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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Body, Glass & Paint => Topic started by: MY1978 on March 27, 2021, 04:29:44 PM
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My truck is a 1978 Chevrolet C10 Silverado w/Blazer interior. Okay, for what ever reason, the front bed panel has rusted at the roll (pictures attached). Anyone else seen this happen? Anyway, I have blown out all the loose rust, thoroughly coated the interior areas with rust converter, then encapsulator. I have filled the minor holes with body fill. But I have an area that has some larger holes that I would just be pushing lots, and lots and LOTS of body fill into.
Now for my crazy question........could I use expanding foam as a backing for the body fill? I know it is waterproof. Are there any cons to doing this?
I know that the CORRECT thing to do would probably be buy a whole new front bed panel. I am trying to do the best I can. I am can just hear some of the hard core body people out there either laughing their butts off or cringing at this question. Please be kind, I am trying to do the best I can within my means.
And if you do not mind, can someone inform me how the water gets in there to rust this out and how to stop it. HEY!!!! What about sealing up the ends with the foam!!!!! ;D
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Foam as a substrate would work until something crashes into the bondo and cracks it.
Best to weld in metal then use body filler to create the form you want.
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Thanks, I will have to look into getting a patch weld I guess. Now to find someone to do it. :(
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You could braze it, really easy. Youtube is your friend, practice on some similar gauge sheet metal.
Home Depot sell kits.
You Can Do It!
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Thanks to everyone, I know that the gold standard fix is to pull the bed and replace the panel but that is not going to happen. Sooooooooo, I decided to fix it. I used a cutting wheel to cut out the thin, rusty, stuff. used an air hose nozzle to blow out all the loose rust that was inside (no varmints or nest came out), sanded back to bare metal, tapped the area in a little, used the Bondo wire mesh patch, covered mesh with fiberglass resin and cloth, sanded, applied Eastwood aluminium reinforced body filler, sanded, applied 2nd coat and sanded again with 80 down to 220 grit paper. Now just need to spray with primer when temp goes up to 60 degrees. Before closing up the patch area, I sprayed Eastwood converter, encapsulator and heavy-duty anti-rust inside the tube using the 24 inch spray extension tube. I am not a body person, but I think it looks pretty good. I just looked at it as drywall mud that sets a little faster. Yes there are small highs and lows, but I am not being particular since I plan on getting the bed sprayed with Bullet liner and take it up and over the roll on the front panel. It took it 43 years to look this bad, I only need another 15-20 years. I need to figure out now how to close up the ends so the varmints cannot get in there again and yet allow for some air flow. Brain storming that now.
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Nice! Mission accomplished! Thanks for sharing... 8)