Subject: Old car body repairs - advice sought...
From: "Set Square"
Date: 04/10/2004 18:06 GMT Standard Time
Message-id:

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Reuben wrote:

I have a 1983 VW Passat GL5 which is in reasonable condition barring
some serious rust on the training edges of the doors and the tailgate.
Professional repairers seem reluctant to take on repairs like this -
they want to replace the doors (possible) and the tailgate (not
possible to buy new tailgate now).
I'm considering doing the repairs myself and I'd like to hear from
anyone who has experience of this kind of job in relation to materials
and methods.
I'm realistic about what I can expect to achieve - I just want a
passable job to keep the car legal. If it turns out really well,
that's a bonus.

Thanks.

Have you tried breakers yards for second-hand doors and tailgates which
might be in a better condition than yours?

By keeping the car legal, I presume you mean remove sharp rusty edges which
could be dangerous. What is written below is ok from that perspective but
does *not* apply to anything structural - like chassis members - which would
need to be welded.

If you want to repair the panels, you need to:
* remove paint and flaking rust from the affected areas
* treat the rust with phosphoric acid to stop it spreading
* indent the edges of any holes, and stick sheets of fireglass matting,
soaked in fibreglass resin, on the back of the panel [disposable gloves
essential for this!]
* once the resin has hardened, spread filler over the front surface
* when the filler has hardened, sand it to shape, blending in with
surrounding metalwork
* prime and paint the finished surface [It really needs spraying, for which
you *might* get away with aerosols provided the areas are fairly small and
you do it on a wind-free day].
--
Cheers,
Set Square
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This is all excellent advice. After spraying, rub down with wet'n'dry paper
(wet of course) and spray again. Repeat until you get a reasonably even paint
finish. The rub hard with brasso to get a glossy shine.