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DIY body work - small stuff *PICS*

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Mojoed

Diamond Member
I searched for body work, found two threads but not really what I was looking for.

Anyway, my latest car is a 1996 Subaru Legacy Outback. The car looks great, inside and out except for one spot just under the drivers door.

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There is a little dent, which I'm not too concerned with, but I do want to fix up the rust spot. Now I am a complete body work newbie but eager to learn. I've never done anything beyond touch up paint.

Does anyone have any tips on how I would go about DIY fixing up that spot? Again, I literally know nothing about body work and I don't want to screw up and have it end up worse. I am willing to buy the necessary tools to do this. Looking for a cliff-notes-like, step-by-step instructions if possible. I cannot Google this stuff myself. (See sig)

Thanks in advance!
 


You will need to drill a few holes and buy a slide hammer, pull the dent out gentle, mask of large area, fill in with a small layer(1/4") of bondo, smooth out with sand paper going finer and finer, paint with primer and then spray with a light contrasting color, once again sand lightly to see if you have any imperfections, wipe down with a lint cloth, if all is good paint car with matching paint and clear coat.

You should have a paint code on the inside of the door and you should be able to buy matching paint at Autozone.
 
Originally posted by: Budmantom


You will need to drill a few holes and buy a slide hammer, pull the dent out gentle, mask of large area, fill in with a small layer(1/4") of bondo, smooth out with sand paper going finer and finer, paint with primer and then spray with a light contrasting color, once again sand lightly to see if you have any imperfections, wipe down with a lint cloth, if all is good paint car with matching paint and clear coat.

You should have a paint code on the inside of the door and you should be able to buy matching paint at Autozone.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply! I don't think I'm going to bother pulling out the dent, as it's real small. I don't really want to mess with drilling holes and all that anyway. I just want to get rid of the rust spot. Do I still need to use bondo if I don't pull the dent out? Or can I just sand down the rust and just paint over it? Or just paint over the rust? :laugh:
 
Thanks for the replies so far!

One last shot at this thread I guess. I was thinking of just sanding the rust spot and spray painting it gray. Is this a bad idea? Will it at least look better than the rust spot?

What type of spray paint should I buy for this?

Thanks.
 
If you don't want to take out the dent on the spot I would suggest just sanding down to the metal, get some GOOD puff-can primer ( go to an automotive paint store should be around 15 - 20 bucks ) put on 3 - 4 coats of primer. Scuff the primer with a scuff pad ( 3M from an automotive store ) and see if they can paint match some kind of puff can... which might not be possible. If that's not an option I would take it to a body shop and ask them if they'd put a coat of paint and clear over the area, they might do it cheap.
 
Originally posted by: Mojoed
Thanks for the replies so far!

One last shot at this thread I guess. I was thinking of just sanding the rust spot and spray painting it gray. Is this a bad idea? Will it at least look better than the rust spot?

What type of spray paint should I buy for this?

Thanks.
Click to expand...


Primer, couple coats of matched spray paint (you can find the exact paint @ an auto parts store)and clear.


I know you don't want to do much more work but I suspect you could do the body work in an hour or two and it relatively easy.
 
Don't use sandpaper for that (or any rust repair). Rust / corrosion puts pits in the surface of the good metal, and flat sandpaper won't get into the pits very well. For an effective rust repair, you need to get ALL of it, or else it'll just come back. Use a wire brush for rust removal. For a spot like that, get a Dremel, a few wire cup brushes, and some safety glasses (those little wires like to fly off) and go to town on it. You'll have to take off a little paint on the edges to make sure that you get all the rust. You'll have far better control with a little wire brush on a Dremel than you would over a clunky sanding block or any type of power sander also.

And, be prepared to primer it immediately after getting the rust off, as unprotected steel will rust literally before your eyes if any moisture is allowed to touch it.
 
If you AREN'T going to fix the dent, then get some Rust Converter paint. They have it in Lowe's, Home Depot, or most any auto parts store. What that "paint" does, is chemically convert the rust to a black, paintable surface. So, it essentially kills the rust and stops it in its tracks. Then you can paint over it with a small can of the correct color for you car, if you desire. You do not have to remove the rust to spray this stuff.....it NEEDS rust to work. It goes on pretty clear, and dries black.

If you ARE going to fix the dent, DON'T just fill it up with Bondo IF you're planning to keep the car for a long time, as it WILL eventually crack. Bondo's not supposed to be put on that thick. You really need to pull the dent out if you go that route. If you do decide to rig it like that, get some fiberglass filler.
 
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