Filling A Rust Hole!

[Guest PacMan]

Well the next stage in Project GTi is to fill and paint this lovely hole in the corner of my roof.

 

Can anyone suggest the best filler to use and the best method of doing it? I can't get to the underside of the roof, so everything will have to be done from the outside. I would estimate that once all the rusted metal is removed, the hole will be about the size of a tennis ball.

 

[Gary 2]

Oh dear,thats not nice

 

I cant be of any help though mate,the only stuff i have ever used is P38 but not on anything like that.

[Guest PacMan]

It most definitely is not nice, but its got to be fixed before it gets worse. Last time i tried something like this (on a nova, many moons ago) it wasn't a great success, but that was a long time ago before forums with helpful peeps even existed...

[Guest G900 GTI]

why cant you get to the underside of it? it needs to be cut out and welded

[Guest Al-2]

Could you get at it by removing the headlining?

 

If it's just metal under it you can do this ...

 

- cut out all the rust. dent the edges of the hole down slightly.

- get an appropriate sized sponge, mix up some fastglass fibreglassing resin and soak the sponge in it. Wear gloves.

- stuff the sponge down into the hole so it's jammed in behind it.

- wait for it to set.

- sand it back a bit under the roof line so there's a bit of a dip.

- fill with P38, flat and paint like any other dent.

[Guest PacMan]

The roof is double skinned so getting at it from underneath is not an option, and welding from above would just be a mess.

 

Al, that sounds like a plan, i've never heard of using a sponge soked in resin before but it sounds like a good idea! Have you done this before?

[Gary 2]

Take the roof off and you will have a Cti

[Guest RichGti]

Sorry did this thread have a purpose, I got sidetracked by a certain avatar!!

[Guest Hungrytang]

Because the hole is so large and on the roof I would concider having it repaired profesionaly

 

A poor repair will show big time on on such a large panel

Althow White will hide alot.

[Guest dean0]

If you can't weld it you can buy aluminium mesh that will go over the hole, then you apply filler, but I think th roof might be structural so its best to get that welded, I've repaired a hole about that size in a wing with ally mesh before but I personally wouldn't do that to a roof. You can probably just cut around the hold then get someone who's good at welding to weld a patch in flush, I had the same done to my floorpan and it looks pretty good.

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

If it were my car I would find a way of putting metal over that, welded in place.

 

Rob

[Guest G900 GTI]

The roof is double skinned so getting at it from underneath is not an option, and welding from above would just be a mess.

If you can find someone that does TIG welding he should be able to patch that without a problem and also with out making a mess, i done a patch on my old XR2 roof once it had been filled and painted you would never have known.

[Leet205 48]

you could use ultra smart 2k fibrofill from tetrosyl, they're at Tetrosil, its vibration reisitant. Glass fiber reinforced and bonds and fills holes in metal. Buff up the rust, sink the metal slightly, mix up resin and hardner, take a peice of plastic sligtly larger than the repair, spread the fiberglass on it and apply it to the area, leave it to harden and peel off the plastic, now buff up the fiberglass and apply p38 (cataloy) as normal and bobs your uncle and fannys your auntie

[Guest Al-2]

pacman - No, not personally, but i know someone who used that trick for sills ...

 

You could weld it if you have an edge setter, which will put a slight z-shaped crease all the way round the cleaned up hole and allow you to fit a piece of steel in flush with the surface. It'll still need filling and the welds grinding back but it can be done and it's a hell of a lot stronger than old matey's sponge. that's what I use on sills.

[Guest PacMan]

Cheers for all the advice. I think i'll maybe get someone to look at it so see if it can be welded, but i'm not holding up much hope of it being cheap or easy. Think i'll take all the surrounding rust out first of all to see whether i fancy having a go at filling it myself.

[Gary 2]

You havent had it long,have you?

[Guest PacMan]

I've had it about a month. I bought the car with the rust hole included free of charge, so i knew what i was letting myself in for. It needed a lot of work and i'm just trying to do one thing at a time, but its getting there. Its starting to look the part, but between my two pugs, i think i could make a full-time job for myself.

[Guest Ben xs]

PacMan, get an angle grinder and grind it back to bare (shiny) metal then take a pic and post it up, looks alot easier job than everyones saying to me, but i cant see under the flaking paint...

easy peesy

Edited September 11, 2003 by Ben xs

[Guest PacMan]

I'll take some more pics in a day or two when i get rid of the surrounding rust.

[Guest jimos]

TRY A TENNIS BALL IN IT THEN PAINT IT WHITE! :lol:SHOULD FIT FLUSH AFTER GRINDING OUT!

 

Joke aside depends how go a job you want on it m8 really for yourself!could just grog the whole hole with fiberglass filler resin the flat it to the roof and skimm it with filler flat it, prime,paint it wet falt it then cut it back would do the job.!Depends how old the car is how long your keeping it ect!

[Guest PacMan]

Well i took the masking tape off that has been there since i bought the car, and it seems its worse than i first thought. It seems to have spread a bit although not holed like the main bid. I've prodded the metal and it appears solid enough, so i'm unsure whether to cut it out or not.

 

Anyhow, heres the latest pics :

 

 

 

Its weird cos the rest of the bodywork is in very good nick for an '86 car, with only minor surface rust in inconspicious places.

[Guest Al-2]

Looks like it could be worth welding it, just to make a strong job of it.

[jacobs53 0]

here is my advice..... cut out the rust and leave a rectangle hole, cut the four corners about 8mm outwards, then bend down the side of it, this gives a welder a good solid place to put a weld. Then get a plate of stainless steel (dosen't rust!!) cut to fit the hole. And get it welded. Using bodyfiller smooth it all over and there u got perfect finish.

 

You could also try the mesh and fibreglass it in the same way as above, but for strength welded is best

 

I'd say maximum a welder could charge is £20 for that, any more and he is taking you for a right ride!

 

hth - lee

[Guest PacMan]

Looks like its gonna have to be welded then.

[Guest in_xs]

Davids do a good Aluminium based one which was brilliant for delocking and dewipering my boot, it never sank like my mates did.

 

Got it from halfords