It seems we all think an old car is "not too bad" when we see it- I know I'm guilty of that! We look at the tiny blisters of brown and see a little rust-Not too bad -Right? Back when I painted cars for people I became very much like an XRAY machine, when it came to examining a panel for rust. Most of the time- it looks like a small problem but after diggin deeper you usually find its only a small amount of the rust we actually see on the exterior. What often happens is we "live with it"...and let it deteriorate to a much more serious state before we realize how much rust is really "in there" . Then we have not only outer damage but structural damage on the inside..... I wanted to show an example of this. This panel was really full of mud and Mouse Motels and mud dobber nests and even newspapers chewed up. when I cut it to replace the sorta rusty panel I discovered what would have been very bad, if left for a couple winters driving time.
Here I show the 1st picture is how it looks before 2nd is with it opened up to see inside! Often it is just dirt sucked in while driving and then condensation added to make mud........ This one had Mouse chewings in both sides though so it really acce;lerates the rusting process[URINE]. I cleaned it all out and Zinc coated inside before making and installing a new panel. I formed it from flat 18 ga over a 2-tube fixture -which I showed here in an earlier post...... I'll undercoat inner surfaces after the welding/grinding is done. [Most undercoating is very flamable!]
Holy shit Chop, I'm suprised a rat didn't fall out of there when you opened it. Thats quite a party going on behind that panel.
Here is the old peice held up to the light to show the difference in appearances and reality....... I also removed the panel ends I left on first cut- to make the new panel a full replacement.... If there is a lesson here is WASH OUR CARS THOUROUGHLY AND OFTEN!
Other guys in different parts of the country don't have so much dirt and moisture as some places do.But almost all areas have Mice . Also it is common for these lower panels to suck dust in as we drive....add a little rain sloshed in and condensation and soon we have a problem. 3M used to sell a "super panel filler" product -a 2 part foam that only expanded to fill the panel/not bulgeing it. It had an almost rubber /foam consistencey....not a bad idea-given the alternative!
another good idea while your in there - clean up and por 15 everything you can get to, and on the patch and surrounding area to be welded us weld through primer. this will save you from doing it again, which is never fun.
Wow, I would'nt have thought it was that bad from what it looked like outside. That was really packed full, your customer is going to be very happy that you took the extra time to do it right! Shaun.
I just went through this with my '55 Dodge which is well on it's way to getting fresh paint. the part of the rocker/quarter right in front of the rear wheels had a rot hole on both sides, and I cut the section out to make a replacement panel. By the time I was done cleaning the mouse nests and general dirt/garbage/rust chunks out of it, I had a pile about a foot in diameter and 6" high of shit that came out of a very small area. I should have taken pictures, it was hard to believe.
The Jalopy Journal
