How To Repair Rust Holes In A Car

Rust: if your car has information technology, you're probably not happy about it. At the very to the lowest degree, it'southward unsightly and reduces your car'south value; if left unchecked a rust spot can quickly grow until it causes a structural problem. In many states a car with rust holes in the body won't pass inspection, regardless where the spots are located or how serious they are. For these and other reasons, if your car has body rust information technology'southward best to deal with the problem, considering it's certainly non going to go away on its own.

While patching a pigsty caused past rust is not also difficult, it does take some patience, especially if you want to repaint the vehicle yourself.

If the pigsty caused by rust is not in a load-bearing surface area of the car, such as the chassis, information technology is possible to repair it with glass fiber or trunk filler. This will make your vehicle look whole once more and prevent the rust damage from spreading.

Notation: This guide is for fixing pocket-size-to-medium-sized holes in torso panels simply. If your car has rust on structural components — basically, anything that supports weight or is part of the car'due south suspension or information technology'southward supporting structure — then yous're strongly advised to go help from a qualified mechanic or trunk store.

With that in mind, here's what you lot'll need to do to remove a rust spot and patch information technology upwardly nicely.

Method one of 2: Using a torso filler kit to repair the hole

Materials Needed

Body filler kit
Animate mask
Electric drill with wire brush or sanding disc zipper
Goggles
Hammer, ball peen
Paint primer
Paint
Protective goggles
Rust resistant primer
Sandpaper, 180-grit
Note: Chemic rust remove is not necessary, simply can help ensure that you've gotten all the rust, which is absolutely necessary if you lot don't desire it to return. Information technology'south also possible to apply this instead of a grinder, if your rust isn't all-encompassing; follow the manufacturer'southward directions.
Note: Matching your paint color is a tricky task that takes experience and care, but getting an approximate match isn't impossible. Your parts store can help you find the right paint for your machine.

preparing your work space

Step 1: Fix your workspace. You lot'll need an advisable space to practise the piece of work, which ideally means a garage or similar structure, as you won't want to be exterior in one case the painting begins.

The garage should exist well lit and well ventilated, and anything that tin can't go dirty should be removed, as what'south coming is non a clean process.

Pace 2: Prepare your tools. Rust removal can exist done by mitt, just it'southward much easier if yous have bachelor an electric orbital sander and an orbital grinder.

If you don't own these tools, you can hire them at many large hardware stores. Be sure to become sanding discs (80-grit is best for metal, 120- or 150-dust for removing pigment and shaping patches) and a grinding bike too.

Footstep 3: Gear up your safety gear:

Eye protection: Only about every do-information technology-yourself article advises centre protection, fifty-fifty for apparently elementary tasks. Well, for this repair the need is serious. You're going to exist throwing sparks around with your grinder, and you must protect your eyes, so go some rubber goggles. If you habiliment eyeglasses, that's not enough — get enclosed goggles that fit over them.
Lung protection: At the very minimum, become some surgical-style breathing masks. This repair involves a lot of airborne dust, which tin can practise serious damage to your lungs. Even better would be to buy or rent a respirator, because you'll also be working with quite a few toxic chemicals.
Other clothing: Long pants and a long-sleeved shirt are a good idea for this repair, even in hot weather condition. The sparks thrown by the grinder won't impale y'all merely they won't be comfortable confronting blank skin either. Y'all'll desire a practiced pair of piece of work gloves, which will aid you avoid cutting yourself on the sharp edges of the panel and will protect your skin from the not-so-squeamish chemicals y'all'll be working with.

Step four: Prepare your car. You'll want to mask everything that won't become painted, so get some masking newspaper (newspaper is fine) and masking tape and start taping.

If you'll only be using primer, mask equally much as possible, leaving merely a few inches to each side of the rust spot.

On the other hand, if yous'll be painting to lucifer your body color, painting an entire panel may produce a cleaner event, as it's very hard to match paint within a body panel; which approach to take depends on the size of the console you're painting.

Fifty-fifty if yous're non planning on priming, it's best to mask nearby panels because flying sparks can harm your paint.

Exist certain to cover other parts of the auto, including nearby tires, glass, and chrome. If you'll be working near whatsoever delicate function of the car, such as a tire, do more than mask that part — cover it with something robust enough to protect it from your grinder in case you skid. A heavy drop cloth will do; if all you take is newspaper, use many sheets to course a thick protective layer.

Now that you're prepped all your materials and your work space, it's time to get to work.

sanding off the paint

Step five: Sand off the nearby paint. You want to go downwardly to bare metal or rust, which means removing the paint covering, and nigh, the rust spot.

Anywhere from 80 down to 150 dust sandpaper works fine for this, preferably with a sanding cake or, of course, a mechanical sander.

Don't end until y'all've cleared the paint from the entire rust spot, and back far enough that y'all can be sure y'all oasis't missed anything.

Step 6: Grind away the rust. Now switch to the grinder, if yous have one, and grind away all the rust.

It is admittedly critical that you exit no rust, so don't stop until you're down to bare, shiny metal at every edge.

Don't worry also much about breaking through, even if the rust spot wasn't all the way through to begin with, as you'll exist fixing that with your patching kit.

Alert: Be certain to wear protective goggles to protect your eyes from flying metal and paint dust.

Step 7: Make sure you remove all the rust. One time yous tin can meet bare metal everywhere, apply your rust remover if you accept information technology to brand very sure y'all've removed all the rust.

Stride 8: Apply rust primer. Paint the border of the hole you lot accept created with a rust resistant primer or rust converter.

A rust converter volition convert rust into a polymeric blanket that protects the metal and acts as a primer. The protective blanket seals the surface against any new moisture which helps prevent further rust.

These products are available as a spray or castor on. Utilize per the manufacturer's instructions and wait the recommended amount of time earlier moving on to the adjacent step.

Step ix: Even out the edges of the hole. If necessary, tap the edges of the hole in with a small ball-peen hammer down to the level of the body console.

The hole should now be set up to exist filled with body filler.

Step 10: Prepare the torso filler. Mix the body filler paste with the hardener as per the filler kit instructions.

Follow the directions carefully - adding too much hardener can cause the mixture to harden also rapidly.

Body filler can be purchased equally a kit at any auto supply store. Almost kits contain a body filler paste, a hardener and a slice of expanded zinc metallic, or fiberglass material which is used to back up the filler while patching the hole.

Stride 11: Insert the metal mesh backside the rust hole. Concord the zinc metallic slice backside the hole and adhere it to the torso of the vehicle behind the hole with minor amounts of filler. It volition act as a stabilizer for the body filler paste.

Step 12: Utilise body filler. Use the plastic applicator that comes with the kit to apply the body filler to the hole.

Continue to add filler until the hole is completely filled.

Contour the paste to the vehicle body.

Step 13: Permit the filler to dry out per manufacturer's instructions.

Step 14: Sand with 180-grit sandpaper until shine.

Footstep 15: Sand it down. After the patch is dry, you'll want to sand information technology down flat with the rest of the body console.

For that you'll want finer sandpaper or wheels than before — 120- or 150-grit is about right to first, and so finer to become a smoother surface. Get slowly and advisedly, as you don't desire to take off too much of the torso panel.

Step xvi: Fine sand the surface. If you're applying primer (and you lot should if you don't want the rust to return), you lot'll want a smooth surface, so utilise finer-grit sandpaper, down to 240- or then. It's all-time to forego the electric sander from here on, unless yous're very careful.

Pace 17: Brand sure surface is make clean and dry. Make sure the surface is completely gratis of grit before painting, and completely dry.

car being primed

Stride 18: Spray the primer. At present, spray on a thin layer of primer. Don't worry most applying plenty, considering you'll be doing at least two and ideally three coats.

Step 19: Allow the primer dry. Let the primer dry completely, and sand information technology to smoothness.

Step 20: Clean and utilize a 2nd layer. Clean the surface well (it must be free of grit), and apply the second layer of primer. And then sand in one case again.

Footstep 21: Make up one's mind if yous desire to paint. After your final (second or third) glaze of primer, yous can call it quits or move on to the painting step.

Stride 22: Sand it smooth. If you're painting, sand the surface to fifty-fifty greater smoothness — 400-grit sandpaper is right, with a flexible sanding cake; don't do this with an electric sander.

Painting the car

Stride 23: Pigment your car. Once the surface is smooth, dust-gratuitous, and dry, it's fourth dimension for the paint. Attempt to use long, even strokes, overlapping slightly simply avoiding excessive thickness or drips. Y'all're going for a thin, fifty-fifty glaze; don't try to do this in one go.

Step 24: Dry and sand again. Now, sand again with 400-dust sandpaper. Exist certain to sand down any drips or thick spots.

Stride 25: Make clean, dry, and repeat. Clean and dry out the repair and so repeat the process twice more (sanding in between), until you lot've done three coats.

Step 26: Wet sand a concluding time. Do a final sanding, this time with wet (water only) 400-grit sandpaper.

Footstep 27: Apply the clear coat. The last layer will be a clear glaze, this will help preserve the other layers on your automobile and give information technology a polish glossy look. Apply the same long even strokes and the same technique you used for your regular coat.

Step 28: Clean upwards. Make clean up everything, return whatsoever borrowed or rented tools, and go show off your completed repair.

Note: Painting a vehicle can be difficult. If you want a high quality finish, it may be best to accept a professional repaint the vehicle.

Method two of 2: Using a fiberglass repair kit to repair the hole

Materials Needed

Fiberglass repair kit
Electrical drill with wire brush or sanding disc attachment
Hammer, brawl peen
Paint primer
Paint, automotive
Protective goggles
Rust resistant primer
Sandpaper, 180-grit

A fiberglass kit is very similar to body filler only information technology does crave putting on a few layers of fiberglass and doing a fiddling sanding in-between.

Pace one: Remove all of the rust until you lot get to solid body. This can be done using a tin can snips or an electric drill with a wire brush, flap cycle or sanding disc attached.

Alert: Be sure to habiliment protective goggles to protect your eyes from flying metal, and paint dust.

Step two: Apply rust primer. Paint the edge of the hole you have created with a rust resistant primer or rust converter.

A rust converter will convert rust into a polymeric blanket that protects the metal and acts as a primer. The protective coating seals the surface against any new moisture which helps preclude farther rust.

These products are available equally a spray or brush on. Utilize per the manufacturer's instructions and look the recommended corporeality of fourth dimension before moving on to the adjacent step.

Stride iii: Even out the edges of the hole. If necessary, tap the edges of the hole inward with a minor brawl-peen hammer down to the level of the body panel.

The pigsty should now exist ready to exist filled with fiberglass filler.

Step 4: Prepare your fiberglass resin repair kit. Mix the resin and the hardener per the instructions that came with the kit.

Cutting a piece of fiberglass cloth so that the textile isy are just slightly larger than the rust hole you are filling.

Near kits contain fiberglass resin, liquid hardener, fiberglass cloth, a plastic spreader, mixing tray and mixing stick.

Warning: Glass cobweb can irritate the skin, and then it is all-time to wear safe gloves when using these kits.

Pace 5: Apply a layer of fiberglass mat. Put a layer of fiberglass mat across the pigsty, from behind the hole.

Use a paintbrush to use the resin mixture to the matting.

This will be a stabilizer for the fiberglass resin.

Footstep 6: Apply the fiberglass resin. Use the plastic applicator that comes with the kit to apply the fiberglass resin to the matting.

Allow the layer to dry per the manufacturer's instructions.

Step 7: Sand the layer with 180-grit sandpaper until smooth. Then utilise another layer of resin and repeat until the rusty spot is filled and the fiberglass resin is even with the vehicle body.

Footstep eight: Sand the final layer with 180-grit sandpaper until shine.

Step 9: Apply a layer of spray on primer over the spot.

Step ten: Paint the spot using an identical paint color to the residual of the machine. Pigment should be applied with a spray gun.

Annotation: Painting a vehicle can be difficult. If you want a high quality finish, it may be best to accept a professional repaint the vehicle.

The hole caused by rust on your vehicle should now be repaired. If you have difficulty with these methods, or are uncomfortable doing involved body work on your automobile, you may want to have a professional trunk shop assess the rust impairment.

The statements expressed above are but for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details