Do you always have to cut it out

[yukonfan]

i have a 04 yukon that has some cancer. I dont think its too bad but i want to deal with it now rather later. Is it always necessary to cut it out? I know there are a lot of rust reversing products on the market. When can i can get away with fiberglass filling a hole rather than cutting, welding, and body filling the repair?

 

[wjburken]

i have a 04 yukon that has some cancer. I dont think its too bad but i want to deal with it now rather later. Is it always necessary to cut it out? I know there are a lot of rust reversing products on the market. When can i can get away with fiberglass filling a hole rather than cutting, welding, and body filling the repair?

I don’t think there is any hard and fast rule about when you can go the bondo/fiberglass route vs cutting and welding. It basically comes down to how particular you are about your vehicle and how durable of a fix you want as well as what your budget is. If you want to start off with fiberglass filler and some paint, go for it. If at a later time things get worse, then you can go the cut/weld route.

Personally, if I was planning on keeping the vehicle for any length of time and the rest of it is in decent shape, I would seriously consider going with the cut/weld option.

 

[OR VietVet]

One thing is certain. If you do not cut the rust out, it will rear it's ugly head again later.

Anything else is a patch.

 

[George B]

One thing is certain. If you do not cut the rust out, it will rear it's ugly head again later.

Anything else is a patch.

This, and it will be sooner rather than later. If you plan to keep the truck then cut it out. Don't bury it.

 

[drakon543]

the rust reversing stuff you see out there is good for what it is but falls into the same category as alot of other mystery fixes. yes it will coat and stop the rust for longer than just sanding and filling alone. but its just a temporary fix at best. all it does is coat and stop the rust thats visible on the surface. eventually the rust thats eaten into the metal will come back out. if your really good with filler and aren't looking for perfection you can get away without welding but it will be time consuming. well technically it could be impossible depending on how much metal you need to cut away. anyway it is possible to cut out the bad rusty metal smooth out the edges. then i would add atleast a primer coat to the bare metal. with some patience and having the vehicle down for atleast a day or a whole weekend you can use a patch of fiberglass to take up the majority of the hole. then use your fiberglass filler ontop of that. it wont be perfect but with some patience and making sure you get the fiberglass patch matting attached well enough you can fill the hole that way for a long lasting rust free repair. also bondo and primer are generally porous by nature so as soon as the filling is cured prime base and clear it immediately. water will seep right through the repair and cause more problems.

 

[Big Mama]

And many times the rust is in between the 2 sides of the panel. Killing the surface rust leaves the inside the same so it continues

 

[wjburken]

Yeah, it’s like an iceberg. What you can see is only 10% of what is there.

 

[mountie]

Consider rust as a fungus on steel, .. aluminum is corrosion that can be cured/sealed.

The rust will continue to spread... especially if it's in an area you can't get to.

Think of an old truck roof.... People just say, " it's surface rust "..... But I see entire roofs with "surface rust". It spread through out the entire roof.
The older the truck, the more you will see holes eventually.

 

[NEECAPR]

LAST FALL FINISHED TWO AREAS ON MY '99. ONE WAS A TRIBLE PANEL INTERSECTION--TOUGH AREA TO FAB FROM SCRATCH, SO USED KBS COATINGS PRODUCTS TO TRY TO KILL THE RUST. JOB MIGHT LAST, BUT, NOT LOOKING CERTAIN!! THIS, BY THE WAY WAS BECAUSE A PLASTIC PLUG ABOVE THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL HAD BEEN OMITTED--WATER, SALT, SAND, AND WHATEVER UP INTO THE FENDER BODY. NEVER NOTICED TOHE OPEN HOLE!!
THE OTHER AREA THAT IS MUCH BETTER AND WAS REALLY MUCH EASIER: CUT ALL RUST AWAY AT THE REAR OF THE WHEEL WELL, THEN START OVER. COATED ALL RAW METAL SURFACES THEN BUILT A BACK BONE WITH ACE HARDWARE BRASS SHEET PIECES. THEN BONDO, OF COURSE. SEAL EVERY EDGE SOMOISTURE CAN'T BACK IN AND TRASH YOUR WORK.
IN MOST AREAS, CHOP IT OUT THEN CLEAN METAL IS MUCH EASIER. ONCE YOU START GETTING SOME NEW METAL BACK IN PLACE, YOU'LL KNOW YOU'RE DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY!!