[cooper30]

I'm about to start trying to fix some rust holes on my truck. I've never done this before, so I'm looking for cheap advice.

I don't have a welder. Wouldn't know how to use it if I did. I have no air tools. My budget is miniscule. POR-15 is out of my reach.

Here's what I plan on doing: Cutting out the rust back to solid metal, using a drill with a wire brush attachment to clean it up. I have some NAPA rust eater and Naval Jelly. I am going to treat the bare metal with that. I have some sheet metal I cut off an old car before I junked it. I will cut a piece of that to rivit over the hole and then bondo/prime/paint.

Does that sound ok? Any tips?

I'm not looking for a show truck, just a state inspection sticker.

Thanks!!
Ted

 

[phoenix827]

Thats about what I did with mine, try to sink the seam ad the rivits if you can and they will hide a LOT better.

 

[cooper30]

Thats about what I did with mine, try to sink the seam ad the rivits if you can and they will hide a LOT better.

Thanks, Chris.

I got everything down to metal today and took the drain plugs out of the rockers and rear quarters. They were caked full of mud, no wonder it's rusting. I cleaned all the dirt out and I'm going to slop the naval jelly on it. I'm sure I'll get better at it as I go along.

Ted

 

[phoenix827]

All I did was ask a few questions and read the back of my chiltons guide a few dozen times. Bondo is easy to do, it's the prep and finishing that is a PITA! (also makes the biggest difference)

 

[cooper30]

Yea, I went out and bought a Haynes manual on body work. I'm not going to get my RC inspected till next Thurs (first day of new month), so I'll have Mon, Tues, Wed to fix it up. I don't know anybody at any inspection station, so I can't have ANY rust holes, even if it's obvious that I'm in the process of fixing them. If I don't have them all done by Thurs, I'll just rivit a piece of metal over the hole to get a sticker, then I'll do it right after.

Oh yea, I still need to put the muffler and tail pipe on, but that's minor. I already cut the old ones off. That was the hard part.