my camera is shot. the lens doesnt want to open when you turn it on. its a pain! time to get a new camera to to many things i need to get!!! and with so much money. good thing i dont smoke or drink. i wouldnt be able to do what im doing to my car in the 1st place lol

anyways i may have afew photos of the floorpan so you guys can see how bad it is. it really isnt that bad in the 1st place.driver side is 90% complete. i just got to fix afew rusty spots and it should be done for the driver side.

jamon8

iTrader: (3)

you know what I like about the senior members on these boards- most of them dont like to rig stuff

If you want us to endorse riviting sheet metal maybe you should try some hillbilly 4x4 truck forum

do what you want but in all the years that I have tried to put it together half a$$ed it always backfired on me

DO IT RIGHT!!!!!!