PLEASE HELP ASAP! RUST QUESTIONS.

[Guest BattleAXeT6]

I just bought a Brat on Ebay and I got an email of the close up of the pictures of rust for the first time. From the original pictures that were far away and blurry, it didn't look that bad. Is there a way to transplant the rocker panels or repair it? I am looking to fully restore this car. I don't want to buy this car, put all the work into it, and then have it start bubbling up with more rust.

 

I am supposed to go pick the car up tomorrow afternoon from CT (I am in PA). Please get back to me about this. If you want to help, give me your email address and I can send you the pictures or I can send them thru AIM.

 

Thanks.

[Guest GeneralDisorder]

It can be done - it's not easy tho. Cut out as much rust as possible, and sandblast well past the edge of the rusted sections into the good paint. If there is ANY rust left, it will come back eventually. Replace the missing metal with sections of steel welded in, and then beat with a hammer till it's below the surface level - fill with bondo, and paint. That's the basic idea anyway - there's lots of little tricks to getting it right. Sanding with different grits, and primer and all that. But anything can be done if you REALLY want to do it, and have the time and money.

 

GD

[Guest WagonsOnly]

If it's rusted through on the undercarriage, I'd start looking for another Brat. If the rocker panels are the only areas affected, you can cut away all the rust, fill the interior with expanding foam and weld new panels on, then fill, prime and paint the patches...but if the door sills are rusted all the way through I don't think I'd bother fixing it. Just my .02, Andrew

 

(You can send pics to me through AIM, I'm oldcomputersrus .)

[Guest BattleAXeT6]

Thanks a lot. I will go up there and take a look and see what happens.

[Guest x silvershad0w x]

Please do not fill the panel viods with expaninding foam.. I am fixing that from the previous owner, it rotted every support, the floorpan, everything it touches it holds moisture against.

 

The entire bottom flange you see on most subarus is completely gone bacuse of that crap on my car. I had to cut out everything, the floorpan where it rolls up the side, there is a center support in there, and the outer rocker itself, and I made (still making) a new rocker that extends down past where the original seem was, and I have to rebuild the original shape of the floorpan for the interior panels.

 

If anything, I can probably guarantee my car had more rust than your Brat will have, and it is fixable, but it's not easy. In hindsight, I would have gone to the yard. payed the torching fee, and had them cut me good panels fomr a rust free car and then welded or riveted them in place on the new car. Note you do not have to follow seams on things like rockers, they are very easy to blend in.

 

You can also take partial rockers, front column (where the door bolts on) from ea81 wagons too, they will fit up with some work. With a donor car in a yard or a parts car of your own, this isn't that hard to do. I would recommend that route over trying to form sheet metal from flat stock as I have - what a pain in the rump roast.

 

Again, please do not use foam on your car. I have really learned to hate that stuff.

[Guest Flowmastered87GL]

I am doing the front column on my brat as well as the door sills and spare tire support. I know its gonna be pain, but the brat is worth saving and I still dont have a job, so I have plenty of time to do it right.