Jh350
Newbie
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2017
- Messages
- 27
Hey all. To start with, this is my first rust repair project, so I'm just looking for some input from anyone who has done this before. I am also wanting to do this as correct as I can, meaning I don't want to take shortcuts, and am hoping to learn some new tricks and build some confidents along the way.
So here's the back story... I noticed some rust bubbles on the bottom edge of my tailgate, and wanted to strip it down to try and tackle some small rust spots before they got out of hand. Well it seems like a previous owner already did this, and not the way I think it should have been done . Their solution was to spot weld thin sheetmetal strips over the rusty areas, then bondo the hell out of it to hide the seams. They did this on the outside of the tailgate and on the inside. I don't want to just scrap this tailgate and buy a new one, mostly for the reasons listed above, along with I'd rather put that money towards my already lengthy shopping list for the Bronco. So I purchased a patch panel from toms, but will also need to source a strip of metal to fill in the bad areas on the inside of the tailgate. My plan is to POR15 the inside old metal, then use weld-thru primer on the new metal and where I will be welding.
Now onto my questions:
on the inside of the tailgate, there is a factory seam about 4 inches up from where the rust ended (see the first picture), and I wasn't sure if I should replace with all new metal up to this seam, or if I should continue with my original plan of just replacing up to my cut line? If I did replace up to that seam, any idea how its constructed from the factory (how to remove the top metal without damaging the layer beneath it?)
Also, should I separate the bottom hinge pipe and rebuild the ENTIRE bottom section of the tailgate, or would it be better to just alter my new patch panel to fit around the old metal (which appears to still be strong)?
I'd appreciate any suggestions or advise on this, hopefully this all make sense haha.
So here's the back story... I noticed some rust bubbles on the bottom edge of my tailgate, and wanted to strip it down to try and tackle some small rust spots before they got out of hand. Well it seems like a previous owner already did this, and not the way I think it should have been done . Their solution was to spot weld thin sheetmetal strips over the rusty areas, then bondo the hell out of it to hide the seams. They did this on the outside of the tailgate and on the inside. I don't want to just scrap this tailgate and buy a new one, mostly for the reasons listed above, along with I'd rather put that money towards my already lengthy shopping list for the Bronco. So I purchased a patch panel from toms, but will also need to source a strip of metal to fill in the bad areas on the inside of the tailgate. My plan is to POR15 the inside old metal, then use weld-thru primer on the new metal and where I will be welding.
Now onto my questions:
on the inside of the tailgate, there is a factory seam about 4 inches up from where the rust ended (see the first picture), and I wasn't sure if I should replace with all new metal up to this seam, or if I should continue with my original plan of just replacing up to my cut line? If I did replace up to that seam, any idea how its constructed from the factory (how to remove the top metal without damaging the layer beneath it?)
Also, should I separate the bottom hinge pipe and rebuild the ENTIRE bottom section of the tailgate, or would it be better to just alter my new patch panel to fit around the old metal (which appears to still be strong)?
I'd appreciate any suggestions or advise on this, hopefully this all make sense haha.