Best way to fill

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Joined
Sep 24, 2012
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Location
Leesburg, VA
My Car
1971 Mustang Coupe
Sanded down the new drivers door I got awhile back to get a better idea of what I'm working with. Was very pleased with the outcome. Just a few small dents I need to smooth out mostly. The one thing I don't know what to do is with some small holes along the bottom of the door. You can see them in the pic. What would be the best way to fill it? Can I just use some bondo or should I use something better?

Also, what would be the best way to contain the rust inside the frame of the door? I don't have a blaster or anything. I was just thinking about painting what I could with POR or something similar.

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I am in a similar situation. Since this is really a budget build for me and the total goal of the car is to have a reliable driver, I'm not to worried about perfection.

My idea is that i am going to grind/ sand as much as i can possible get to. Then put a couple coats of rust bullet down. I'm going to use as minimal bondo or fiberglass as i can and then topcoat with rust bullet once more.

prime and paint.

I have used rust bullet in my entire trunk area and i'm very impressed with how solid that coating can be. Maybe some others can chime in here on a more prefered way or tackling this job.

 
With there being holes thru the metal, it needs to be cut out and solid metal put in place. Bondo or filler is susceptible to moisture and will detach from the metal when it gets moisture around it from the holes. You need to weld the holes shut in some manner or cut them out and repair the metal. It's the only way to have a lasting repair.

 
With there being holes thru the metal, it needs to be cut out and solid metal put in place. Bondo or filler is susceptible to moisture and will detach from the metal when it gets moisture around it from the holes. You need to weld the holes shut in some manner or cut them out and repair the metal. It's the only way to have a lasting repair.
That's what I was afraid of. I'm like Matrixx in that I'm on a limited budget. Trying to do a lot of prep work before eventually sending it off to a body shop to get some big things done. I was hoping this may be something I could do but it sounds like another one to add to the list for the professionals.

 
We all know that the correct way is to cut the rust out and replace it with new metal. You can try this. Coat it with rust bullet then seal it up Panel Adhesive. I would do that before using bondo or fiber glass.

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I was thinking 3M seam sealer could work.
I wouldn't if it were my car. I'd rather do it right the first time, rather than have to come back and do it over later. Plus I have a clear conscience in case I sell it to someone else. No hidden damage.

 
We all know that the correct way is to cut the rust out and replace it with new metal. You can try this. Coat it with rust bullet then seal it up Panel Adhesive. I would do that before using bondo or fiber glass.
Cool. I think I may try this option. I know it's a bit of a shortcut but I just don't have the know-how or availability to get small things like this cut out and repaired. Found a deal on an applicator gun on eBay for $30 shipped.

One thing I have been doing is taking before/after pics of the few places where I have used bondo or sealer. That way me or anyone that owns the car after me knows exactly where these spots are. I hate the "surprise" of finding a lump of bondo where I though I would find bare metal as I'm stripping parts of the body.

 
We all know that the correct way is to cut the rust out and replace it with new metal. You can try this. Coat it with rust bullet then seal it up Panel Adhesive. I would do that before using bondo or fiber glass.
Cool. I think I may try this option. I know it's a bit of a shortcut but I just don't have the know-how or availability to get small things like this cut out and repaired. Found a deal on an applicator gun on eBay for $30 shipped.

One thing I have been doing is taking before/after pics of the few places where I have used bondo or sealer. That way me or anyone that owns the car after me knows exactly where these spots are. I hate the "surprise" of finding a lump of bondo where I though I would find bare metal as I'm stripping parts of the body.
I have been doing this as well. For the most part I don't cut corners but for really tedioous things like this or very small places; it just fits my budget better. And honestly, my car is just a base coupe, not a mach 1 or boss. If i ever did sell mine i would be upfront about it, but i will probably put more money into my car that i would seek out of it. There is also a "bad bondo job" and a "proper bondo job". I go with the latter.

 
I was thinking 3M seam sealer could work.
I wouldn't if it were my car. I'd rather do it right the first time, rather than have to come back and do it over later. Plus I have a clear conscience in case I sell it to someone else. No hidden damage.
RacerX,

I totaly Agree, this was the first thing that came to mind as a quick cheap patch.

I've been down that route before, when I bought my car, I did every short cut I could find to fix it quick, cheep, make it look good, and use it, then Last year I re-did the whole car the right way, cut all of the rot and holes, and weld in new metal.

 
I would either do the repair or have the repair done properly. The cost of the repair is nothing compared to the cost of proper paint. One of the wort things I can imagine is getting a car "done" and having it look great, only to have rust come through in a year and have a paint job that cost many hours of time and a thousand dollars or more in materials ruined. Yes you can fix the flawed area, but paint won't match after a few months.

 
Think about this...

The metal flanking the visible holes is rusted on the backside as well.

It just hasn't burned through yet.

If you splooge the holes shut, it will rust through around the bondo.

There are no long term shortcuts.

Its a pay me now or pay me later deal...

 
There is no way around it guys...you have to cut the rusted metal out and replace it, welding rods and scrap metal is the cheapest way to go, but labor intensive. And for me it's easier than arkansas engineering it anyway.

 
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