Suggestions for quick fix on rust hole in body

[Rafterman191]

Expensive body work not in the budget right now, but I have 2 cans of correct aerosol touch up. Cheapest diy way to get best results? Items on hand... rust reformer paint, bondo, maybe some fiberglass cloth and resin, self etching primer. If I could get 3-4 years out of it and then save up to have whole corner panel changed. Also have small mig welder.

 

[JMT]

I’ve got the same thing. Following.

 

[Jezza]

Honestly if your intention is to repair it correctly in the future I would paint the inside with POR15 or similar and put a sticker over it for now. You don't want to fill the hole and the space behind with resin or filler jut to have a removal problem later.

 

[BlueC]

bondo, maybe some fiberglass cloth and resin

That is typically the cheapest, easiest way to make a relatively small problem much worse. Your main goal here is to kill/stop the existing rust, seen and unseen, and repair it correctly later. I suggest you mechanically remove as much rust as you can, then sand the paint back until you find only clean metal. Attack the remaining rust with a rust converter product like rusty metal primer/rust reformer/rust mort/POR15/Eastwood Internal Frame. Once you have the rust covered with a rust converter type of product, prime any clean metal and top with your choice of paint.

If the visible hole bothers you, do as jezza said and cover it with something. But remember, any kind of cover up has potential to hold moisture, which is why body filler and fiberglass can cause a bigger problem if the rust is not completely eliminated.

 

[cliffish]

There is much more going on inside that hole, there will be a can of worms if and when you dig in. Do as others have suggested above to mitigate more damage.

 

[Krusty_tub]

Top Ramen noodles should fill that in

 

[someguysjeep]

know anybody with a small sand blaster? or do you have a compressor to run 1? they are cheap from HF.

AZ sells acid gel that does pretty good. but i'd not waste $ on por15 or bed liners, your not gonna get it clean enough, and it'll be way worse next time you see it. just use cheap spray paint it's much easier to detect when things needs touched up.

 

[JMT]

Expensive body work not in the budget right now, but I have 2 cans of correct aerosol touch up. Cheapest diy way to get best results? Items on hand... rust reformer paint, bondo, maybe some fiberglass cloth and resin, self etching primer. If I could get 3-4 years out of it and then save up to have whole corner panel changed. Also have small mig welder.
View attachment 336620

View attachment 336621

View attachment 336622

That’s similar to what ours looks like. We were planning to cut out what needs to be cut out, then wire brush and sand away as much rust as possible, then rust converter, prime, paint, and lastly, cover with corner armor. We’ll be having to work from the backside too, which means removing the evap canister.

 

[williambmac]

know anybody with a small sand blaster? or do you have a compressor to run 1? they are cheap from HF.

My jeep is pretty spotless underneath because it gets garaged in the winter. I do have some rust starting along the some of the seams. I picked up a portable sandblaster from HF for $34.00. It worked excellent for this purpose.
The blasting media was more than the blaster itself.

https://www.harborfreight.com/portable-abrasive-blaster-kit-37025.html?_br_psugg_q=blaster

 

[jjvw]

My jeep is pretty spotless underneath because it gets garaged in the winter. I do have some rust starting along the some of the seams. I picked up a portable sandblaster from HF for $34.00. It worked excellent for this purpose.
The blasting media was more than the blaster itself.

https://www.harborfreight.com/portable-abrasive-blaster-kit-37025.html?_br_psugg_q=blaster

The rear torque box that attaches to that body mount is rotting out behind that big hole in the otherwise spotless tub.

 

[JMT]

The rear torque box that attaches to that body mount is rotting out behind that big hole in the otherwise spotless tub.

Yep, and I have to figure out what to do with that torque box. I know I’ll be cutting into it to get to the body mount on that corner. Is there a way to replace that torque box? Or is that a giant pain?

 

[jjvw]

Yep, and I have to figure out what to do with that torque box. I know I’ll be cutting into it to get to the body mount on that corner. Is there a way to replace that torque box? Or is that a giant pain?

Dig through my build thread about two months ago. There is a lot of discussion and pictures of how to replace and improve the rear torque box.

 

[someguysjeep]

Yep, and I have to figure out what to do with that torque box. I know I’ll be cutting into it to get to the body mount on that corner. Is there a way to replace that torque box? Or is that a giant pain?

ya some of us have lopped off the ends and Blaines even rebuilt a few from remnants of the old.

 

[steelhd]

You wont like this but there is no quick fix. All the rust MUST be cut out to clean metal and new metal welded in. Seriously, anything else is like putting a band aid on cancer.

 

[williambmac]

The rear torque box that attaches to that body mount is rotting out behind that big hole in the otherwise spotless tub.

I replaced the driver side torque box on mine about a year ago, for a small amount of rot. It was an extreme suck job.

 

[Rafterman191]

Got at it and here's what I did...

Used wafer wheel to cut back to a rectangular shape.


Then I cut a patch from an old electrical box and tack welded it up...

Then used a little bondo kit to fill...

I did spray the inside with rust reformer paint for what that's worth. A little more sanding and I'll be ready to paint. I figure if I can get a couple years out of it I'm happy.

 

[JEEPCJTJ]

The only way to slow down the rust so that repair isn't visible next spring is to get on the backside of what you did and spray a ton of Fluid Film all over that repair. Hopefully the inner rear wheel wells are still there so that doesn't get washed away. Unfortunately even doing that comes with no warranty provided. But hey, what the Hell? Spray everything that looks rusty with the FF while you're under there, it can't hurt.