Honda rust

[gtr34]

ok guys, so ive got the typical honda rust on my eg. It's on the rear fender just above the tires. What's the best way of fixing this up?

Should i get it sanded and repainted? Or should i get a small peice welded in?

[rc2002]

Best to worst (also most expensive to least expensive):

1.) Buy a brand new 1/4 panel
2.) Weld new metal in
3.) Bondo/Sand and repaint

Consider the age of the car and how much it's worth before making your decision.

[finboy]

Originally posted by richardchan2002

Consider the age of the car and how much it's worth before making your decision.

:werd:

[jdm_eg6]

like richard said.. except there are two different 1/4 pannels.

one which costs nearly 1000.00 which is the one replaced on my car and the other you can buy from a shop i know for like 180.00 and it will repair up to a 10 inch radius of each fender.

so like said above:
1) Full rear quarter replacement (Huge and expensive job but its done the show car way.
2)mini quarter pannel replacement
3) Weld in metal
4) sand and bondo (i guarantee it will return within a month)

good luck man

[gtr34]

the car is a 93, so i think i'll either weld in some metal or do some bondo/sanding.

Is bondo/sanding easy to do? Or do i need to take it to a shop?

[stealthy13]

bondo/sanding is relativly easy considering i did it to my WHOLE car, then repainted it after.

[zachattack54]

I did on bonda on my 91 civic and it came back in 2 months as was mentioned before.

How much do you think it would be to fix not even a quarter sized spot on my car and it looks to be only surface rust. Its just a bubble right now.

[Kloubek]

I've worked with bondo, and think I am pretty handy. Whether the job will work out properly, you have to decide for yourself. If the rust is right though, it becomes more difficult since there is no backing for the bondo to.... well... BOND to. This means you will have to create your own backing (they sell stuff for that), as well as estimate the curvature of the panel to ensure it looks right when painted.

You also would then have the added joy of ensuring you don't apply it too thick, or it will likely crack.

If you do go the bondo route, ensure ALL visable rust is removed. If you leave any at all, it will be sure to come through.

I had a hole (I could actually put my fist through it) in the door of a Talon once. I removed the rust I could, bashed the sides of the hole in a little bit, and placed a sheet of fiberglass over it all. Then I bondo'd over top to shape it to the panel.

In 3 months, there was not a speck of rust coming through. I saw the car on beyond for sale recently, and still could not see it whatsoever - and that's in upwards of 10 months now, so I think I did ok.

Honestly, unless the rust is really really bad, I think that on a 93 car this is your best fix. If it's super bad, welding might be your only choice as bondo is not really designed for large fixes.

[Kloubek]

Zach: If it's not through yet, it's a simple fix. Grind right down to bare metal. Leave no rust at all. (And I do mean AT ALL.)

Fill it with bondo and paint it before moisture has a chance to create new rust.

If you do this properly, it will not come back.

[jdm_eg6]

the thing with the rust is its not what you see... its double what you see behind the actual panel. make sure you replace the metal if you want it to last. if i were to fix my last bit of rust left i would do it with the mini-me quarter.

good luck man, its a HUGE pain!!! he he

[Cooked Rice]

Your not suppose to just slap bondo/fiberglass over rust it doesn't work that way. You have to remove all the rust first then use rust converter/naval jelly on any pitted metal, then coat with zinc chromate primer (to prevent the bare metal from rusting) then bondo over that, then finish with primer/paint/clear.

P.S. on larger panels which have not rusted through yet, use a sandblaster as it will remove the rust pits that grinding can't get at.

[GTS Jeff]

Bondo is a body filler, not a panel replacement. Used properly, it's good shit. But if you're patching rust holes, you should be using something like POR15.

[finboy]

you could always save yourself the trouble, sell the car and go look for a bc civic :thumbsup:

[heavyD]

Leave the car alone unless you have alot of money to restore the entire car. There's a reason people call rust on a car cancer and it's because it usually comes back especially on an early 90's Honda. Chances are your car has alot of rust behind the panels so if you spend $$$ fixing one area, you may end up having another area start to rust after. My brother's 96 Integra GSR was mint then out of the blue started getting a little rust around the rear fenders then within a year it was in the lower doors and near the hatch.

[gtr34]

does anyone know where the best place to purchase the bondo would be? Also are there different types of brands?

[tom_9109]

you better do some research on what you're doing before you just buy some bondo.


The can't remember the brand but ask for rage body filler at a body shop supply store. its really easy to work with.

[Cooked Rice]

Originally posted by tom_9109
you better do some research on what you're doing before you just buy some bondo.


The can't remember the brand but ask for rage body filler at a body shop supply store. its really easy to work with.

It's made by evercoat :thumbsup: good stuff. I'm actually using some fiberglass products by evercoat to fix my rocker panels on my 240sx, which they are notorious for :thumbsdow Of course I cut out all of the rust and cleaned it up, chemical rust treated, then sealed first. Downfall of course is that it can crack in cold weather, but high quality products and proper procedures all minimize the chances and increase the life of the fiberglass repair.

[AG_Styles]

if you think your car is worth it, i'd say go for panel replacements!

i went the bondo route with my first car, and it's.. well not bad, but the rust came back fast. cost like 50-100 bucks for everything.

i went with panel replacement on my current car last summer. there were lots of under panel rust that needed to be taken care of in addition. so thats something to watch out for like everyone has said. cost a lot, but i thought it was worth it since i'm keeping the car.

[finboy]

Originally posted by heavyD
Leave the car alone unless you have alot of money to restore the entire car. There's a reason people call rust on a car cancer and it's because it usually comes back especially on an early 90's Honda. Chances are your car has alot of rust behind the panels so if you spend $$$ fixing one area, you may end up having another area start to rust after. My brother's 96 Integra GSR was mint then out of the blue started getting a little rust around the rear fenders then within a year it was in the lower doors and near the hatch.

:werd:

if you want a rust free civic, sell yours and buy one from bc