Expert: William Forster - 11/5/2006

Question
i recently purchased a 91 civic the wheel well on the drivers side has  some rot  as well as the side skirts, i bought the car for 300$  im kinda tight on cash, i wanted to attempt  doing this job my self in order to save my self some money  i just wanted to know if there was anything i needed to know b4 attempting this it will be outside temp in the upper 50's if thats any help at all  i just need it to pass inspection, thank you for your time.  

Answer
You are going to need a grinder, an electric 4.5 inch will probably do, several 24 grit grinding discs for it, a sanding block, some sort of orbital sander, some 36 grit paper for it, some 80 grit paper, and some 150- 220 paper. I don't suggest using fiberglass, it's difficult for a novice to glass and matt rust. I would use some Bondo-glass, it's available at Wal Mart, and it's relatively cheap, and it's waterproof. Now, if the rust is massive, and pieces of car are actually missing, you will need to make some sort of patches. You can't bondo thin air. Some very thin sheet metal can be obtained from old thinner cans, cheap metal shelving or old cheap metal cabinets. A sabre saw, or aviation shears will cut it nicely. Pop rivets are preferable for attaching, but screws can be used if you grind 3/4 of the heads off before bondo application. Now, Grind old paint and rust off wherever you intend to apply the bondo glass. Bondo glass will sand like a rock, especially if you let it completely cure before rough sanding. Carve excess bondo off with a razor blade, or a cheese grater file for bondo, when the filler has the consistency of hard cheese. It will save MASSIVE amounts of sanding. Once mostly cured, rough sand bondo glass with the grinder and 24 grit discs. Once you have the rough shape you want, and all holes are filled, use regular bondo to do smoothing work. It isn't as hard as bondo glass, and spreads much more smoothly. Rough sand bondo with 36, then follow with 80 grit. Super smooth with some 180. Use Orbital sander  with some 180 to feather back old paint around repairs, then scuff at least 3 inches beyond that with a red scuff pad. Prime with at least 3 coats of spray gun primer, or at least 6 coats of bomb can primer if you don't have a spray gun. Once you have it in prime, email for paint instructions. Expect to see bubbles within a year, and to have to redo it within 2 years, if not sooner. Bill