Car Cancer, My celi has rust =( Options

[wjhoffman]

I'm not an auto mechanic by any means so I'm asking for input on an economical way to fix this rust. I figure if I take it to a body shop they'll charge me an arm and two legs. I don't need it to look perfect I just want to stop it from spreading, fix the hole and make it black. This picture is right behind the driver's side rear tire. Thanks guys.

*EDIT* fixed image size



This post has been edited by wjhoffman: May 2, 2010 - 7:23 PM

[yarik83]

Are you talking about the plastic in the wheel well or are you talking about metal that is on the other side of plastic? If you do not have a plastic liner there it would explain why your car is rusting.

Considering that wheel wells are there for a reason it will be a good idea to investigate extent of damage. I would advise using a metal brush and getting to metal surface. Based on what you find it will be easier to proceed. You can do a ghetto patch with body fillers then sanding/painting/protecting with chemical treatment then sealing or you may have to cut out effected part and either weld a piece there or rivet a piece of sheet metal in place. Rust is something that happens to all cars and unfortunately the longer you postpone solving the problem... the worse its going to get. I have seen and driven cars that have rusted out floors. Very fun driving on a highway when you can see asphalt only inches away from your rear end.

For starters clean the area and get to the metal. Remove fender and see if damage spread past that part. Most auto shops sell a special paint thing that temporary seals and stops rust. The keyword is TEMPORARY. That should give you a couple of weeks to figure out how to solve your issue.

Now here is the important bit of information. There is really no way to stop rust from spreading without cutting out effected piece and replacing it completely (what many body shops do). There are countless kits on the market that let you "patch" the hole but on a molecular level you are literally patching the metal with another kind of metal or plastic or gypsum or whatever it is they use nowadays (such as fiberglass). Patching something will give you another few months to few years before problem starts creeping up again.

[hurley97]

Why would he be talking about the plastic wheel well liner rusting???
Plus he said he's talking about the rear, there isn't a plastic liner in the rear, its just coated.



You need to find the extent of the rust and cut it all out, then cut a little more out, then weld in a patch. Even doing it this way, the welds will eventually start to rust through and you will have the same problem again. The only real way to completely stop the rust is to replace the quarter panel.

[Spider77]

Ah corrosion. The best thing to do would be clean the surrounding area, cut out the infected spot(s) and replace with a non corroded piece of similar metal, then apply some sort of "barrier" (paint, undercoating, etc...). In some cases that can be a pretty involved process (especially in the rear areas). If it was just a fender Id say replace the fender. The most cost effective method would be to clean the corrosion (if its not that bad), apply an inhibitor, and the a protective coating. Now obviously the more money you spend the better off its going to be.
Corrosion is one of the main parts of my job, and nothing in the world will ever stop it (or so it seems), all you can really do it try to prevent it, and take care of the problem as soon as you notice it. Since corrosion happens on a molecular level, the slightest chip in the coating can start the spread of the process.
The pic is kind of small and its hard to tell what is rust and what is dirt. I can see some rust on the bottom.

[wjhoffman]

I thought maybe I could replace the quarter panel but it looks to me that it goes from the back bumper all the way to in front of the driver's mirror. I think that's a little too complicated for my abilities. How do they come off?

[yarik83]

i was mistaken earlier I thought you were talking about front wheels. Rear quarter panel does not come of. It is a part of the body. Judging just by 1 image you would want to cut off as much effected metal as possible while preserving some for repairs. Another option would be to go to a junk yard and find a celica and ask them to plasma torch a large segment of the rear. Take that to body shop and they will weld it into place. Will be probably cheaper in the long run. But its all depending how much damage you have there.

[stl95celica]

just stop it from rusting and buy some rear splitters

[hurley97]

The rear quarter does come off. You just have to cut your old one off and weld in the new one and re-seam-seal it. You can buy a rear quarter from your dealer for about $6-700 each.

[wjhoffman]

I looked into a body shop, they want $6-700 to repair it.