Rust questions

[Lefty&Son]

Hi all,

General "rust" theory question - I've got PLENTY of the stuff pretty much all over. My question is when do you patch/repair, and when do you replace? (Do I bondo/sheet metal patch a small spot in the door, or replace the door?)

I don't have a good feel for this, and while I assume I'll get some feel for this over time, I'm wondering if there are any "rules of thumb" or general tips anyone has.

I truly hate when one of you mentions "rust free." Like VTKidder, I may never start with a local truck again

Thanks in advance,
Lefty

[PanelDeland]

The best advice I can give you is to replace the stuff you can't fix right yourself.If you can't reskin the door it will probably be cheaper to buy and install a repo than to have a body savvy guy fix yours.Body work is expensive and can be detrimental to your (mental) health. If you are fairly experienced at bodywork you prolly don't need that advice.Small places are a good place to start but remember that most rust isn't visible.If you see a small rust spot it may cover quite an area under the existing paint.
Learn as you go is the only way.

[gonebad2]

I have done alot of rust repair over the years. Here are a few tips (in my humble opinion) sometimes it's cheaper and less time consuming to replace a bolt on panel with a new one. If you do have to cut out a panel and weld a new one on, be sure to cut out ALL of the rust. If you don't, it will more than likely show up again. after you cut out the rust, spend the extra time to carefully trim the replacement panel as close as you can get it. This is especially important if you are butt welding the panels. Use a mig welder with gas. Stay away from the flux cored wire. It's thicker and creates more heat. Not to mention slag. Weld in short beads to prevent excessive heat and warpage. Alternate from side to side. Using a damp rag helps to keep it cool too. If you have the funds, stay away from the imported patch panels. the thickness, fit and overall quality is not very good. I have had the best luck with goodmark. I have also seen alot of good original rustfree panels at a really fair price on eBay.....Get a few body work books. I started doing bodywork when I was 12 years old. I'm now 38 and still learning shortcuts and" tricks of the trade". It takes alot of patience but it can also be very satisfying....Greg

[Gee_Emm]

One common misconception about rust is that it is organic, you do not need to cut out every inch of rusted metal in order to stop it from reappearing. It is not like cancer in the human body. Using a good coating over steel and keep it maintained will help the metal last longer.

[Classic Heartbeat]

Another misconception is Goodmark products are not imported.. Some parts like some of their gas tanks are domestic, however their sheet metal and trim is. Tabco and a couple of other companies have some panels that are domestic or at least made here or in Canida. As most people are finding out though, is not all imported parts are created equally. Some are good and some are bad. There are at least 5 Taiwan companies that I know of stamping replacement parts for these trucks. I personally have had both good, and bad from domestic, imported and NOS Genuine GM parts. Don't kid yourself and think that just because it is imported, that automaticly makes it bad. It just makes it imported! As gonebad2 has just found out, the patch panels that he has had the best luck with are Goodmark panels, well they are imported. WES www.ClassicHeartbeat.com

[gonebad2]

Both Gee and Wes bring up good points. In my post, about cutting out all rust if you are going to weld in a new one. I have never had much luck welding rusted sheetmetal not very strong and has the tendancy of likung to burn back real fast. I should have explained Goodmark a little better I guess. Some of their parts are imported from overseas. There is no way they have a building big enough to house all of the stamping equipment it would require to make all of the panels they offer for sale. It does seem their sheetmetal is closer to the original thickness than other imported panels I have seen. The lines are also better defined and spot welds seem better to me (if the panel has them). I guess as the old saying goes.....You get what you pay for.