Do-it-yourself rusty body repair

In detail: do-it-yourself rusty body repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Corrosion can appear on any car sooner or later, and the sooner you start fighting it, the less the body will suffer. But how to get rid of rust so that it no longer appears on the affected area and at the same time the car returns to its attractive appearance? We have prepared a step-by-step description of the process of removing rust, followed by protecting the body from corrosion, in the article.

Before removing pockets of rust from the body, it is necessary to wash it thoroughly so that the surface of the car is perfectly clean. The fact is that on a dirty surface, the affected areas are poorly visible, moreover, without complying with this requirement, it is impossible to qualitatively perform the subsequent finishing and protection of the metal from corrosion.

If the corroded area is difficult to access due to other parts, they must be dismantled. It can be a bumper, molding, turn signal, emblem, etc. In addition, the surfaces around the rusted area must be pasted over with masking tape so as not to damage them during work and not to stain them with paint. This completes the preparatory steps.

To qualitatively and quickly get rid of rust on a car body at home, you need to prepare the following set of tools:

  • an angle grinder or even an ordinary electric drill with a special nozzle in the form of a metal brush;
  • sandpaper with abrasive P120, P600 and P1000;
  • rust converter type "Tsinkar";
  • degreaser;
  • polyester resin for lamination and fiberglass.
  • anticorrosive primer;
  • putty with fiberglass;
  • putty without filler (finish);
  • dye.
Video (click to play).

I must say that there are repair kits for rust control on sale, such as Zincor-Auto. They contain three components - a rust converter, a degreaser and an anti-corrosion coating, usually made on the basis of zinc. Such kits allow you to eliminate small pockets of corrosion.

As you know, there are two methods of combating corrosion:

The greatest effect can be achieved if you deal with rust comprehensively. Therefore, further we will apply both methods at once.

We start work with mechanical processing of rusty places. To do this, it is better to use a grinder or an electric drill, since cleaning it yourself is quite difficult and long. Rust must be removed together with old paint and a layer of old primer, i.e. it is necessary to work until a clean shiny metal appears, not only on the rust-affected area, but also on the area around it, about a centimeter or two wide. When the surface is clean, go over the top with P600 sandpaper, sanding hard-to-reach places by hand if necessary.

If you do not have a power tool at hand, you will have to remove the paint manually. To do this, use sandpaper with grain P120. Then clean with P600 sandpaper. If the metal is rotten through and through, it is necessary to expand the hole to the “live” metal. Then treat the prepared surface with a rust converter. A chemical agent will get rid of even microscopic traces of corrosion.

Do not use a coarser sandpaper than P120, as it will leave deep scratches on the surface that will have to be putty.

Shake the composition thoroughly before using it. Then, using a sprayer, brush or even a rag, apply the liquid so that the surface is thoroughly wetted.After that, stop working and wait until the composition is completely dry. Next, brush the surface with a wire brush to remove any unreacted transducer residue, as well as the converted sandpaper.

To obtain the greatest effect, the procedure must be repeated. At the end of the work, the treated area must be thoroughly rinsed with water and then wiped dry with a cloth. Please note that this is a mandatory requirement that cannot be neglected.

Use this principle to treat all rusty spots on the surface of the car.

Most often, corrosion appears on the doors under the moldings, where dirt and moisture accumulate, as well as on the thresholds. Therefore, dismantle all attachments in these areas, as rust can hide under them.

So, we successfully coped with the removal of rust. Now it is necessary to immediately begin anti-corrosion treatment of the prepared area, otherwise, after a few days, new traces of corrosion will begin to appear on the surface. We begin work by wiping the metal with a degreaser. To do this, simply soak the rags in the liquid and then wipe the cleaned metal with them.

Next, you need to apply an anti-corrosion primer to the surface. It will not only protect the metal from corrosion, but also improve the adhesion between the base and the putty or paintwork material. The primer is applied with a sprayer or a conventional brush. After the first layer has dried, apply a second layer and then a third. For more information about the use of primer, read the instructions from the manufacturer. The fact is that different soils have their own nuances that must be taken into account when applying them. Thus, treat with a primer all places cleaned from corrosion.

Anti-corrosion primer allows you to stop the development of corrosion. Therefore, if necessary, after applying it, you can take a break in work, but you still should not tighten it too much.

After that, you need to close up the holes, if, of course, there are any. Use fiberglass putty to seal a small hole. Apply it with a spatula as you would a normal solid surface. Due to the rather thick consistency and the presence of fiberglass in the structure, it will not fall into the hole.

If the hole is larger, with a diameter of 2–3 cm, masking tape can be glued on the back of the metal. If the area of ​​the hole is large, i.e. more than 3-4 cm in diameter, it can be sealed with fiberglass, which is glued with polyester resin. To do this, pre-cut a patch of fiberglass so that it overlaps the undamaged metal by 5–10 centimeters. Then mix the resin with a hardener, usually the latter is added in an amount of 3% of the amount of resin.

Keep in mind that the "life" of the resin is about 10 minutes, after which it hardens and sets. Therefore, immediately after kneading, apply it with a brush on the prepared surface and attach a fiberglass patch to this area. Coat the surface of the patch with resin so that it is completely saturated with it. After the resin hardens, it must be sanded with sandpaper to remove any large irregularities.

If the damage to the body is minor, the surface can not even be putty, it is enough to apply several layers of primer, after which you can start painting.

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Then apply a thin layer of finishing or universal putty to the surface, trying to smooth it as accurately as possible. After drying, clean the coating with sandpaper “zero”. Next, the surface must be thoroughly cleaned of dust. To prevent stains from appearing under the paint and to keep the paint itself well, apply another coat of primer to the surface. After hardening, the primer must be sanded with sandpaper “zero”, previously soaked in water.

After that, the prepared surface must be painted.To repair a small area, you can use paint in a spray can. If you need to touch up a very small area, you can use a repair pencil with paint or paint in small tubes, which is sold with a brush, like women's nail polish. On this, in fact, the repair of the car body is completed. The only thing is that you can apply varnish on top of the paint and then polish it.