Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998
From: Flemingml <Flemingml@aol.com>
I just found a couple of blisters in the paint low on the rear fender behind the wheel. I checked on the inside of the panel, and everything seems to be okay. My car was undercoated when new, and the coating is still in good shape. I picked at the blisters and, sure enough, the panel is rusting through from the inside. Any idea where this moisture is coming from and how to stop further rusting? Do I have to cut through one thickness from the backside?
Went to the Volvo dealer for touch-up paint (for after I complete my repair) and was told that Volvo no longer carries my color (#113-1 orange). Any ideas on where I might be able to locate touch-up paint?
Saw your article on welding. I gotta try it. You might want to check out a series that ran in Classic Car magazine several months ago on "panel beating." This was not the U.S. "Bondo" quick fix repair, but actually making replacement bodywork from sheet metal. Talk about a craft. Lots of amazing tips and tricks on how to get the piece to fit, including tabs and flanges to weld or bolt it in place.
Moisture is everywhere, thanks to its ability to become airborne. The best way to keep it off your sheet metal is to coat the metal with paint, but since it's very difficult to paint the inside surfaces of most auto sheet metal, the clever people have come up with "rustproofing." This consists of spraying a sticky, moisture-sealing compound in the inner nooks and crannies of auto bodywork.
A variety of tools and compounds are available for this purpose. You can find them in the Eastwood (800-345-1178) and J.C. Whitney (312-431-6102) catalogs and at dealers that supply paint-and-body shops.
When it came time for me to purchase some rustproofing tools, I settled on a product I found in the Moss Motors (800-667-7872) catalog called Waxoyl. The main reason I bought it was that it comes with a hand pump. Most others require an air compressor. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet.
If you do some rustproofing yourself, try to find a way to get inside the panel without causing more damage than you are attempting to repair. Rustproofing kits contain various-shaped "wands" that you can stick through holes drilled at strategic locations, if necessary. Many panels can be rustproofed without drilling holes. In the case of the rear quarter panel on your car, I'd check for access through the trunk before drilling a hole.
Panel beating is indeed a true craft, and it is for people more patient than I am. I enjoy shaping almost-flat pieces of metal for welding, but making curves, beads and edges is way beyond my attention span. Maybe after I retire . . . .
Paint-matching is another craft I haven't even started on. My method is to bring a small chip of paint to Pep Boys and find a spray can that's close. 'Course, my car is white, and there are lots of shades of white. -Glenn.