So, i failed my safety inspection for my car today due to a few rusted out holes on the 1/4 panel and under pssenger side door. The shop said he'll do the body work if i give him about $200. Since I didn't have $200 to spend on the spot, I told him that I'll try doing it myself. So off I went to canadian tire to look for fiberglass and puddy. Now, this is my first try at repairing such things so here's what I bought:

1) Fiberglass Mat
2) Bondo Cream Hardener
3) Bondo Body Filler
4) Plastic filler spreader
5) a small can of spray paint (colour matched w/ car)
6) 80 & 200+ grits of sand paper

Now, can anyone tell me what I'm missing? I have no idea if what I bought was correct... also, what is the basic steps to repairing a 2" X 6" hole? (I can't figure out how to fit the fiberglass over the hole while plastering over with the bondo... )

 

you gotta make sure you get ALL of the rust out or it will come back and bite you in the ***, Also, Fiberglass and bondo wont stick to the paint very well so make sure you give yourself a few inches on every side of the problem spot and take it down to bare metal... And I would primer it before painting it, Make sure you got a semi gloss paint...

 

I just did all of my body work with the things you said above but I did it the opposite way youre gonna do it.

I first used 2-3 layers of bondo filler to just fill in the rust holes I cut out. Sanded then pretty much flush with the body

Then mixed up a batch of resin ( I always use 2X the ammount of resin specified because it will drop if you try and place it vertical and this way it dries fast as hell.

Throw on a little resin and stick the mat where you want it. Then completely coat the mat. Itll dry pretty quick but may drip down so you may have to play with it.

I used 2 layers and I can punch it really hard with no flew at all.
After it dried I sanded it down with 60 grit to get a basic shape/smoothness. Then a 220 grit until you cant feel any bumps or layers where the body meets your fiberglass.

WEAR SHITTY CLOTHES!! You will get dirty and very high if you dont wear a mask or a towel or whatever

Good luck

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PIMPIN &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just did all of my body work with the things you said above but I did it the opposite way youre gonna do it.

I first used 2-3 layers of bondo filler to just fill in the rust holes I cut out. Sanded then pretty much flush with the body

Then mixed up a batch of resin ( I always use 2X the ammount of resin specified because it will drop if you try and place it vertical and this way it dries fast as hell.

Throw on a little resin and stick the mat where you want it. Then completely coat the mat. Itll dry pretty quick but may drip down so you may have to play with it.

I used 2 layers and I can punch it really hard with no flew at all.
After it dried I sanded it down with 60 grit to get a basic shape/smoothness. Then a 220 grit until you cant feel any bumps or layers where the body meets your fiberglass.

WEAR SHITTY CLOTHES!! You will get dirty and very high if you dont wear a mask or a towel or whatever

Good luck</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks man, that's some good info
Now I feel confident

 

update:
-sand papered all affected surfaces to bare metal (approx 2hrs)
-applied Bondo to small holes (now waiting for it to dry)
-Time: 9:38 pm
-taking a break til Bondo drys... probably play some cs (good time killer )
-after that i'll start drenching the fiberglass mat with resin... to be applied on large hole

 

opposite way i would have done it.

Cut out old steel. Weld in new steel (glavanized). Por-15 the new steel, bondo the seam and sand and prime and paint.

I relize this takes some more resources.

If i didnt have the resources id do exactly what you did!

Why do shops fail you on a saftey if you have a few rust holes? There not in the unibody by the sound anyhow, maybe the shop wanted some quick cash.

 

ya, the resources aren't there... thats why i went the fiberglass route.

I dont understand why they won't certify a car with a few rust holes... the best reason one shop told me was "because the exhaust gases can seep in through the holes and into your car... and then it will kill you"
LOL what a tool even a brand new car with an open window would cause the same thing.

anyways, i gotta get out there again... grr i hate not having a garage or driveway... im parked on the street... about 10 metres from a major street... and people are all just wondering what the hell im doing sanding a car in the bitter cold night

 

Same with me Kim. I live in am Apartment and they bitch if you make any noise in the underground parking so I do everything in my customs made shanty that me and another tennant made so we can go and work on our cars. Its still cold but it block the wind.

Prepare to wait a long time for the stuff to dry outside in a canadian winter

 

hey man i had the same problem when i first safetied the car but i knew the mechanic so he let me go with it not done. i still have the rust spots on my car, well sort of, just the holes i just took all the rust off and covered the rust so it won't spread, its still working so its all good. i'm planning to do what your doing in the spring when the weather gets better. this thread will help me well i hope it goes good show us some pics

 

Update:
-ahh yes, nice cold night so bondo didn't harden fully yet (only need 30 mins to dry, but it's still malleable after 3 hours )
-so i went on with the fiberglass... and boy do i regret it. Outside, in the cold wearing safety glasses and rubber gloves, i started to plaster the fiberglass with resin. The first thing i noticed: sticky as ****** hell. Second thing: since the hole is underneath the car (between passenger rear wheel well and passenger door), the fiberglass just doesnt want to "stick"... even with double the resin recommended. The ****** just keeps drooping down (especially at the point where the hole is) and eventually falls off or tears into long pieces. Then my rubber glove tears... getting resin/resin-hardnener and fiberglass all over my hands... I gave up for the night. Ripped the shitty fiberglass off, tried to toss the ball of fiberglass but it got stuck on my glove and... didnt go anywhere. Mother of all **** hairs I was pissed. I still am.

I decided to just use a sheet of copper that i have in my basement... screw the ****** on with self-tapping screws (since its underneath the car i dont give a flyin ****.), bondo the edges, sand, primer, paint and call it a day. But thats tomoro... or maybe friday... I'll keep you guys posted.

Man, 12:35am.... who says im insane?

 

Oh the whole was underneath the car not visible from the outside?

I defientely wouldnt have told you to fiberglass and whatnot.

I just pop riveted in a new piece of metal and put caulking around the edges.

Prime, paint and youre done.

Props for being a girl and trying something that most boys on here would have taken to a shop to do

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PIMPIN &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Props for being a girl and trying something that most boys on here would have taken to a shop to do</TD></TR></TABLE>

"I'm a 2nd year mechanical engineering student in Humber College.
**FOR THE RECORD, THE AVATAR IS NOT ME**
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Check out the profile.

 

lol sorry, I guess props still for atleast doing it yourself.

Im 17 and did all my own body work and custom ****.

Was proud as hell i didnt pay someone over 2gand to do it all and I learned a shitload

 

LOL Thanks sleeper, for finding that for PIMPIN.

Anyway, yea i'm not going to try the fiberglass again. The undercoat is too thick to sand, and it just wont stick at all. I was also thinking of riveting a sheet of metal, but the body in that area is very complex... the only rivet points would be through the floor of the back seats.. i seriously dont know what i should do.

However, i found "Great Stuff" (polyurethane expanding filler) in my house last night.. i read the label and it said that it can be sanded and painted once it is cured. Plus it is all-weather-proof (PERFECT! )
So i'm about to get ready to go outside once i rest a bit... (very long day at school, just got back)

My plan with this "Great Stuff" is:
-tape a sheet of wax paper over the hole, surrounding it past 2"
-fill the area from wheel-well side with "Great Stuff"
-let it expand over time while the wax paper holds the shape
-once cured... sand, paint!
-i will probably have to go over it with some bondo to make it a smoother shape

If anyone has tried this before, do you recommend this idea? Pros? Cons?

Nap time

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by HamiltonRex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">opposite way i would have done it.

Cut out old steel. Weld in new steel (glavanized). Por-15 the new steel, bondo the seam and sand and prime and paint.

I relize this takes some more resources.

If i didnt have the resources id do exactly what you did!

Why do shops fail you on a saftey if you have a few rust holes? There not in the unibody by the sound anyhow, maybe the shop wanted some quick cash.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

This guy has the best answer so far. While you are PORing the piece of steel also POR inside of the whole to stop any further rusting.

I dont know about bondo'ing the metal in though. Try to find a friend or a friend's father who has a welding machine. Take weld the metal on, grind down the welds flush, the use what ever body filler you're using.

 

update:
-snow snow snow
-i cant do **** right now
-i will try the "great stuff" first (just to patch the hole to pass the safety because i will get a full body repair/paint job during the summer)

thanks for all your input guys. i appreciate your help

 

You sure you didnt find that greatstuff idea from clubcivic/hondashowoff/jdmuniverse where ive been posting it? Its all good if ya did.lol but heres what to do:
1-sand/grind all rust out of the area as if you were with any bondo application
2-spray greatstuff in there till it oozes out
3-let it harden then get a razorblade and cut it so its flush with body
4-then cut the greatstuff about 1/2" deep depending on hole size to make a "pocket"
5-now apply the GREEN bondo its gel/fiberglass reinforced as you would regular bondo
6-let that dry completely hard leave it overnight
7-next day sand it down flush with body and now if theres any rivits or "potholes" in bondo fill them in and wait for them to dry
8-sand down till you think its perfect
9-primer with ANTI-RUST primer "rustoleam" or w/e its called
10-spray area with color paint you'd like AND YOUR DONE!

*my buddy did this on his s-10 and you can physically PUNCH/KICK the area and it doesnt budge.. Its awesome stuff! This technique is awesome.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kim_2_da_chee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">LOL Thanks sleeper, for finding that for PIMPIN. </TD></TR></TABLE>
No problem. Great Stuff is cool! I love watching it foam. BTW, props to doing your own body work. I would never pay a body shop to do something I could reasonably do myself.

 

Thanks, I'm still waiting for dry weather to apply the "great stuff".

However, I have a more serious problem now... and I seriously can't figure out what is going on:
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=759089

 

update:
Wow GREAT STUFF works wonders

I'm just waiting for it to cure perfectly hard... it is currently expanding past the holes and bulging out. i will cut it off with a razor blade once it's cured. There are a few imperfections so i will have to use bondo over it, but over all... GREAT STUFF IS EXCELLENT!