Question for Autobody folks

[Daggar]

Portions of my rear hatch are bubbling up under the paint. Last summer, I sanded those areas down to bare metal, masked it off, sprayed some rustoleum primer on it, let it dry, then repainted those areas. It didn't look great but the plan was to stop the cancer until the next time the car was painted.

There's a spot where it didn't stop the cancer. It's bubbling up under my patch job. I think that the hatch is actualy rusting from the inside out.

What should I do to stop this?

Would I be better off removing the hatch and taking it to a pro?

Thanks,
Daggs

 

[Michael Yount]

I'd take it to a pro and see if they can help you figure out WHY it's rusting from the inside. There's usually either a previous problem that was never repaired, or something is wrong that is allowing moisture to get someplace on the backside where it normally wouldn't get. Reputable body shops are usually pretty good at figuring out where it's coming from. One thing is for sure - if it's coming up from the back side, simply sanding/painting isn't going to solve the problem. Like many cancers - it will be back unless you stop the source of the leak/corrosion.

 

[Daggar]

I think I fixed the internal moisture problem today. It wasn't appearant that it was coming inside until I saw it bubbling up under my repair work. So today, I removed the rear spoiler, cut some gasket material, glued it to the hatch with black sealant, allowed it to get tacky, then reinstalled the spoiler. Appearantly the last time I got the car painted, they didn't bother to reseal the bolt holes where the spoiler attatches. Do you know if there is some miracle solution that I can swish around inside of that hatch cavity to stop it from rusting? If not, then I'll let the pros deal with it this winter. A fiberglass hatch is not an option. The ass end of these cars is light enough already.

 

[Michael Yount]

Sounds like you found the source of the moisture - that should slow things down considerably.

Miracle and solutions and rust are two terms that hardly ever go together. To stop it completely for sure - access to the backside is almost always necessary.

 

[Daggar]

Sounds like you found the source of the moisture - that should slow things down considerably.

Miracle and solutions and rust are two terms that hardly ever go together. To stop it completely for sure - access to the backside is almost always necessary.

I was afraid of that. Thanks Mike

 

[ponyboy302]

Looking at what youve said Daggar, it sounds like the rust is coming up for the inside of the panel. Like Mike said the big problem is if the panel is unaccessable from the back side where the plastic panel can be removed, then the options are very slim. You can usually pay a visit to an automotive paint store you can purchase a product that destroys rust and turns it into a primer, which seals it. IF the panel is accesable from the rear (hoping it might be because its near where the spoiler mount is) then i suggest you try to sand off the rust with something between 80-180 grit, then using a product such as Rust Fighter from 3M. If the rust is very bad in which the metal is becoming brittle or holey, the rusted section will need to be cut out and be replaced with new metal, or fiberglass will be used depending on the bodyshops preference. Good luck man, I feel for you, my car is seeing rust problems too.

 

[ponyboy302]

Forgot one more thing there is a product named rust encapsulator, my boss uses it on some of the older classic cars, I personally do not trust it, but we have not had a car come back that we used it on. http://www.eastwood.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=5791&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=5791

 

[midlife89]

I've had good luck with por 15 on my boy's truck and on the meatal band around my sunroof.

 

[Daggar]

I'll have to take a look at that stuff. The area behind the part that's bubbling up is pretty much out of reach. It's on the hatch itself. There are no panels that can be remove to get to it. It's on the right rear corner and small rubber body plugs that measure maybe 1 inch by 2 inches are the only thing that get even close to the cavity. I may try removing the hatch and putting one of those suggested inhibiters into the hole and rotating the hatcharound so that the stuff coats everything inside of that area then sanding and repainting it again. If that doesn't work, I'm thinking that it will most certainly have to be cut and replaced with new metal. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Daggar]

Here's the actual spot where the rust is coming up under the paint:

 

[Michael Yount]

Unless you're completely enamored with the metal hatch, if fiberglass replacements are available, I'd make the swap. Lose a few pounds and eliminate corrosion completely. And if over time fatigue cracking is an issue - that's easy to fix with fiberglass.

 

[Daggar]

Do you really think that a fiberglass hatch on a car that is so light in the ass end would be a good idea? I've been pretty much steering clear of that option.

 

[Michael Yount]

I read your original post on the fiberglass option before I posted. I think reducing weight and eliminating what's likely to be a continual corrosion problem is absolutely a good idea.

If you're worried about weight distribution (not ideal on the Stangs) go about it by removing weight from the front too. Crossmember, engine set back, battery relocation, etc.

 

[Daggar]

Yeah... battery relocation is definitely on my list of things to do. Crossmember will be swapped out with the motor (Rick is currently building). I'll look into what this one will cost to save and keep the fiverglass option in reserve.

 

[TheUser]

Well, be happy yours doesn't look like mine; I'm sure you'll take care of it before it gets this far out of hand - mine was like that when I bought the car 4 years ago. I went to a body shop a few years ago about it and he said it would be cheaper to just buy a used hatch and have it painted than it would cost to have that cut out and repaired. I got a nice used hatch, but it's beige, so I'd have to paint it and retint the back window...haven't gotten around to it. I'm just now thinking about getting it done since it's been bothering me for so long. There's no way if I paint the hatch that it's going to match the rest of the car; the rear bumper was repainted 3 years go when I was rear ended, but other than that, the rest of the car is faded red paint. The front bumper is gonna have to be replaced due to my latest front end damage. I'm thinking about just checking prices of paint and possibly getting a decent paint gun and just do the hatch and front bumper myself depending on how much more money it would cost to have it done at a bodyshop - the way I see it is it can always be repainted over, I've wanted to paint for a long time, and it probably couldn't look much worse than what it does currently, lol.

Sorry for the rambling, not to steal the thread; I'm gonna start my own in a few days once I get some numbers for paint and all the supplies and then comparable numbers from the body shop.

 

[Michael Yount]

...and two completely different issues I suspect -- Daggar yours from the leaking spoiler; User's from a previous owner's MANY years of driving chemically treated roads in the winter and having that 'stuff' kick up under the edge/lip of the hatchback over time.

 

[Daggar]

Perhaps... it's hard to tell just by looking at the pics and even looking directly at the rust, which side it's actually rusting from. I just assume that mine is rusting from within because of the patch work that I did last summer. Yes though.... Those pics are exactly the kind of thing I'm trying to prevent before it gets completely out of hand.