Preparing my VK!

[GunnVK]

Hi guys!
New to the forum, looking forward to getting some helpful info on here! Anyway im looking at turning my old daily a VK Berlina into a project car. Now i had a look over the car for rust and it seems to be very minimal. Mainly in the boot floor and around the seal and in the bottom of the doors. Other than that it is fairly clean and straight for a 25yr old car. Now from inspection and it hasnt been thorough the rust holes look like they will be able to be filled with filler. Is their a general rule of thumb say if a rust hole is over a certain diameter it should be welded then smoothed over with filler or just filler can be used, then smoothed? Also minor dints are they ok to smooth over with filler?

Now once i get all the rust out and have it nice and straight, time for painting. The car has had a respray in its life but has just been over the top of the original paint. It is although starting to peel around the window seals but i think thats cause i dont think the windows + windscreen were removed, seemed to be a closed door respray (is that what its called?) The paint although isnt that bad, is getting a little chalky but after a polish comes up pretty good, its red by the way. Now the question is would it be ok to spray over the top? If so how would i prep it for painting?

Thats all i can think of at the moment but im sure ill have a few more questions. Thanks in advance!

 

[ari666]

Is their a general rule of thumb say if a rust hole is over a certain diameter it should be welded

lol yeah. if there is a hole 0.00000000005mm, it needs to be cut out. basically anything that has gone through the metal will just keep spreading. even filling the hole with weld isnt gonna be a long term fix. you should really cut as much metal away from the affected are as possible. its a pain, but if you bog over it, its just gonna come back in a few months. also: you will be surprised what happens when you go over a tiny spot with the wire wheel. usually they collapse and you get to see the true-rusty area.

i had heaps of pin holes become gaping 40mm holes on the impala. but its best that you be as brutal as possible, so you can be sure all the cancer is gone.

minor dents are ok to fill (if you cant tap them out)


and as far as painting it goes, i have had a NIGHTMARE of a time spraying 2k over acrylic. HUGE fry ups, you sand them back flat, then the edges fry up again. right little bastard. so i dunno, couple of actual panel beaters/spray painters on here will know. im just a backyard hack

 

[GunnVK]

Yeah same here, just a backyard hack lol. Haha thanks for that mate, im just not the best welder but now i understand whats needed to be done. I went over the rust briefly with the wheel today and yes it seemed to spread larger lol, ill get a few pics up of my car and the rusty spots. So if it hasnt rusted right threw is it alright to bog over once i have grinded all the rust out? Or still better to cut it out? Is there anything i can 'treat' the metal with to stop the rust coming back? such as killrust or similar? Also what type of welding is best? I seem to be better with the oxy than the mig.

Thanks!

 

[ari666]

man, if your up for a good read then check out my impala thread. there is 58 pages, but plenty of rust repair info from people who have helped me all the way through.

http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/projects/107074-my-66-impala-hardtop.html

i will also PM you a link to a really good thread on another forum (im pretty sure advertising other forums is against the rules) of a 69 camaro which is being done properley.

hope it helps

 

[ari666]

pm sent.

it really isnt that hard to figure out how to use the mig, and trust me, you really do want to replace the metal you cut away. bog just will not cut it over the long term, itll crack and collapse over time. i bought sheets of 1.0mm and 1.2mm steel and just went to town. i think a 1800x600 sheet was about 80 bucks.

also i use "rustech" rust converter to deal with surface rust, a lot of guys on here recommend "de-oxidine" but i havent been able to find it yet. but nothing better than sandpaper and good ol' cutting wheels on the grinder

 

[Dayvo]

Another place to check for rust or leaks is where the panel below the windscreen and the front guards meet . If you remove the guards you will see some sealer that over time goes hard and the water leaks in and you end up with water over the driver and passenger floor

 

[GunnVK]

Thanks for the links and help Ari, appreciate it heaps. Haha guess I shouldn't have bought the filler today lol
Oh well.
Dayvo- Funny you say that as when it rains heavy I did get water on the drivers floor, I'll have to check it out! Cheers!

 

[ari666]

yeah davo makes a really good point. here are some pics, stolen from zeussy's build thread:

^^^^ Passenger side, behind fire wall/heater intake area?!

^^^ Passenger side, under dash, inside cabin.

^^^ Drivers side, behind fire wall/heater intake area?!

^^^ Drivers side, under dash, inside cabin.




All those pics of Cancer, make me
So, heres how I left her this arvo...! :smoking:

check out his ride here: http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/projects/89208-project-vh-3.html

and also, once you get a few pics, make your own "my ride" here: VB - VC - VH - VK

the boys on here are really helpful if you have questions, throw it up in your ride and they usually get answered within a few hours.

 

[GunnVK]

Mines not that bad lol but i havent checked on the inside. There is no rust on the outside under the bonnet though. Car has very little rust visually. Yeah ill get a thread going when i organise some pics.

 

[Dayvo]

Thanks for the links and help Ari, appreciate it heaps. Haha guess I shouldn't have bought the filler today lol
Oh well.
Dayvo- Funny you say that as when it rains heavy I did get water on the drivers floor, I'll have to check it out! Cheers!

Also check the bottom corners of the rear windows for the same problem