Well I found my water leak.
 

Ok, I decided to replace my broken ac cowl flapper. Well pulled the cowl and old flapper out last night and as usual, found a lot more rust than I wanted. I broke out the sand blaster and got it fairly clean, and soaked it with ospho. As you can see by the pics, I'm wondering the best way to fix the holes. My thought was por's then I guess wipe some bonds over it. Is there anything better than bondo? Keep in mind, welding is out of the question. I want it to look as factory as possible when I done, so any and all ideas are welcome.
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Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

Ok, bear with me, it's only letting upload one pic at a time. Here's some before pics. There was a silicone like seal over and hiding all the rust.
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Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

After sand blasting
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Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

More after, with the ospho on it.
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Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

Wow, so I guess bondo is the way to go? Could someone please post some pics of what that area should look like. I've lost some metal and need to figure out how to rebuild that area so the vent will seal and work. Thanks!
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Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

POR makes a putty that is pretty good for filling in areas. It's a two party putty and gives you about fifteen to twenty minutes to work with it once mixed. Consistency of really tough playdough, easy to work with.

It's some tough stuff, easy to fill in areas with. Hard as a rock when dry. It's a good filler for areas like that. Just try to smooth it in as best as you can before it dries. Mix a little at a time, so you don't waste it.

Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

I second the POR putty.I filled a small hole around 10 years ago and the paint over the top of it still looks good . No cracks or shrinkage. Chris

Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

Great, that sound like exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks!
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Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

I found a couple of different POR 15 products. Any suggestions as to which would work best for what I'm doing?
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Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

Or this one?
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Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

This is the epoxy they are talking about. The other tube of POR patch is just a thicker version of POR 15. The 2 part epoxy is incredible stuff. I used it to fasten a couple of tiles that had popped off in my swimming pool. Those tiles have now been in place for approximately 10 years...under water

Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

The product image below:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1349013114

is the one I've used. Very good for filling in rust spots. I usually let it dry for 24 hours, then go back with a die grinder or sander, and smooth it down.

POR also makes a product called Marine Clean and Prep & Ready. You definitely want to use (at a minimum) the Prep & Ready on the rusted metal. Keep it moist for about thirty minutes. Use a small metal brush to clean the metal and prep it.

If you have an air compressor, after about thirty minutes of keep it moist, hit with the air hose to dry it off really good.

Once the putty dries for 24 hours, and you've sanded it down (you really need a power type sander...this stuff is very hard), coat it with POR-15.

Wear a long sleeve shirt that you don't mind sacrificing and rubber gloves. If you get POR-15 on your skin, use paint thinner or something equivalent to get it off *immediately*, or you're going to be wearing it for the next 3-4 days until it wears off naturally. I guarantee you, if you don't cover up and wear the rubber gloves, you'll get it on you no matter how careful you are! I know first hand ;)

Other than that, there's no real mystery to it. Very good stuff. Just prep the metal good before using the products for best adhesion.

Oh, makes a good practical joke if you want to paint someone's finger nails while they are sleeping :D It's impossible to describe how tough it is to get that stuff off!

Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

I have used both with great results. Chris

Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

I sand blasted the rust as best as I could. Then I applied oshpo to the entire area. Am I ok to apply the epoxy or should i prep the metal again with something else? Thanks again!
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Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

Can't say for sure. When I did mine, I applied over bare metal after using Metal Prep for 30 minutes, then thoroughly drying with an air nozzle on my compressor.

The idea was, to have the cleanest surface possible where the putty the putty would stick very well, then sand it smooth and follow up with a few coats of POR-15 for permanent protection. The POR-15 prevents any moisture from getting in.

I haven't used phosphorous under POR products, so can't say for sure. I can't imagine the phosphorous would cause any problems. Once the POR-15 is coated over the putty, it's not going anywhere. POR-15 is hard as rock too.

One other thing that might help: When I used the putty to fill in rust spots/holes, I'd take two equal parts of the putty (one is a hardener) and roll them in my hands for a few minutes, kneading them every thirty seconds or so. Then I'd "pinch off" little bits at a time and work it into the areas. Don't try to lay the whole ball over the area, just pinch off little pieces of the putty and smooth it into the areas. It's a lot easier to work with that way. Another tip, keep a cup of water handy and stick your finger in it, then smooth the putty out. The putty is water proof, so the water won't hurt it at all, but it does help to smooth it down some.

Re: Well I found my water leak.
 

Thanks,. I actually contacted POR directly and they said to coat the entire area first with POR 15, then put the epoxy putty over that. I'll follow your advise and only do small areas at a time. From what i read about it, i should be able to get it smooth enough that i don't have to sand it, then just prime and paint. I'll post some finish pics when i get it done. thanks again for everyone's help.