melted fenders...

[96LegacyWagon]

Okay, so with my current budget and the tools I have on hand (plus a couple parts from the store next week maybe?) I was contemplating the idea of melting down some aluminum or tin cans with a propane torch and making it into a liquid. Before that goes down I would be sanding the rust off my rear panel and attaching a metal Bondo screen on it, then I would need to find a way to keep the plate cool so it would cause the liquid metal the harden and thus form a new fendor part (rust hole gone). Then when it cools off paint it and post pics.

Anyone tried this before? If so I would like some constructive feedback... thanks. :) :smt020

[Reason]

Umm lol I don't know what to say to this...good luck? Lol

[harrymaneuvers]

You would need to have your rear quarter panel flat and level with the ground I would think... :smt017





What if you went and found a ton of used prescription glasses.... then you melted them all down... then you cast them into a massive (6 foot +) magnifying glass that you used to direct the suns rays directly on the rusted hole in the fender and the surrounding area making them glow red hot... then you (with a large set of players) carefully add the cans one at a time like solder until you have enough liquid aluminum to cover the hole. Let cool and bingo no more rust hole!!!


My way seems way less complicated...

[mlitz]

What if you went and found a ton of used prescription glasses.... then you melted them all down... then you cast them into a massive (6 foot +) magnifying glass that you used to direct the suns rays directly on the rusted hole in the fender and the surrounding area making them glow red hot... then you (with a large set of players) carefully add the cans one at a time like solder until you have enough liquid aluminum to cover the hole. Let cool and bingo no more rust hole!!!

:smt017 Can't tell if serious...

[Reason]

What if you went and found a ton of used prescription glasses.... then you melted them all down... then you cast them into a massive (6 foot +) magnifying glass that you used to direct the suns rays directly on the rusted hole in the fender and the surrounding area making them glow red hot... then you (with a large set of players) carefully add the cans one at a time like solder until you have enough liquid aluminum to cover the hole. Let cool and bingo no more rust hole!!!

:smt017 Can't tell if serious...
:smt005 He's not lol

[chuckthefuk]

Aluminum does not bond well to Stainless Steel...

This is not a good idea.. A welder + stainless steel is the right way to fix it. Fiberglass Filler (fiberglass bondo) + glassing mesh tape + regular bondo ontop of that is the crappy way to fix it.

Besides if you are serious about the liquid aluminum you can find tubes JB Weld.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/jbweld2755902-1.jpg

I don't recommend this...

-Chuck

[harrymaneuvers]

What if you went and found a ton of used prescription glasses.... then you melted them all down... then you cast them into a massive (6 foot +) magnifying glass that you used to direct the suns rays directly on the rusted hole in the fender and the surrounding area making them glow red hot... then you (with a large set of players) carefully add the cans one at a time like solder until you have enough liquid aluminum to cover the hole. Let cool and bingo no more rust hole!!!

:smt017 Can't tell if serious...
:smt005 He's not lol


^ made my day

[96LegacyWagon]

Thank you for your valuable input... :) I was uncertain of the metal properties of the Arizona tea cans and the soup cans from like Campbells but now that you have let me know they don't bond well, that saves me the problem of melting them and doing in a controlled setting, etc... plus now I can take my several pounds of metal I had sitting in the recyle bin to a scrap place and get a few bucks for the JB weld stuff (that creates a seal I take it?). So basically you not only saved me the trouble of finding out it wouldn't work, but also gave me a different option that not doing the first allows me to potentially do. :smt023


Aluminum does not bond well to Stainless Steel...

This is not a good idea.. A welder + stainless steel is the right way to fix it. Fiberglass Filler (fiberglass bondo) + glassing mesh tape + regular bondo ontop of that is the crappy way to fix it.

Besides if you are serious about the liquid aluminum you can find tubes JB Weld.

I don't recommend this...

-Chuck

[chuckthefuk]

I still advise against the JB weld. it does rust eventually.. ... It was just a viable option...

You are better off using tape to cover the hole until you got cash for welding repair or quarter panel replacement.

[96LegacyWagon]

I still advise against the JB weld. it does rust eventually.. ... It was just a viable option...

You are better off using tape to cover the hole until you got cash for welding repair or quarter panel replacement.

How difficult of a repair is the 1/4 panel replacement? I think you said you had a parts car sitting around, not sure what it would entail though. The RR door is actually the worst of the rust I have (that I can see).

[Huffer]

PM Dead91Silvia - he has a cut RR quarter that he was going to sell to me, but you need it more.

[96LegacyWagon]

For those who are joining the thread and have not read my intro post (both Huffer and Chuck read it), here is the left side of my car which needs to cancer reduction.https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/030312132735_01-1.jpg

Right side will be worked on either 1) when the parts come to me or 2) when I am done finding parts for the left side I will start looking for the right side.

[chuckthefuk]

Take Huffer up on that offer.. Its not common for clean quarter panels to go up for sale.. Dead91Silvia (Robin) is a great guy and I am sure he will be more then happy to help ...

Everyone needs a helping hand.. some more then others :-D

-chuck

[Huffer]

Yep... you need to just go find a junkyard and grab a set of front fenders, mirrors and a bumper (plus the bumper support).
If you get lucky you may even be able to get some decent seats and interior trim.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Before you get too deep into this, you need to check the inside area of your wheel wells.

1. take out the interior trim in the rear of the car
2. Remove the sound deadening
3. Look inside the panels and make sure you don't have rust eating away at all of that too.

I have the mentioned problem, and it would be incredibly difficult to fix.


Picture (look down the seam):
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/20120301161231-1.jpg

[hansvonaxion]

Holy crap! Don't mean to offend but isn't that car pretty much a write-off? Surely it would be cheaper/easier in the long run to buy a new car. Like Wisconsin_Mark said, you need to make sure the rust hasn't done more than just cosmetic damage, but even if it hasn't yet, you're fighting an uphill battle.

[96LegacyWagon]

Holy crap! Don't mean to offend but isn't that car pretty much a write-off? Surely it would be cheaper/easier in the long run to buy a new car. Like Wisconsin_Mark said, you need to make sure the rust hasn't done more than just cosmetic damage, but even if it hasn't yet, you're fighting an uphill battle.

The issue I am facing is working part time and having a majority of my money taken in garnishments and taxes each week. Because of this, if I can do cheap fixes over the long haul that add up it works out better for me than one big lump sum because there is always someone who wants money from me whenever I have it.

[chuckthefuk]

Don't listen to him..... Fenders, doors and Some welding in the rear and you should be back up to reliable condition... Best thing to do is find a parts car.. Save and it will be worth it.. Look for the same color and save yourself a headache..

Another Subaru Saved..
-Chuck

[hansvonaxion]

Hey I get the lack of cash part, what I was getting at was it might be better save money now instead of putting it into that car. Keep running it for as long as you can, just don't keep throwing money at it that you'll never get back.

Chuckthefuck that's the only other thing I would do, buy a complete shell if you have a lot invested in the running gear.

I don't know the state of the used car and parts markets where you live so it's hard to give informed advice, but I've been in a position where I've spent money on an old car, even buying replacement panels right up until it was deemed unroadworthy for having too much rust and I had to sell it for parts. Wreckers charge like wounded bulls where I'm from so replacing all the panels (like you probably need to do) would end up costing what it would to replace the whole car usually.

Good luck.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Don't listen to him..... Fenders, doors and Some welding in the rear and you should be back up to reliable condition... Best thing to do is find a parts car.. Save and it will be worth it.. Look for the same color and save yourself a headache..

Another Subaru Saved..
-Chuck

I should have posted these the first time too. I think this is a little too much for welding. There's gotta be some rusted frame in there somewhere.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/Innerquarterpanel1-1.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/Innerquarterpanel2-1.jpg

The rust runs all the way down the other side of the strut tower behind the seat. It's close to the point where the bolt tethering the rear seatbelt will be in a rust area, and I won't be able to safely drive with 5 people in the car.

I would strongly urge you to find a shell and swap everything over (lots of dead cars w/ headgaskets I'm sure) or find something else if you have this much damage from rust. Salt is destructive & I hate it passionately.

BTW, finding this rust when I did the sound deadening really almost made me cry. I love my Subaru and it's dying much quicker than I thought. *sigh*

[hansvonaxion]

Just looked up your intro post and I gotta stick by my original post. I personally wouldn't spend any money on it unless it was absolutely necessary to keep it running until you have saved enough for something better.

[d1giPhux]

You don't necessarily need to weld.. you can always cut replacement panels and then rivet them in place, and then go over the rivers with some type of sealant, then bondo, and then primer and paint.

You could also just pick up a cheap welder and have a go at it yourself. You could technically do it using the method of just spot welding, moving to a new spot, spot welding, etc until you get a decent bead.

You should check out some videos on youtube.. you might find some economical answers to get rid of the cancer temporarily.

[Reason]

Please, if you are going to do or have body work done, do it right. Because after a winter or two then you will be back in the same boat, if not worst. Riveting isn't the way to go, you mind as well screw down a sheet of metal and bondo it and toss on some ricer stickers to cover up the hack job.

[Wiscon_Mark]

As many have said, and I have learned. Liquid Metal, JB Weld, Bondo, etc = rust after about a year. There's only one good way to do it, and that's replacement metal.

[Dead91silvia]

Ummm... I'm speechless... :shock:

(after 5 minutes).... lol
I do have that QT sitting in the back of the yard I was saving for Huffer... I'll ship and sell it to you, but holy mother of lug nuts that car has a lot of rust. I have to agree with hansvonaxion, over here, we would not even think about it and pull the motor and trans and scrap the rest.

Like Mark said, you might want to pull some interior out and see what is going on. This last summer I sold a 97 BG wagon with piston slap for $2000, 0% rust. If I see a car with cancer like that, I'm only fixing if the car is rare or it's one spot. That poor thing looks like it took a salt bath!

Again, not trying to say your car is crap or anything, but thats a ton of work to bring that one back to the living. My last 2 parts cars were rust free. The only cars I have had that rusty were a 64 Volvo 122 parts car (jack went through the frame rail), a 47 Chrysler New Yorker (took it to scrap 2 years ago), 57 Nash Ambassador (so rusty I cant move it), and my 67 Chevy truck I still have that needs a cab.

My $.02 cents... Drive it till it dies, unless some how it's just the exterior thats got cancer...

[Dead91silvia]

Please, if you are going to do or have body work done, do it right. Because after a winter or two then you will be back in the same boat, if not worst. Riveting isn't the way to go, you mind as well screw down a sheet of metal and bondo it and toss on some ricer stickers to cover up the hack job.

This right here...

As guy with a autobody degree... Please for the love of steel do it the right way!

If a repair is done cheaply, it can actually make rust accelerate faster. I learned the hard way with the hatch on my 83 Celica. Had just a little rust (surface only), did a cheap fix, and in 2 years you could stick your hand in through the inside...

I have decided to just let me Chevy rust in peace. It's still the same it was when I was in high school...

If you really want to try and save your car, you need to really get into it and see where all your rust is and how bad. That will determine if the car is worth the time. First I would get it up in the air and get some pics of the wheel wells and also your subframe.

Post your pics in this thread and I can try and help you figure out what you want to do. It might just be that it's just the outer parts... :smt023

[96LegacyWagon]

I don't really have a lift, but I can crawl under and snap some photos when I get a chance to. Where is the subframe located on the car and what panel(s) do I need to remove to get there? I would already have trunk photos up and posted, but my trunk won't open until I crawl into the backseat and remove the back panel of the trunk and pull that little bent latch thing on the bottom of the door back there. As for interior... I am seeing a water pool behind the driver's side after it rains heavily (though that could be because of bad seals somewhere in the doors and/or the rust holes in the exterior).

[Okin DaVanh]

I don't really have a lift, but I can crawl under and snap some photos when I get a chance to. Where is the subframe located on the car and what panel(s) do I need to remove to get there? I would already have trunk photos up and posted, but my trunk won't open until I crawl into the backseat and remove the back panel of the trunk and pull that little bent latch thing on the bottom of the door back there. As for interior... I am seeing a water pool behind the driver's side after it rains heavily (though that could be because of bad seals somewhere in the doors and/or the rust holes in the exterior).


I've been reading this since you posted, but refrained from posting til now. Subframe is exposed, just look under the car. If it's the inside, take off any and all plastic or carpeted parts.

I'd go with WisconsinMark's suggestion.... After all, we all know EJ25 cars are all over CraigsList w/ blown HG's consistently! Ask me how I know... :wink:

[Dead91silvia]

Ok... When you open your hood, the 2 big flat box looking things that the cross member bolts to, thats the front half of the sub frame. That is the most important. If that is compromised, it's got problems and is not worth fixing...

Let me see if I have a pic of my car...

Here we go...
This is the right side rail (bent at the time) with the motor out in my BD...
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/01/IMG_8483-1.jpg

Each rail runs on top of the crossmember and is the same color of the car. Get under it and see if you have any more rust. These rails run under to abut the back of the driver seat on the inside of the trans tunnel.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/01/IMG_8567-1.jpg

I dont have any pics of the rear, but Same idea. The rear suspension crossmember bolts to it. I would say just get it in the air and take a bunch f pics and post them in this tread and we can help you figure out what to do.

I'm all for saving a car if possible, but sometimes they are just too far gone to justify it. If this was a 1957 Chevy Bel-Air, I would say no brainer, but this is car you can still get for $1500-6000 in great shape...

[immortal1kon]

For the rust on the inside of the fender wells you should buy some POR-15 its worth it.