What is the best way to fix this rust. I would like to fix it to look original. People telling me bondo it but I've seen what it does when you stick it in a rust hole like that, in a few months it looks like ****.

 

don't glob bondo in there, first, use "great stuff" to fill the hole, it's that foam stuff that swells up when it hits air. put some of that in there and shave it down so it's barely lower than the body line. then, put a thin layer of bondo over it, and sand and finish as needed.

 

I would cut out that section, go to sears and get some panel forming hammers and a sandbag. get some metal and for a new piece. then weld it in(or have somebody) and then sand,bondo, prime and then paint. that I believe would the the "correct" way. otherwise it will just keep spreading under the bondo.

 

theres always a right way, and an almost right way thats easier...

 

Considering you can't access the backside to treat the metal... welding would cause an even bigger problem down the road.

I would not suggest 'great stuff' either because aside from foam holding water quite well,, it would also cause a damm inside the pillar actually causing water to hold there.

A good solution (IMO only) would be to use something such as Oxisolve to remove the rust inside and out and leave behind a zinc coating or to grind the rust off and use a cold galvanizing coating such as ZRC (you can get it at a local welding supply store). After treating the metal I would use a metal body filler or JBWeld in reserve.. enough to cover/top the hole.. not enough to literally fill it in. Level it out then use a standard body filler, glazing putty or a surfacer primer to fill in irregularities (sp?) and paint as normal.

That's just my opinion... I could be wrong.

 

Sand blast 100% of the rust away, then apply a thin coat of filler, sand it smooth, prime & paint. Unfortunately, it's probably got a much larger footprint under the paint than what you see, and it's possible that you may need to remove the windshield to get all of it.

If the rust is right through and you've got a hole, then the only proper way to do it is to weld a piece of metal in, which is going to take some work. The windshield will definately have to come out. You'll have to cut out that piece of metal, pound the area down a little, weld the new panel in, grind the welds flat, and use a skim coat of filler to smooth it out. It won't be a very easy procedure.

 

I think I would use a combination of some of the above.I would use oxisolve to remove ALL the exterior rust.I would then paint the inside of the pillar with POR-15 or Corroless.Then I would follow the welding and painting procedure.Now this is where I would have to be different.On the inside of the car,I would drill a small hole behind the repair.I would then inject more POR-15 or corroless(you'll find a way) followed by loads of cavity wax.The hole you drill could then be filled very easily.As has been mentioned above,repairing the hole from the front is one thing but few people consider the back.Welding a plate causes the metal to be super clean,greatly accelerating the rust.When attempting any welding,pay as much attention to rustproofing the back as well as the front.Just my opinion,hope it helps.

 

solid urethane is the end result of great stuff....does a bowling ball absorb water???
:lala:

 

Foam (great stuff is an expansion foam, not a solid polyurethane) is porous (regardless of what it's made of), porous materials hold water.

Bowling ***** relate nothing to the situation.

 

WOW! Some unbelievably bad advice above.

Great stuff? It will hold water againt the metal. You can't "stuff" a hole with anything (bondo or otherwise) and think it's going to last. Even if it were solid urethane (it's not), it still would'nt work.

The glass HAS to come out. There, you will find the root cause of the problem.

Then, you should cut the pillar out of a junker, and have it welded in. This is not for the backyard crowd. It has to be welded right or your structural integrity could be compromised. The reason i say cut one out of another car is the rust problem is probably farther out than whats visible. It's probably from a poorly installed glass. I notice it's an LOF glass. That's usually a replacement glass for our cars. Most of the third gens came with PPG glass.

Bottomline is your glass is leaking, a hole was punched in the pillar, or it was scratched and rusted through. It's the only way water could get in there. You can trace it back to a sloppy glass installation.

You could have a patch glued in, but without taking the glass out and really attacking the problem, your just doing time.

BTW, you would only need the "outer skin' of the pillar. The pillar is two pieces (inner/outer). I did'nt want you to think you would have to cut the pillar out/off right through. There are plug welds under the windshield urethane, and under the soft seals for the door glass.

It's possible it could be from an unattended stone chip, but it's too close to the glass now to matter. The glass would still have to come and metal replaced to do a decent repair. My bet is a poor glass installation. Especially from the reveal molding that's way to short.

GM body tech, 10 years.

 

How hard is it getting the windshield out i mean it can be done at home? As for the welding I have a pro at my disposal so i'm not worried about that. I guess i'll go start grinding it away and see how big it really is.

 

Yes. A 8-12 inch piece of piano wire, feed it through the glass seal, vice grips on each side of the wire, have a friend on one end (one of you inside the car, one outside)and go back and forth, like cutting a tree down with an old flat bladed saw. Work it around the glass until it broke free.

Better yet, many glass companies will come to your house and cut it out in about five minutes, and re-install it when your done for about $50.

Becarefull grinding around glass. Grinding/welding slag will ruin a windshield/door glass in a heartbeat. Cover all the glass with an old blanket and duct tape. Your paint too.

Good luck.