RUST RUST EVERYWHERE!!!

[Betty The Bronco]

/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I just had my bronco for just over year now, and a proud owner I am. But, it seems every time I go to wash Betty, my truck, I seem to find another spot of rust just expanding outwards like cancer, and don't even start with me about my back fenders (major rust HOLES) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> . So my question is how do take care of this problem in the most efficient way possible? I am only a high school student and my weekly income is right above minimum wage. Plus I don't know much about vehicles or body work for that matter. So if someone could help me out with a somewhat easy method that would be greatly appreciated. INCLUDE LINKS IF POSSIBLE PLEASE.

 

[Jersey]

/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I just had my bronco for just over year now, and a proud owner I am. But, it seems every time I go to wash Betty, my truck, I seem to find another spot of rust just expanding outwards like cancer, and don't even start with me about my back fenders (major rust HOLES) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> . So my question is how do take care of this problem in the most efficient way possible? I am only a high school student and my weekly income is right above minimum wage. Plus I don't know much about vehicles or body work for that matter. So if someone could help me out with a somewhat easy method that would be greatly appreciated. INCLUDE LINKS IF POSSIBLE PLEASE.

There is a paint out on the market called "HAMMERTITE". (Or something close to that). It comes in a spray can in a few different colors. You spray it right onto the rust and it somehow chemically reacts to slow down the process. I use it on our tow truck at work, (has a half million miles on it), and it slowed the rust WAY down. Both Lows and Home Depot have it and its not very expensive. Painted the whole chassis of my bosses plow bronco and it worked great on that. Hope that helps.

 

[jsomedaysoon]

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemTyp...&itemID=372 this is a link someone sent me for products to fix my rusted rims. i only scaned the site so far but i'm about to go back when i get a few more minutes. they seemed to have some good stuff for rust.

 

[Seabronc]

Sorry to tell you this, but if you are not just going to hide it for a short while there is no easy way except cutting out the rusty metal and replacing it with new. Quick short term fixes like using fiberglass and Bondo only prolong the inevitable. Products like POR15, Rust Bullet, etc. are great when used properly but are used as surface preparation on things like frames or the back side of skins but not on external surfaces as a paint preparation.

Good luck,

>-

 

[walnuts75]

/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I just had my bronco for just over year now, and a proud owner I am. But, it seems every time I go to wash Betty, my truck, I seem to find another spot of rust just expanding outwards like cancer, and don't even start with me about my back fenders (major rust HOLES) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> . So my question is how do take care of this problem in the most efficient way possible? I am only a high school student and my weekly income is right above minimum wage. Plus I don't know much about vehicles or body work for that matter. So if someone could help me out with a somewhat easy method that would be greatly appreciated. INCLUDE LINKS IF POSSIBLE PLEASE.

The only way to deal with this rust is to cut it out. As soon as cancer spots appear on the Bronco it is already too late. The panels on the bronco actually rusts from the inside out. So by the time cancer spots appear, a great deal of oxidation has occured and you MUST cut it out at least an inch away from the rust spots. A lot of sand, dirt, grime, and salt become stuck in the space between the rear fender and the rear wheel housing causing the inside to rot out first. Also, in order to determine how much metal has been rusted out, tap around the infected areas with a hammer to see how brittle the surrounding areas are. If any of the metal cracks or easily bends, you have to cut it ALL out. Usually it will be worse than it looks so be prepared.

There are several ways to fix this. One is to cut out all the rust then install fender flares to cover everything up. It looks good, and only you know that the rust is there. This ends up being the cheapest and easiest way. Secondly, you could buy entire panel or fender, which gets pricey, but is by far the best way. A third way is to buy just the section of the panel which is a cheap fix and a lot of work, but if done right it can last for awhile. Go to www.broncograveyard.com and they have a list of body parts for the bronco. They will run about $40 a piece. I just replaced sections of my rear panels instead of buying the whole panel. As for the front, I used a lot of metal that was just laying around on the farm. If you ever plan on selling your bronco, option number 3 probably would't be the best for you. People won't want a Bronco with half a$$ body work. It is very difficult and time consuming. Also, you must pretreat any bare metal that you uncover with some sort of rust resistant paint.

Also keep in mind that if you replace any of the panels, you will have to paint it. Basecoat/clearcoat alone will cost you at least $250. Or just acrilic enamel will be about $150. Plus finding someone to paint it for you will be costly unless you or a friend of yours knows how to paint. I was lucky that my friend's dad paints all the time and will do it for me for only $150. At a body shop a new paint job will be about $1,500 up to $5,000 and can even get more expensive than that.

Here's some pics of what I did. But I also plan on keeping this Bronco forever, and I am already planning how to fix it up the next time it rusts. I have more pictures somewhere on this forum so just look around. My computer takes about 34 hours just to upload one photo and I dont have enough time to upload all of them.

 

[walnuts75]

ooops, I guess those pics didnt upload. If you look through the old topics you'll be able to find them.

 

[Broncobill78]

As the others have told you, there isn't a whole lot you can do with tis. You basically have two choices, either *find* the $$$ to have it fixed or start learning to fix these things yourself. The first option is pretty much self-explanatory, the second is more complicated. You can slow the rust down somewhat by sanding the spots down to bare metal, treating them with a rust converter (such as naval jelly) and then priming them. If the rust has gone all the way thru the metal anywhere you can still do this but it will come back sooner. These are just holding actions to buy you some time. If the rust is bad on the hood, front fenders, doors or tailgate then you can pretty easily replace those parts by getting a good one at a junkyard or someplace like the Bronco Graveyard. Rust on the quarter panels (rear fenders) and on the body-tub is harder to deal with because the only way to repair it will be to remove the bad metal & weld in a patch panel or replacement panel. If you're still in school does your school offer an automotive or body shop class ? Some do (not as many as when *I* was in school though) if you can get into a body class you're golden & you'll have someone who can teach you how to repair it. If not you may want to look around for a local Voke school that offers night classes. If there's one near you it will almost certainly have a body shop class available & I would *strongly* advise you to sign up & go. It'll be an 8 or 12 week class that meets a couple nights a week. You can bring your truck and an instructor will show you how to repair the damage. You can always pick up some good books on the subject and start teaching yourself, that will work ok for pretty much everything except the welding part of it.

Sorry I can't offer more but outside of throwing $$$ at the problem those are your options.