Rust Repair

[CamperSpecialCruiser]

What is the best filler for rust holes in the body?(fender,door)

[FORDification]

The best? Sheetmetal patch panels, welded in to cover the larger hole created when you cut ALL the rust out. Think of rust as cancer. If you don't get it ALL out, it WILL come back.

Even if you don't have a welder, you still need to cut the rust out, but depending on the size of the remaining hole you might be able to get the job done with a fiberglass patch kit.

[fordman]

yep welded in panels are the best. if you try to fill them with bondo you'll be sorry later because it will bubble up and fall out. bondo is only a skim coating to fill little voids and dings in the body. not to patch holes. and fiberglass might be your next choice after that. but body shops can weld panels in for you pretty reasonable.

[flyboy2610]

IF you can find one that'll do it!
Most body shops today only want to do insurance work.
What panel is the rust hole in? You can get panels for almost every inch of your truck and they can be riveted in, then smoothed with Bondo or fibergalass. If the rust area is major, I would replace the panel.

[CamperSpecialCruiser]

The rust is in both front fenders and door. LMC sells replacement fenders for a 68 at $150 apiece My father mentioned liquid metal for the holes which are about 3 inches diameter. Has anyone used that or is it the same as bondo?

[FORDification]

I'm sure you can find all kinds of shortcuts to take, but the bottom line is....they'd all be temporary fixes, at best. By the time you cut out the whole rusted area, the holes are going to be larger than 3", and basically anything that comes in a tube or a can just isn't going to span the hole and last long-term. Do yourself (and your truck) a big favor by just getting some regular patch panels welded in. If you do it right the first time, you won't have to re-do it down the road....which is something you're almost sure to have to do with anything else.

FWIW

[rjewkes]

also new fenders and doors or atleast less rusted ones at a local salvage lot could go for 30-40 apiece. save about 110.00 per fender that route.

[fordman]

NO to liquid metal.

[Big D's 69]

My Dad has owned his own body shop for over 20 years and we have done numerous frame off restorations and if you can cut it out and replace it or unbolt it and replace you are better off. Like what was said above bondo is for small voids and finishing when you have welded in a panel and need to finish and smooth. Fiberglass is good for small holes and if you just want to quick fix a spot and be done. Best bet is to replace than to repair if possible.

[Fake Name]

Ok, so..

My '70 has been painted several years ago by the PO, but I can see little bits of rust peeping through along the seam on the side of the bed and the vertical seams on the tailgate. When I repaint, will I have to replace those entire panels?

thanks.

fn

[Chasbod]

I think the bottom line is you will have dig into those questionable areas and see exactly what you are dealing with. Like they've said, if the rust isn't completely 100% taken care of, it's just a matter of time before it comes right back through in the form of a surface bubble or streak.

I'm not sure what everyone thinks about the rust killing products they have out there that you can apply and supposedly it kills the rust for good. I have used some on small areas and it seems to work fine. But that's surface rust that hasn't eaten a hole yet in the metal.

[Big D's 69]

Ok, so..

My '70 has been painted several years ago by the PO, but I can see little bits of rust peeping through along the seam on the side of the bed and the vertical seams on the tailgate. When I repaint, will I have to replace those entire panels?

thanks.

fn

No what you need to do with the seams is sand blast them and put a good coat of epoxy primer and on all over and concentrate on those areas that are prone to hold moisture. Mine has the same problem getting read to blast those bad areas and get those unddr control before I have major problems.

[FORDification]

Keep in mind that the lower and upper bedsides are just spotwelded together, so while you can seal up the outside and slow down the rust, if you don't seal the backside as well it's still gonna come back, since moisture can still enter that area from the wheel-well area. Yeah, it's gonna be a major PIA to get to and to clean up, but if you take some time now, you'll never have to worry about it again.