Rust Removal Advice

[REdOX]

Hi all,

A few years ago my parents gifted me their old 1st gen Odyssey (1995). The engine is still running strong after +350K. The interior is still good and it's the perfect camping & music festival vehicle. I actually drove it to Burning Man in Nevada last year.

I'm wondering if I can get some advice on what to do about these rust spots. I'm not really concerned about looks, just that I don't want the rust to get bigger than it already is. I'm also trying to stay within a budget. Should I just leave it alone? Any helpful advice? Thanks in advance!

P.S. I already checked YouTube and did some research but I thought I'd see if anyone had some other helpful advice. Yes, I realize I'm not a hand model, I just wanted it in there for scale

Spot #1 - Left quarter panel


Spot #2 - Right quarter panel


Spot #3 - Right quarter panel


Spot #4 - Door


Overall

[Team_Mclaren]

I'd leave it alone, nothing "cheap" would be worth it imo.

[nobb]

I think the goal here is to stop it from spreading vs aesthetics. What I do on the beater is grind off all the rust, spray POR 15, then add fibreglass filler and finish it off with a spray can of matching-ish paint. Should be <$50 in materials to do this.

[REdOX]

Originally posted by Team_Mclaren
I'd leave it alone, nothing &quot;cheap&quot; would be worth it imo.

Originally posted by nobb
I think the goal here is to stop it from spreading vs aesthetics. What I do on the beater is grind off all the rust, spray POR 15, then add fibreglass filler and finish it off with a spray can of matching-ish paint. Should be &lt;$50 in materials to do this.

Both good points. That being said, if it's just time and <$50 in materials to stop the spread I might just roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty so to speak.

[Sasuke_Kensai]

Something I've done on my car is just slap some general purpose grease on the rust and it seems to stop/slow it, though mine is pretty minor and I have access to most of it. It can be a little unslightly though you can wipe most of it away and leave just a thin coating. Overall it's very easy and cheap.

I imagine some of your spots might be too far for that, though, unless you grind it first.

[mr2mike]

To do it properly, even for yourself is time intensive.
Forming a new piece of sheet metal, cutting out old and tack welding in a new piece.

Nobb said it. If it's to stop the spread, grind off the rust and rust inhib spray then filler to build it up.
The parts with the holes, you're not going to get back and don't be surprised you end up grinding back a lot more than you think once you start getting the paint layer off.

[BAB Inc]

only way to do it is cut it out. Expensive and time consuming. I would just leave it alone!

[ianmcc]

Thing about rust is it is always way worse than it appears. And the only true way to repair is to cut it out and replace old sheetmetal with new.
Just leave it alone-you already said you don't care about looks. And after 350K+ it has lived it's life.

[REdOX]

Hey everyone, thanks for the opinions! I've decided to just leave it alone. Even the easiest, cheapest, quick and dirty fix where looks aren't a concern would still be about $30~$50 in materials and a couple hours of time. I'm reluctant to do it on my own having never done it before (plus I don't own a grinder).

Thanks again!