little help with rust since vinyl is gone

[garyl24]

i have been working on this 86 for a little while now and today i ripped off the vinyl top and the drivers side is rust free but the passenger side is quite different. This side is so bad it is all the way through and i an gonna need to cut out about 2 to 3 inches tall and all the way across from the back window to the side window. My question is since i havent ever really welded ( practiced several times but not worth a damn) can i get by with fiberglassing that big of a section? i have fiberglass matt and also the long fiber fiberglass and its not that thin stuff from walmart. I got this when i use to work on the river and this is what they used to repair the fiberglass tops on barges. i can try to weld in new metal if i have to. i would appreciate any opinions you guys have. here are a few pics of the rust. i wire wheeled alot of the loose stuff off to make it clearer for you guys to see.

 

[83cutlassowner]

if you want to keep this car for awhile and want the job done right then DO NOT use fiberglass to fix that rust damage. your only putting a band aid on the problem. find a donor car to cut the patch panels from and either have a buddy weld it in or have body shop do it. it may be pricey for the body shop to do it but it will be done right and everything will line up afterwards. i would have a body shop do it if it where me, you dont have to worry about warping and stuff looking bad. if you feel confident take the plunge and learn how to do it yourself. anyone who tells you to fix it with fiberglass is a fool. it wont hold, and it wont last. like i was always told......if your going to spend the time doing something, do it right and do it once, half *ss work ends up hurting your *ss later

 

[85olds4spd]

I agree. If you are keeping this car repair it right. I had the same problem but my rust went across the top at the strip.
I pulled the glass and replace the whole roof. If you only have rust on the sail panel you can repair with some metal fairly easy.

 

[Bonnewagon]

I agree that new metal is the right way, but how attached are you to this particular car? A shop will charge a pretty penny and there's probably more damage inside down below. I'm not trying to discourage you but jobs like that can snowball very fast and soon gets out of hand. I'd get an estimate after removing the inner panels, seat,carpet right down to the floorboards looking for rust. If the car is your heart's desire then maybe it's worth it, but if it's going to be a daily driver/beater then bondo/fiberglass will buy you some time. As the others said, it's temporary. On the other hand this is as good an excuse as any to buy a MIG setup and learn how to weld.

 

[garyl24]

well i guess i will be welding in new metal. another question i had is my wife bought me a cambell hausfield 110 arc welder last christmas for me to play with. do you think i can weld in the metal with this? thanks

 

[illregal]

i hav'nt welded a body panel or patch in years,the best thing to use is lord "fusor"you can cut out your bad metal,flange it with a flange tool and just glue it in,you wont warp the metal and you dont have to grind no welds,gm has been using it to glue thier panels on from the factory...its the greatest thing since iced tea

 

[Longroof79]

An arc welder would not be my first choice for welding sheet metal. However, I recall seeing an attachment for doing stitch welding. It is used in conjunction with an arc welder, if I recall.

http://www.eastwood.com/autobody/panel- ... -rods.html

Check Eastwood, I think that's where I've seen it. Otherwise, look into a small MIG welder. You can then practice with pieces of scrap metal before attacking your roof panel. You might also look into a welding course at your local community college...if one is offered that is.

 

[Longroof79]

i hav'nt welded a body panel or patch in years,the best thing to use is lord "fusor"you can cut out your bad metal,flange it with a flange tool and just glue it in,you wont warp the metal and you dont have to grind no welds,gm has been using it to glue thier panels on from the factory...its the greatest thing since iced tea

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Good idea. This is supposed to work pretty well. Again, check out Eastwood products. Here's a link..

http://www.eastwood.com/autobody/panel- ... r-kit.html

 

[Bonnewagon]

I'm an old-timey gas welder but 110 welders work OK if you use the lowest amp setting and small 1/16" rods like Easy Strike. Mig is best but a decent one is like $400.

 

[garyl24]

i am about to tackle this now and had a question. when i cut out the bad metal i will obviously tr to ket the lines straight. when i got to weld in new metal do i hold the metal from inside the car and weld it on the outside and fill in with body filler or do i cut the metal to fit in where the old was cut(so it is flush) and weld? thanks for the help