To big for Fiberglass??

[Steamboat]

Hi Gang,
First, thank you in advance for any help or insight!

The attached picture is from my rear drivers side wheel well...there was some bubbly rust so I cut it out with my trusty dremell. I am VERY new and inexperienced when it comes to all this paint and body work stuff. I'm just trying to get things 'close enough' so I can bomb it with some rattle can on top and bedliner on the bottom.

Anyways, I stopped by a small auto body place today to see what it would cost to weld a piece of metal in this hole.....my answer...$250.00....WTF...is this for real??

Well...that is WAY more money than I'm willing to spend, especially considering I'm not expecting a showroom finished product.

My question....is this too big to patch with a fiberglass kit and bondo? Any other suggestions? I don't have a rivet gun but I suppose I could get one if that would be an alternative??

Thanks again,

 

[belaw]

FWIW I would recommend that you do it right- which means welding in fresh steel.

But if I were you I would consider buying a small used 110v MIG and doing the work yourself before paying somone else $250. FWIW, that's what I did-- but my rust problems are a little more severe than yours....

 

[hedgehog23]

make up the patch panel your self and get a buddy or pay someone to weld it in. or like the PO said , use this project as an excuses to buy a welder.

 

[BJ44V]

I would buy the welder. I have not done this myself only due to finding a good cheap guy that can do my welding for me. Just for a price comparison for giggles, I had 2 stock FJ40 roll bars made into one with ladder bars between the 2 B pillars and body support plates cut and he mounted it all for the $$ of $350.

 

[PAToyota]

The obvious problem with welding is that you end up with bare steel (internally) which can just start rusting again. More work is being done with autobody panel bonding adhesives for this reason. And personally, trying to do sheetmetal work with a cheap 110V welder is just an exercise in frustration.

 

[Steamboat]

Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for your wisdom....sounds like it is too big for Fiberglass since everyone is taking about buying a welder

I guess I'll have to start checking Craigslist for my own welder. In the meantime I'll be asking around to see if someone I know can weld a piece in there for me. Hopefully I'll get it fixed soon and I can post some pics of the finished product.

Just curious, what do you think would be a reasonable price to pay for a welder like this? What's the learning curve? I've done some stick welding before but that was a LONG time ago and not even sure if mig is even close to being the same thing?

Thanks and have a great weekend!

Ebin

 

[REZARF]

This site could be called www.ih8rust.com!

That said, if you are trying to address that hole on the cheap, know that it is YOUR rig. That hole is not too big for fiberglass.

Read up on using fiberglass as it is critical to get it to stick in that hole without coming out once you freeze that rig good this winter in the high country.

The reality is steel is the best way to go, however, as a kid when I had no $$$, no clue, and a desire for a good looking ride, I really learned how to close up holes with fiberglass and reshape fenders with bondo!

Owners down the road will curse you... but this is your rig!

 

[Steamboat]

Hi Drew,
Thanks for the feedback and the link!! Thank goodness I found a friend with a Mig welder that's going to help me out and put a patch in for me! Only going to cost me a 12 pack too!! I found some rust holes in my floorboard under the carpet on the drivers side, I think I'll use the fiberglass there. I'm super glad you made that comment about the fiberglass and the cold...I had not even thought about that being an issue! I think we bottomed out at 40 below this past winter so we'll see how things hold up this coming winter!

I am def. short on $$ so there is a TON of body filler all over the truck already too! Hopefully I can get it rattle canned before it gets too cold to paint.....which could be pretty soon up here in the Boat!

Thanks,
Ebin

 

[se2000]

As a kid with no money in the rust belt. I wished I had access to current epoxies. I patched many a vehicle with panels from junk cars shaped to fit and riveted in. Bondo and sanding and the holes were gone. Since most vehicles never get restored, what is the big deal?

 

[belaw]

Thank goodness I found a friend with a Mig welder that's going to help me out and put a patch in for me! Only going to cost me a 12 pack too!!

Ebin, trust me, you'll feel much better about the repair after its done this way. Here's a great link discussing welding in patch panels: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53534

And FWIW, a 12 pack is about the going rate around here for MIG work....

 

[Steamboat]

Thank you again for all the feedback!! We are scheduled to give this welding thing a try on Sunday....we'll see how it goes!

Again, I have no idea what I'm doing so I'll be practicing on some bare metal before we actually take on the fender.... With that said, what gauge steel should I be looking for? I've read something about 18 or 20 g? Does that sound right?

Thanks,

Oh....side note....once this patch is done I'll be moving onto the hood and roof...both of which have some dings....is bondo a total no-no in these area's?

 

[belaw]

With that said, what gauge steel should I be looking for? I've read something about 18 or 20 g? Does that sound right?

I think it's 18g, but I would definately measure the thickness before buying the patch panel material.

Oh....side note....once this patch is done I'll be moving onto the hood and roof...both of which have some dings....is bondo a total no-no in these area's?

Body filler is perfectly acceptable for dings, in fact it's probably your only alternative on the roof due to lack of access to the back side of the metal. But it certainly isn't meant to fill in major dents. If the damage is more than "dings" (and if you can get to the back side), a little preliminary hammer-and-dolly work will get it close and then finish up with filler.

But use a quality product (NOT "Bondo," which is a brand name for fairly low-grade filler)

 

[45Kevin]

Oh come on guys, we all know that shoving some newspaper in there to keep a thick layer of bondo from falling through is the way to go.

OP, good luck with the welding. That is not a real hard patch to do. Try and spray some rust paint or undercoat on the inside once the patch is in and ground smooth.

 

[rusty_tlc]

The obvious problem with welding is that you end up with bare steel (internally) which can just start rusting again. More work is being done with autobody panel bonding adhesives for this reason. And personally, trying to do sheetmetal work with a cheap 110V welder is just an exercise in frustration.

It would be pretty easy to spray the inside with the interior trim panels removed.

Welding sheet metal definitely takes a lot of patience. People who get good at it can do pretty amazing stuff though so it is worth the pain of learning.

 

[Steamboat]

**GASP** Yet another example of my ignorance.....not all body fillers are created equal...I should have known!! Thus far I've filled in some pretty large 'dings' with the Bondo from wal-mart.

Guess I better ask the question...what body filler should I be using? I'm guessing that once I finish typing this and do a search of the forum I'll find my answer...but, might as well throw it out there

The hood and roof have some good 'dings' .... I'll probably take a hammer to the hood and do the best I can before I fill it in...but I'm pretty nervous about hammering on the roof.

Good news....got a 2x2 sheet of metal this afternoon...should be plenty to do a little 'warm-up' before we actually get down to patching that hole! I'll try to take some pics if anyone is interested. Wish I could say what gauge steel I got....I walked into a welder's shop told him what I was doing...he looked at the hole and handed me a sheet of what he said I should use. Got halfway home and realized I should have at least asked..LOL..I'm guessing it's more like 21....not too thick. It's cutable with tin-snips.

have a great weekend!!

Thanks,

 

[Steamboat]

Well....It aint purty that's for sure...but got er done!! Thankfully, I'm planning on doing the hurculiner to cover this up!!

My friend borrowed a welder....practiced on some scrap for a bit, then gave it a shot...took a while and looked like ass (not complaining though....it was FREE!!) till I covered it up with bondo!

Oh well....it's filled and primed....on to the next set of dents, where to start...hood, front qtr, passenger door or roof...oh, or the rear tailgate....ugh, is this thing ever gonna get painted!! ??

 

[Steamboat]

one more....