I removed the rubber mat that covers the driver and passenger floorboards and found a lot of rust and deterioration on the driver side. The rust is so bad there are two spots that have rusted completely through. I have been sanding and wire brushing the areas to clean them up. Should I do anything else to treat the areas? I am thinking of filling the areas with bondo and then sanding down to match the floorboards. After applying the bondo I am thinking of covering the actual floorboards with a roll on truck bed liner, a thick rubber sealant. Any thoughts on this plan? I'm wondering how I should treat the rusted areas before bondo ing....I don't know if I'll be able to get the areas to a shinny metal so not sure how well the bondo will stick. I'm new to prepping metal for body work and need some good advice for prepping these areas and applying something to stop the rust and also to protect the current metal.

Thanks

 

don't put bondo over it

if you can, weld a patch in or have someone do it for you. or worst case cut out the rust and use some panel bond to glue on a steel patch then seam seal it really good.

can you post a pic of the floorboard?

 

why is bondo a bad idea? Just curious. I was not completely sold on the idea, thought maybe it would not hold up and eventually fail. Here are two pics...the larger hole is obvious, the second hole is about 2inch slit on the left side of the picture...running horizontal to the picture.

thanks

 

As you guys can see, the rust is spreading to one of the bolts that attaches the cab to the frame. How should I go about cutting out or patching these areas without compromising the cab and the bolt? In other words, how do I get rid of the rusted areas without making these worse. I've seen some ads for rust doctor and some other products, do these products work or waste of money? Would it work to get a product that will stop rust...get rid of as much bad areas as I can...and then weld a patch over the area? I am planning on rolling on a truck bed liner type product as a finishing coat to help protect the floor boards once I'm done dealing with the rust. I am thinking the liner will seal the floorboards from water, which will get in that area during winter, and keep the rust from spreading further by keeping out moisture. Any thoughts or advice?

Thanks

 

thats pertty bad, i would cut it all out and replace it. if you weld a panle on top of it, it will just rust under that to. if you just cut a little out at a time and make a new peace to weld in. i have done rust repair on a lot of cars. i have seen alot of diff. attempts (fiberglass, bondo, spary foom. matel welded top) all of witch i have had to cut out and replace

 

What would you do about the area around the bolt that keeps the cab attached to the frame? Just cut it all out and make a piece to fit? What will it do to the body if I cut out the area that attaches it to the frame? Would it be ok until I get the new piece welded in? Also, what would you use for the new metal...scrap sheet metal?

Thanks, TheLoLux

 

i would look under the cab to see if its in all the cab suport to the body mounts. ifs so you will need to replace that too. start by cutting out the rust parts. i would brace the car if you are cutting around the mount. and keep cutting till it gone. some spots you can save by sanding it away, but if it pitted though, it need to repaced. i use new metal. then when im done i coat it with POR 15, you can get it at any piant and body supply place.

good luck

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I will try cutting it out this weekend and weld in a new piece. I found that I am getting water in the cab when it rains via the engine compartment. So I need to figure out how to stop the water. It looks like its going through the area around the brake pedal rod that pushes the master cylinder. Not sure if new weather stripping will work or not. Do you think putting the truck bed liner on the floor boards after I put in new sheet metal is a good idea? I'm going to tape off the area and make it look nice. I also figure that I'll have the original mat covering the area so it won't really be seen. I'm just hoping it will be a good water sealer.

Thanks again

 

i would try to see were the water is coming from. and for the bed liner, it will be fine. i did a bronco and he line-x the inside.

 

The permanent repairs mentioned above would certainly be the best way to go. But for daily drivers I have had good results removing the loose rust and painting the rusty surfaces on both sides with Rustoleum Hammered and then epoxying patches from the inside. The Hammered does a good job stopping rust and leaves a hard finish that's similar to bedliner. The cab mount may need special attention though.

 

best product for a easy fix with long term results ia somthin called POR415 it comes in few different colors but it only sticks to rust not to well on paint or other surfaces i did this on a 72 international pickup and its been goin on 10 years with a lil bit of fiberglass to patch the hole its still holding up you can buy it at most auto parts stores its made to paint over rust works great i have few exhample if you like me to show you

 

Sounds like good stuff. The fiberglass is a good idea. I think the Hammered contains something similar to convert the rust. It's much better than regular Rustoleum. For smaller holes, after treating both sides of the metal I have used aluminum tape on the bottom side and filled the upper side with two part epoxy, ie jbweld or marine putty. At the very least it stops the rust from spreading. I imagine you have rust up under the hood around the leak that needs treated and sealed to keep the water out. Btw I have painted over the Hammered with the trucks color and it seems to hold up ok.

 

deff need to need to weld the spots i would recomend to patch them thats what i had to do with my 70

 

As said cut away the real bad areas & weld in new pieces of metal ,the same thickness!.
Once that is done paint all the metal with Por-15,you get this @ a auto paint supplier.
It is made to go over rusted metal ,no prep, & stops & prevents more rust!
When using this product wear a mask, & blue type protective gloves. It can be removed from your skin with thinner while wet,not after it dies, & will take weeks to wear off!!