Ok I have some rust bubbling on my driver's side door at the back under the bumper trim stuff and also some at the bottom of the door. The good news is I pulled the interior panel and there's no rust inside the door, so it's luckily only on the outside. I've never used bondo or done anything major beyond touching up scratches...what will I need to fix this? I plan on using a wire brush in my dremel to remove the rust, then possibly grinding bits and sanding bits. Then I was going to try to use bondo or something to make it smooth, and then prime, wetsand, etc and then clearcoat. My whole car needs paint anyway so it doesn't have to look great, I just want to stop the rust. What I need is a shopping list. I already know I'll need bondo and some paint from the dealer. What else? What grades of sandpaper should I use and in what order? What's a quality primer to use? Thanks for any advice, I want to do this right.

 

Well, take off the rust with the wire brush or with some 36 grit sandpaper on an electric sander.Also, take the paint off to the bare metal for a couple of inches around the rust. Next apply some bondo with a Bondo squeegee (a couple of bucks). Sculpt the bondo until it is relatively flush with the paint that is left nearby. If it's not flush, sand it down using a flat board and some 220 grit sandpaper. Once they're flush, apply a thin coat of Bondo glazing putty on top of the bondo, over to the where the paint starts. Sand with 320 or 400 grit sandpaper until it's smooth. Prime. If there's any blemishes, repeat applications of the glazin putty. Prime and then apply some paint, or wait until you get it painted.

Jon

 

I had a similar problem with rust but on a large scale...When i bought the car it had the screaming chicken all rusted out on the hood....My dad brought it down to the metal and then instead of bondo(because it may crack in the long run) he applied a type of metal but in bondo type.....You apply it like regular bondo but it is actually metal and dries like a rock...I dont know if that helps but just wanted to give you some options

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1988 Firebird trans am 305 tbi LO3......Hey for 600 bucks i cant ask for more but i am going to swap the engine and spank some rice