How would you patch this? (1 Viewer)

[aharlan001]

I have a 98 LC with 195K. I have had it for about 2 years. When I got it I had to do quite a bit of loose rust removal, paint with Rustbullet, topcoat with Rustoleum, and maintenance with Woolwax. There was an area behind the right rear wheel in the body/underbody beneath the bumper which I cut out due to the invasive "cancer". There has been no return of rust in the past 2 years so I'm happy with that but I have recently realized there is humidity / air / odor / noise entering the cabin due to this hole. Probably the standard way to fix this would be wire mesh and bondo but since it is an area that is not visible I am wondering if there is an easier way that would do the job just as well. This is not a show car by any means and I am not worried about cosmetics of an area I can't see only durability and not causing future problems. I was thinking maybe some rubber flashing tape? If the consensus is that this is a bad idea I guess I'll give the bondo a whirl, it does not need to look great just keep the humidity / odor / noise / air out.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

Weld in some sheet metal. Bondo won’t fix that.

 

[aharlan001]

Welding is beyond my skill set and budget... at the moment...

 

[cjmoon]

Then fiber glass is your friend

 

[AlpineAccess]

Welding is beyond my skill set and budget... at the moment...

No way I would do other than tack in a sheet there. That's 2 pieces of what looks like 18 ga mild from your local home depot for $15 a sheet and under an hour labor at a fab shop if you don't have your own welder. You might even find someone on your local Toyota 4x4 forum to do it for you. If you were local I'd tack something like that in for you. By far the cheapest way to fix it.

Once its tacked, grind it smooth and flap disc it. Then use a paintable seam-sealer and spray or roll a primer/paint on. It's getting covered by the bumper so doesn't need to be pretty.