Sadatay

I got a 90 Civic hatch and it's got some rust patches around the left and right rear wheel wells, after the front door. It's at the point where it's bubbling and flaking a little, right at the edge of the wheel well. I was wondering what I could do to remove/stop it from eating away the metal even more (ie. what rust removers to use, how to remove the rust and so on). Or is it at the point where the metal should be cut out and a new piece be welded back on? Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks

imported_dented dx

man i feel your pain but once it starts theres no stopping it unless to totally remove all rust. which means you can bondo it or weld new steel on. you can always go to a wreckers and get new panels or door and when your ready to repain put them on and scrap the rusted ones

imported_94EG6HB

You must cut and remove to do it right...

Rust = Cancer to cars...

99CHB

sand and repaint. to get a shop to do it might be a couple hundred per panel, might not be a bad idea to just replace them with cf

imported_loudsubz

I caught some rust when it first appeared on the rear wheel wells. We applied the rust paint after sanding it back to bare metal, and so far it hasn't come back after over a year.

SiR-Racer

Just wondering, did you remove the little rubber pieces that go around the rear wheel well? Because those tend to trap dirt and salt big time.

Sadatay

Yea, i just recently took it out (the rubber lining) since it was getting loose and pretty much useless... There's not much rust in between where the rubber lining was, which is good. I don't think i wanna get my car done in a shop yet, cuz i wanna save the cash for a swap soon, but how would you go about removing the rust that's there now on your own? Like what rust inhibitors or cleaners should i use and should i just use normal rough grit sandpaper to get the excess rust off?

imported_94EG6HB

Grinding wheel....

Sandpaper....

Body filler...

Your paint WILL look worse after...

Sadatay

Thanks for the info and advice... Hopefully if i plan to go ahead and do it myself I won't mess up badly (operative word being badly). It's not much rust considering how old the car is, that's why I'd rather just clean it myself for now, and then when i have enough cash, take it to a custom bodyshop or something to get a new paint job.

gcivic

same problem i have on my 5th gen but it's in the back. The best way to do it is to cut it of and put another fenders in there. once it's there it will always come back

ClownRider

Hi, I just did some body work on my 91 civic Si due to rust. It isn't that difficult to do a decent job at home. I got all my supplies at Canadian Tire, in the automotive dept. They carry 3M brand stuff and I picked up a 3M plastic grinding wheel that fits into a drill and then another attachment for the drill that you can attach sandpaper disks to. I also bought some short strand body filler and some mesh tape. Also you will need some Tremclad Automotive Primer and paint, whatever colour you need.

Here's what I did. Use the grinding wheel to remove all surface rust and paint in the surrounding area. then I used a coarse sanding disk on the same area to clean up the metal a little more. Then I applied a thin layer body filler around the hole I was filling. I then embedded a piece of mesh tape into the body filler and alowed it to dry. I then applied another layer of body filler over the mesh tape and let it dry for longer than reccomended.
Then it's time to sand it down and make it smooth. I used 4 different grits of sanding disks to achieve this smooth finish. What you may want to do next that I skipped was use spot putty/glazing putty for a real smooth finish. Next you prime it with auto primer, a few coats should do, then sand with 600 or 1000 grit wet paper for a nice smooth finish, wipe clean, and dry.
Now the area is ready for painting. I bought this little accessory that attaches to the top of the paint cans and lets you use the can like a paint gun. very handy and convenient. Paint the area as needed. every few coats, let dry well and wet sand with 1000 grit wet sandpaper to ensure a quality finish. Once done, let dry for a few days or a week and wetsand again with 1000 grit or higher.

This is where I am now, I am waiting for the paint to cure so I can buff it out and add a few layers of clearcoat, also by TremClad.

Good luck !!

Sadatay

Thanks a lot for the info man... I'm gonna try your steps out probably this weekend... So how's the area that you cleaned look comparing to the rest of the body of the car now?

ClownRider

The spot I fixed looks the best of my entire car, mainly because my car is filthy dirty, but I cleaned just that area and now it is all newly painted white. Very clean looking. I can see my mistakes, but you should always be critical of your own work. That way you will try harder next time.

Plus, it looks a whole lot better than a big rust stain on a white car. I regret not taking pictures of the process and writing a detailed how to article for those who are intimidated of body work. My neighbour was really impressed with my work and asked if I used to do it for a living, but it was my first ever body work. I'm proud of my first attempt.

Don't be afraid, and good luck !!

Sadatay

Wow, that just motivated me and got me wanting to go out and start sanding away right now ... Yea, it's just sad to see my car's body rusting away everyday, when I can do something about it.... Can't wait to get started on it as soon as possible... Thanks again for the advice