I need body work help

[kach22i]

Chevy S10 Pick Up Truck 4x4 1998 - Lip Service

My Chebby has a case of herpies lips, also known round these parts a RUST-A-FLARES. :mrgreen:

The front wheel flare/lips are fine, the rear flares however hold moist mud in between inner and outer layers and tend to rust out early on this make/model.

Because of my experience glassing up my hovercraft with epoxy, micro bubbles and fiberglass I'm hoping to apply some of this light weight marine technology to my truck. Most of my work I hope to cover up with Pacer "flexy flares" side mount rubber flares which are intended for cases like mine. It's an extra $100 to the project budget to do all four wheel arches, but I think it affords me some leeaway in a less than professional outcome.

Further down the line and adding to the covering up my mistakes and age of vehicle, zebra stripes will be added to the upper part of the body. Lets call the PHASE II for now.

Picture of existing flare - passenger rear:


The passenger rear turned out to have been touched up before. No massive blocks of bondo, just some professionally applied glazing putty to fix surface rust at one time.


I was freaking out, I had no idea it was so rotten. I was just planning to scrape off some peeling paint with a screw driver and kiss it with some naval jelly for today.



Drivers side rear is better, but still in need of TLC.


Power tool time!


In the old days I would have done this by hand, but I'm older now and have nothing to prove to myself. :wink:

[kach22i]

The other side:




Time to get inside of those lips with a mini wire brush and a little wire wheel on my drill.


After scraping off the rust spray Permatex (naval jelly) spray using a WD40 straw to get up in all the hidden spots was used.




It was starting to turn black after several applications. I also used a jar of Permatex and brush and really got it good. It was getting colder as the sun was going down, so I helped it out a little with a heat gun, being careful not to get carried away and burn off my paint (or worse).

The plan/sketch I did a few weeks ago.

[kach22i]

The "Big Idea", kind of a ZR2 on Welfare look.



It's turning black, it's turning black, more like purple :lol:




I'll now accept any good advice on what to do after the 24 hour Permatex curing period.

What should I do next?

[Moneyguy1]

"Extend", or any other rust converters have to be sealed because they are water soluable. I have (since I used to live in the rust belt and did a lot of restorations) had good luck by using epoxy over the rust converter, then primed and painted. You can add a flexing agent to the epoxy to make it les brittle and subject to cracking. Look up West Systems. As an aside....Lousy design; creating a place for water to collect that cannot easily drain away or be cleaned. Might consider filling the cavities (after doing the sealing/preservation thing) with expandable foam which in turn would it self require sealing. Good luck. You have your work cut out for you.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Moneyguy1

[expandable foam which in turn would it self require sealing.

I used it on my hovercraft, it will suck moisture right out of the air and fill up with water (condensation), I don't think any amount of sealing will prevent this. Trust me, I considered it.

I understand that POR-15 may be a better product than Permatex, but you can't paint over it without an application of a second primer product from them. This makes me nervous because I don't know how fiber-strands soaked in epoxy would attach or bond to it.

All products I mention using in this thread I have used and have in stock because of my Tracker or hovercraft. I'm going with what I know, and I know many standard automotive products like plastic body filler (Bondo) are not up to my personal quality standards.


Here are the next steps (in my mind);

1. I foil tape the lower inside arch and wheel well, this will make a temporary form mold.

2. I epoxy soak fiberglass strands and suff then into the open cavities/rust holes.

3. Using a flappy sanding wheel on my drill I burnish off the foil tape and any messy or sharp strands of cured fiberglass.

4. With any voids now 1/4" of less in depth I putty in a stiff/thick mud of micro balloons or other epoxy based filler.

5. I grind down anything and everything. I then sand by hand with 200 grit in prep for glazing putty or feathering putty (finer than micro balloons).

6. I do final prep for primer and finish coat, sanding and filling as required.

7. On the inside of the wheel wells I spray on truck liner or tar-like rust proofing.

8. Clean up and touch-up paint exposed areas.

9. Install Flexy Flares.

10. Paint zebra stripes on upper body and paint alum. wheel rims black.

11. Install front home made chin spoiler, to save on gas.

12. Hook up the trailer and head off to a Hoverally.

EDIT : 3/16/09

I think (hope) the repair will last five years, the rubber lips will help hide it for another two. This 11 year old truck will then be 18 years old and a total wreck like the Tracker was at the same age.

I don't weld (the right way to do this repair), that's no excuse it's just a fact. By the time I learn to weld right, I'll be done.

I need to glass the backside and fill in the deeper pits (after scuffing it up). Several more steps, but this is going quickly, might be all done by Sunday.






The other side:




I used tape to form a mold on the rusted thru-holes and once it was setting up pulled it off so it would cure on both sides.