EXT: The Rust Removal DIY

[accord driver]

wow excellent write up. I wish i had documented my rust repair adventure on my wagon. I had large holes like the one of your drivers side on both sides that included the part where the bumper mounts too. I just wanted to add that the reason your primered panel started rusting is that primer is not waterproof. it may seem like it is but in reality it is not. For those who are mor adventurous you can rebuild the missing parts of metal with aluminum mesh and fiberglass mat and resin like i did. i redid the whole wheel arch on my passenger side that way. A lot of work!!!! But like i said, excellent write up accordtunerx!!!!!

[accordtunerx]

Originally posted by accord driver
I just wanted to add that the reason your primered panel started rusting is that primer is not waterproof. it may seem like it is but in reality it is not.

actually, my primer seems to be waterproof. i just didn't spray enough of it on the first time around - and the bare metal got exposed to the rainwater and stuff. but now - i'm actually still rolling around with ONLY primer on the driver side. it's been 3 months, and it hasn't rusted since i've sprayed more coats on.

[91AccordSE]

Bondo question..

Just picked up some bondo and some spray paint today for doin my grill (similar to whats in the DIY section). And I was just wondering, any special instructions on how to apply the bondo? How much hardener for how much bondo? How long till it dries so I can begin priming and painting? Thanks.

[cp[mike]]

Re: Bondo question..

Originally posted by 91AccordSE
How much hardener for how much bondo? How long till it dries so I can begin priming and painting?

should say it on the can, ive also seen rubber bondo spreaders, and they colored the rubber the same color the bondo should be once u add enough hardener. thats what im gettin when i do my rust... heh

steve, instead of normal bondo, what about that tigerhair stuff, the kind w/ fiberglass strands in it? u think thatll be stiffer, or would it not make much of a difference?

im counting down the days till spring when ill be able to do this DIY... i wanted to go out to wash off the caked on salt, but my host reel was frozen and it broke off, and my local carwash is closed (broken), its torture seeing layers of salt on my already bad rust

[akkordlayinkit]

Re: Re: Bondo question..

Originally posted by cpmike
steve, instead of normal bondo, what about that tigerhair stuff, the kind w/ fiberglass strands in it? u think thatll be stiffer, or would it not make much of a difference?

Im not Steve but I can answer this...the tigerhair will be a bit more flexible than the bondo when completly hardened. Also the bondo will crack if applied thick (more than 1/4") whereas you can build up the fiberglass thicker without it cracking. I would recommend using the kittyhair-tigerhair to fill the hole, then skim over the top of it with bondo to fill all the pores in the fiberglass, and also to smooth it out.
Jay

[cp[mike]]

oooh, thanks man! perfect response.

[HenRoc]

great DIY man..Im rusting badly behind the rear right side..

I replaced my hood today with a 91 accord hood got really lucky it was the same exact color because the frost white accord especailly in the junkyards are hard to find...Im replacin the drivers door soon as well.

Also I'm helping Maple with his ride..since his needs the metal behind the bumper..

It saddens me to see alot of CB7s in that junk yard though makes me weep

[d21x]

i had rust like that, but it exteneded all the way down. i wasnt even sure if my bumper would hold on anymore!!!!

POS wisconsin weather!!!

[d21x]

Originally posted by 91accord4door
how did you take care of it d21??

same way accordtunerx did it, but i was pissed i had so much rust that i did a shitty job.

oh and after 1 yr of doing it, the rust is starting to come back. almost impossible to stop unless u cut it all off and weld some new metal. think of this as a temporarily solution.

[Swifty1638]

Hey d21x, you got any pics of your car at all? Could u email the to me or sumthin? Iwanna check out your ride height, cause I got those springs, and am thinking the same shocks..

-A. Swift

[tru2037]

Re: Re: Re: Bondo question..

Originally posted by akkordlayinkit
Im not Steve but I can answer this...the tigerhair will be a bit more flexible than the bondo when completly hardened. Also the bondo will crack if applied thick (more than 1/4") whereas you can build up the fiberglass thicker without it cracking. I would recommend using the kittyhair-tigerhair to fill the hole, then skim over the top of it with bondo to fill all the pores in the fiberglass, and also to smooth it out.
Jay

second that. fiberglass sheets and epoxy works good for patching those holes, you got to put on a few layers for a strong mold.

[d21x]

Originally posted by Swifty1638
Hey d21x, you got any pics of your car at all? Could u email the to me or sumthin? Iwanna check out your ride height, cause I got those springs, and am thinking the same shocks..

-A. Swift

btw. i have some skunkworks coilovers comin in so im going to be selling the prokits soon. its a good ride and everything, but for autox i just wanted something stiffer and lower for looks.

[accordme93]

Here is my wondeful rust adventure.

As soon as I finished high school I bought a 90 EX-2Door AT Teal in color. It was love at first sight. And the big plus was that is only had 80K. So I look the car over and it looks great until I get the quarter panels. RUST CITY! Actually it didn't look too bad, just the typical bubbles. I thought I could deal with it. Wrong! I should of ran away.

So I slowly start to find out that the rust problem is worse than originally thought. I can litterally pull pieces of the wheel well lip off! So my buddy tells me that his dad's friend has a body shop and he is reasonable. I take it to him and he says he can get rid of it for about $500 bucks. Well it takes him about a month! Amost on a daily basis I go over to the shop and say, "is it done yet?" On my frequent trips I see that he has completely sanded the areas down to bare metal and he fills the holes with a special bondo that has metal in it.

I finally get my baby back and give my grandma back her POS 80 something S-10. For a week I'm feeling great about the car. It looks brand new. The body shop guy even repainted my drivers side fender for free because it was a little dull. So the car looked factory fresh.

Well not longer than a week later I see the rust coming back!!! I couldn't believe it. After all the time and money that was spent on it. The final draw was when my buddy and me were scraping out some rust on the inside of the trunk area. I turn away for a moment and hear this OOOPS!!! I was like what did you do? Then I turn around and see the screwdriver sticking out of the quarter panel!

That was the last straw. I finally put for sale signs in it.

Bought a 93 EX-2Door with a 5-Speed. That was almost 5 years ago. My 93 is still going stong with 160K on it and best of all NO RUST!

Moral of the story. Don't ever buy a car with rust! I know you rust belt guys can't really help it.

If it has rust, don't walk away, RUN AWAY! Trust me!

[AccordWarrior]

Yeah, i hear that...my car has already had the rust repair before i bought it, but they didn't do a great job and yeah, its back but its done the whole wheel well...the only problem I'm so attached to the car, I think I'm gonna bite the bullet this summer and go to a body shop and have them do new panels on both sides...I've done a little online research and I've been told its between 2800 and 3000 to do using new honda metal...but i mean its my first car and I've become really attached to it...so i think i will do it...but yeah, so this is gonna be a pain tho, because i'm going to be on co-op at school which means i work for 6 months, so i think i'm gonna have to buy another car (looking for a non turbo supra targa 89-92) too so that while mine's in the shop i'll have something to drive, but in the end it'll be worth it...because i think while i'm at it i might get the trunk swap and a oem spoiler...call me crazy...but its worth it to me

[HondaFan81]

ATX Thanks alot for the right up. I want to take care of my rust as well. It's on the rear quarter panels, lower front doors (both sides) and hood. I'm getting a new hood & doing trunk swap, pulling off all trim moldings and taking care of rust underneath them as well...it has that rust drippin out from under trim look to it now...nasty.

If my 90 EX is way to rusty to repair, I'm also still debating on purchasing a 4th gen from out west...only all my crap works on my car, there is no guarantee it will on car I buy even if I'm replacing engine/trans....all the electronics, etc could be bad or go wrong....