restore rusty roof 1972 charger

Posted By: DDDDDD

restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/05/09 02:52 AM

I restored my roof on my 1972 charger about 2 years ago and coated it with rust bullet and then bondo over top and numerous coats of paint between and after. But today there were rust bubbles that came off and revealed holes in the roof and around the rear window where it makes a 90 degree bend where the trim rides. I thought rust bullet was supposta seal better than that. W/e. What should i do now to repair these little holes that are 1mm to 3/4 cm in diameter??? i have a mig and stick welder, or bondo, im out of ideas???? A vinyl top will be going over it.

Posted By: GLR

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/05/09 03:01 AM

The best thing naturally would be to weld the holes shut and make sure that you grind and clean area that was welded and if the area is clean and free of rust I would coat with epoxy over that area. If you still have some rust issues eastwood makes a product that I have used called Encapsulator. I have used it a couple of times on customers cars and so far has held up well.
If you can't weld up the hols , I had a friend of mine tell me he used JB WELD on some rust holes on his car and it held up also.

Posted By: DynoDave

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/05/09 12:15 PM

That's strange. While I've never used rust bullet, I've used similar products (POR15 and Bill Hersch Miracle Paint) and never had a problem like you are describing.

Welding the holes shut would be a good answer. But a lot of times when metal is severely pitted with rust, and rusted through at some "pinhole" locations, the metal will have gotten so thin it can be hard to weld holes shut.

Posted By: 4BBodies

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/05/09 12:50 PM

It probably rusted from the inside, around your repair areas. I see it all the time in Maine, you cut out the rust, weld it, and it bubbles where the seam was. It is usually because I didn't cut back/repair far enough, also, you shouldn't put bondo over paints or primers, if you have to fill pits, use fiberglass. (Fiberfill) Bondo is porous, and like a spong with water. Sandblast, weld, Fiberfill, THEN Encapsulator, or POR 15. And paint/seal the back side if at all possible.

Posted By: sixbbl69

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/05/09 01:36 PM

get a rust free roof and do it right or fight it forever.people get rich off some of the so called rust go away potions on the market.

Posted By: DDDDDD

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/05/09 01:46 PM

idk if i have the skills to replace the entire roof lol, and i doubt anyone has any roofs to sell for my car....no one makes anything for these chargers

Posted By: wings471

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/05/09 02:38 PM

Quote:

It probably rusted from the inside, around your repair areas. I see it all the time in Maine, you cut out the rust, weld it, and it bubbles where the seam was. It is usually because I didn't cut back/repair far enough, also, you shouldn't put bondo over paints or primers, if you have to fill pits, use fiberglass. (Fiberfill) Bondo is porous, and like a spong with water. Sandblast, weld, Fiberfill, THEN Encapsulator, or POR 15. And paint/seal the back side if at all possible.

Would "All Metal" be a good/better choice if the rust was completely removed?

Posted By: DaytonaTurbo

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/05/09 04:18 PM

Quote:

It probably rusted from the inside, around your repair areas. I see it all the time in Maine, you cut out the rust, weld it, and it bubbles where the seam was. It is usually because I didn't cut back/repair far enough, also, you shouldn't put bondo over paints or primers, if you have to fill pits, use fiberglass. (Fiberfill) Bondo is porous, and like a spong with water. Sandblast, weld, Fiberfill, THEN Encapsulator, or POR 15. And paint/seal the back side if at all possible.

I would not bondo directly over bare or partially rusted metal, not if you want it to last for any length of time. Because bondo does not provide you with any kind of a seal is why you want to coat the metal with something before using it.

But either way, you did a patch job over a rusty surface, you should not be surprised it bubbled up on you. Really, unless you are going to cut out the entire rusted section and replace with good metal from a donor car, the rust will always come back. If you are welding onto metal that has been 'thinned' by rust, it is only a matter of time. These rust-stopper products don't prevent this permanently, the best they can do when properly applied is to delay it somewhat. This means cleaning the surface of rust as best you can, then coating it from both sides. Honestly I would only do this kind of repair on a roof I intended to throw a vinyl top on to hide the evidence...

Posted By: DDDDDD

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/05/09 04:25 PM

i did sand the roof down and go rid of most of the rust, then i coated it with the rust bullet, and then after that i coated it with a coat of paint and then i put bondo. I didnt put bondo on bare or rusty metal. And i am putting a vinyl top over it lol. Im just confused on how it came through the rust bullet, in some areas but it is still solid in others, when it was evenly rusty and cleaned prior to coating it.

Posted By: 4BBodies

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/06/09 08:39 PM

It's because the air got to it from behind the repair. I doubt it is the Rust Bullet's fault. After I weld, I sandblast the metal, then fiberglass, then bondo. THEN you can Rust Bullet, Encapsulate, Rust-oleum, or pray to the Sun God. Whatever helps keep the rust from coming back! It has to be sealed, either by completely being welded SOLID, or by a combination of that and painting/sealing behind the repair. Good luck, I have delt with this countless times, and doing it right doesn't always guarantee it will last. But is does help your odds!

Posted By: upnover

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/06/09 10:48 PM

did you use 1 or 2 coats of rust bullet, the instructions specifically tell you to use 2 coats, with the 2nd acting as the sealer.

Posted By: DDDDDD

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/09/09 02:26 AM

yea i used 2 coats of rust bullet. Im gunna dive a little deeper into it this weekend...so i should know more then and ill explain what all is going and hopefully we can figure out a specific plan to fix it.

Posted By: NAS Backyard

Re: restore rusty roof 1972 charger - 04/09/09 04:47 AM

I am currently using/testing Rust Bullet on a GM car floorboard and inside an evaporative "swamp" cooler. Short term results look really good. If you are using it on a roof like that you will have to get it on the backside of the rust also. Maybe by drilling a few holes in the inner roof frame and squirting it in with a pump oil can. It is very spendy but a cheaper alternative to complete replacement. My Olds floor pans are 60.00 for 1 section,I used a 60.00 quart on the whole floor. A new swamp cooler was 500.00 I used another 60.00 quart on that. I will see how this stuff holds up.