Hi Mike,
I hesitate to post this to the list because it doesn't involve politics or
personal slander and I would get taken to task for not recommending the
approach that involves welding and then someone would mention pop rivets and
eight people would unsubscribe. ;-)
Anyhow...
Here is the Pep Boys approach which I feel is adequate for certain jobs and
inadequate for others You be the judge. It's your car.
1. Wire brush as above. There are also small rubber-backed discs for drills
sold at PB that do a fine job and are easier to handle in the lower portions
like the QP. Clean and shiny is good.
2. Spray with "Extend" which turns rust into primer (they say). Areas I wire
brushed and sprayed with Extend and that were exposed to wet weather did not
rust over several months. Extend is receptive to bondo and fiberglas. I
believe it sez so on the can. It has a "money-back" guarantee, so you get
back 5 bucks if you can prove it screwed up a 4 hour job.
3. Fill it with Bondo. I have used Bondo for 35 years. If you went back and
found the cars I used it on, the Bondo would be all that is left. Pro body
shops use stuff they say is better but only comes in 5 gal. buckets. Bondo
fills areas under 1/8" nicely, deeper than that and you run the risk of it
de-laminating, holding moisture, and generally screwing up the job. Bondo,
like skateboarding, is not a crime. Sand it with #220, #400, and #400 wet. I
use a Makita vibration palm sander cause it's what I have. It works fine.
Good primer will take it from there.
3. Primer it with a high quality auto primer or with the rustoleum stuff,
depending on whether you can live with the guilt. I used Spies-Hecker Priomat
3255, got it at Mattos. It cost $20 a can but it has a lot of solids, fills
well, sands nicely, and is easy to work with. Wear a mask.
4. When you paint, use masking tape as mentioned by Nolan and feather the
edges with #600 s/p wet and dry, buff it by hand first, then a buffer if you
can get at it.
5. Step back, look at it, think about what you could have done better, clean
up, get in the car, drive somewhere and enjoy life.
Tom Burke
80 Spit (I am not a bodywork expert, but, I play one on the Internet.)
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