Rust - abandon ship?

[everlongmanifesto]

removed broken tails and I noticed a hole showing light behind the battery. peeled some paint off and this is where I stopped. should I let her go?

[blunttech]

Theres a bunch of mud in there . Keep taking it back till its good and fix it

[Vivek]

Looks like it was bondo'd over...not a good sign. But the rust doesn't look all too deep. You can either peel it all off and assess it from there, or just sell it now. If you have a lot invested in the car (time/money/emotion) you might as well remove the paint and see how bad it is. If you just bought it under the assumption it's rust free and want a rust free shell, I'd get a different car.

[Nick_S]

I'd start checking other rust prone areas before diving over board.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Pfffft thats nothing. Check all other rust prone areas before doing any other bodywork. If theres anything I've learned about cars is a lot of them rust from the inside out.

[everlongmanifesto]

I spent some time sanding it out. looks a lot better. still not sure what I want to do or if it's worth it. there's also a picture of the hole.

what else should I use to clean this out? seems like I got as much as I can with the sandpaper as I can.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

[ATTACH]83534[/ATTACH][ATTACH]83535[/ATTACH]

I spent some time sanding it out. looks a lot better. still not sure what I want to do or if it's worth it. there's also a picture of the hole.

what else should I use to clean this out? seems like I got as much as I can with the sandpaper as I can.

Grinder with a wire wheel with polish it right up. I got rust in that same spot and my battery well is rusted out. Check yours as any water that gets in through that hole would pool at the battery.

[e30vert]

Use a drill with a wire wheel attachment as it will get into areas deeper than the grinder which is a flat surface. Then get a grinder if you dont have one. Get "flapper" disks . Use flapper disks to slowly remove the rust till bare metal shows in ALL areas in and around that area. Standard grinder wheels are too abrasive and will remove material way to quickly unless you have a very skilled hand and experience. Create a 2 inch space around where the rust is - heres the bitch - front AND back. Then once you have bare metal mix JB weld 2 part. Apply JB weld to all affected areas that one can see through. Wait 24 hrs for cure. Use flapper disks on grinder to sand and form the JB Weld to the original contours of the vehicle area.

Then -you have 2 choices

1. Apply Bondo to affected area - Use Rage Gold Extreme if your budget can afford it (easier sanding, more conformity, less build up on sanding pads ,etc).
2. Use a body dolly to bang outwards the area of the panel that is recessed and in need of bondo as one should technically never apply bondo greater than about an 1/8th of a inch. Then apply bondo to area , sand , apply a primer sealer and paint.

[moreoff]

my entire battery pan was rusted out as well as the wheel well next to the battery pan.

we cut all the rusted metal out and welded in new metal.

i also found rust in the bottom of my driver's side fender, so i replaced the fender.

there was also some rust in the trunk and surrounded the trunk seal, so i sanded it all out and filled the small holes with jbweld and did a sealant over that and repainted it.

rust can be disappointing, but it just takes time to fix it. i've fixed all the large areas of rust on my car so far, and will continue to remove and fill the small areas that i keep finding.

[catalyst.]

If you re-bondo the area (nothing wrong with this) please make sure you use an epoxy primer on the area first. How many times do you see hondas rolling around with rust coming back through the bondo? So stupid.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

If you re-bondo the area (nothing wrong with this) please make sure you use an epoxy primer on the area first. How many times do you see hondas rolling around with rust coming back through the bondo? So stupid.

Doing this just covers up the problem. Its not worth it to fix Hondas so people half ass them. Using bondo will just cause the rust to spread under the bondo. You need new metal in that area.

[evoDRichie]

Doing this just covers up the problem. Its not worth it to fix Hondas so people half ass them. Using bondo will just cause the rust to spread under the bondo. You need new metal in that area.

This, find a new organ and cut out the cancer

[TobyB]

Look at the rest of the car. That rust is reparable.

The holes in the front frame rails
might be a bit tougher...

t

[xolomom]

Don't forget to Ospho everything.