DIY rust repair

[mr. shr]

My W202 is a right rust bucket. It's just a little too old to be covered under the "good will scam" I mean "scheme!"

So I'm thinking of having a go myself!! Is this diy-able? Can anyone point me in the right direction of a HowTo anywhere or any guidance at all (eg. procedures and materials required etc?)

Thanks.

 

[gurpz]

What areas are affected and how deep has the rust gone in ? Some pictures would also help to illustrate the damage.

 

[mr. shr]

What areas are affected and how deep has the rust gone in ? Some pictures would also help to illustrate the damage.

Thanks gurpz.
The worst bit of rust is on the corner of a door. The paint is flaking off and the metal beneath is very black and nasty.
Will supply pics later today.

 

[Kompressor_Dude]

I'd have thought you could do all of the prep work yourself and then just get it sprayed..... that would save a goof few hours of a bodyshop's time.

I wouldnt want to have a go at painting it DIY style though, not a very easy thing to get right! I guess that depends on your level of ability though

 

[mr. shr]

I wouldnt want to have a go at painting it DIY style though, not a very easy thing to get right! I guess that depends on your level of ability though

Body shop it is then!!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

How about tracking down another door - ideally in the same colour - may be alternative to using a body shop to repair your existing door?

 

[television]

It takes years of experience to blend car finishes.

You need the right environment to work in and the tools, the cost would far exceed the cost of having it done.

If you want to do it as a hobby then that is different. It took me 2 years to master it all and that was after a course with ICI

 

[Sp!ke]

If you want to do it as a hobby then that is different. It took me 2 years to master it all and that was after a course with ICI

Have you got any details of this? I'd love to learn to do this properly.

 

[television]

ICI published a very good book, my brother has the one that I had from the 70s Though materials have changed the principles have not. When he gets bck off holliday I will ask him for it back and you can have it.

All Car paint suppliers have information sheets for every paint made. These give the flash off times, temp, thining and adding things like matting agents, flexi agents and retarders to stop blooming

Though water based paints are near impossible without an oven, older paints like synthetics, cellulose, 2k can still be bought and are fairly easy tom use.

You can start off with a small compressor and I gun.

Paints now are very expensive,, back in the 70s it cost £3 per liter now its more like £25

 

[Moose]

It takes years of experience to blend car finishes.

You need the right environment to work in and the tools, the cost would far exceed the cost of having it done.

If you want to do it as a hobby then that is different. It took me 2 years to master it all and that was after a course with ICI

Good advice!

Took me much longer to truly master it, 2 years as a 'larrup' (trainee), and probably a good few more years after that to become what I would consider to be a master painter. After 10 years I could probably do any job no matter how difficult, literally while thinking about football or similar.
Simple spraying is fairly straightforward but problem resolution and colour matching can take time to understand and subsequently master.

 

[television]

Good advice!

Took me much longer to truly master it, 2 years as a 'larrup' (trainee), and probably a good few more years after that to become what I would consider to be a master painter. After 10 years I could probably do any job no matter how difficult, literally while thinking about football or similar.
Simple spraying is fairly straightforward but problem resolution and colour matching can take time to understand and subsequently master.

Maybe I was lucky as in the days when I started there were only straight colours.
How many times have you seen a car where someone has done all the priming and undercoating, then they apply the top coat. either that is too dry and all orange peel or too wet and all runs, the difference between the two is so small. The best way is nearly always is one double coat for the min of work, and to do that you must have a flow cup and know the air temp, and you could never do a double coat until you are experianced and to know where the point of running is.

Sadly on most DIY jobs it looks fine in undercoat then when they put the top coat on all of the defects shine out, and it looks horrible.

Please note that I am talking about paints that can be used at home

 

[television]

As we were talking about painting, I have just started on my new trim in black, its half way there with just the two pack clear to apply in the morning

This is the first thing that I have sprayed in 14 years,, but like riding a bike once you can you never forget

 

[mr. shr]

Here's a pic of the worst rust that I've found so far.

Seems from everyone's comments that painting is certainly an art form and therefore best left to an expert.
But is this something that I could prepare myself, ready for a body shop to paint?

 

[KillerHERTZ]

You will need to remove the inside door card and get to the inside of it otherwise its pointless to only do the outside of the door.

 

[mr. shr]

Malcolm, that interior looks really good. Be sure to supply pics of the finished article.

 

[mr. shr]

You will need to remove the inside door card and get to the inside of it otherwise its pointless to only do the outside of the door.

True.
Is there a step by step guide on preparing the surface and what materials are need?

That Ed China makes it look way too easy, but they never really show you all the stages on that programme.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

I made a HOWTO a few years ago (which was slated on here) on how to DIY. if you do a search.

 

[vijilants]

That Ed China makes it look way too easy, but they never really show you all the stages on that programme.

I never did forgive them on one series for butchering the 190E 2.5 16v rear suspension and replacing it with bog standard shocks.

It was a cheap and nasty job on such a nice car.

 

[television]

By taking off the door card and rubber seal your self and maybe the outside handle etc you can save quite a lot of cash.

That rust on the door will have to be sanded out, and there is no other way, so you sand most of it out, the small pits can be treated with one of the rust neutralizers, then washed off and primed to hold it until the top coats go on.

Once again if you have never done it, the surface must be built up with a filler, it will become a mess if you do it wrong, the plastic spatula must be held at 45 degrees to avoid rolling in air bubbles,, so leave that to the one spraying.

Ask the sprayer what you can do,,many home products are not compatible with professional products


To just smarten up and hold it at bay, just have it blown in

 

[Moose]

To be honest with you; you could be starting down a road with a lot of pain ahead.
It isn't easy and I know that when I was painting, if somebody wanted me to paint over their preparation I would decline or charge accordingly as it was invariably not up to standard so the subsequent paint job (and my reputation) would be poor.
It's light metallic judging by the pictures which makes it harder still so will probably not look too good.
Ultimately, even if you pay to have it done, IT WILL COME BACK!! That rust is in there and unless you are going to replace the door, or at least the skin, it will be back, maybe in a matter of weeks.
Sorry, just my opinion based upon my experience.