Since I am going to be going the Mustang II front suspension route and getting rid of my towers, one of my plans was to build a tilt front end, using the stock steel pieces. Today I bolted my front fenders together using 50 inch lengths of steel angle and laid the hood where it fits between them. I will replace the steel angle with aluminum later this week to keep it as light as possible and get the hood fastened also. I decided to strip the paint off the hood using a stripper wheel in a drill. I came up with some minor rust through once the paint was removed. I figured that some POR 15 would help to stop it but I have a question about filling the little holes. Has anyone used JB Weld to fill minor pits like these? That stuff is like steel compared to just using bondo. I just want to be sure that it is safe to use with primer and paint.
Good luck sanding JB Weld, ha! I would think fiberglass filler, Evercoat Metal-2-Metal, or USC All-Metal would be a better choice. Just put one of these on and then skimcoat it with poly filler.
I would think that if your going to go to all that trouble, why not just weld them up? then you don't have the chance of anything happening down the road once it's finished.
I need to take a closer look at the metal but I would expect it to be fairly thin from the rusting through. Welding would be the final answer but if it burns through because it is too thin, I was looking for an alternative.
If it's too thin, then it should be cut out and replaced, there could be rust in between where the metal is folded over, it'll just come back.
When you see rust holes on the surface, the rust is usually 5 times bigger on the back side of the metal. It must be cut out or it will come back. I would also weld the parts together after the rust repairs are done.
i have used jbweld on quite a few things.. it holds up good, as long as you get a good prep done.. weld the pits, would be alot better. especially if those pits are on the 1 piece front end you just did, with the stree that will be on it, opening and closing.. and i would be willing to bet the jbweld would crack, and if you have a nice paint job on it, you will want it as strong as possible..
Those pits don't look bad at all, you can definitely weld them up. I have welded much larger rot spots solid than that. Most likely you will burn through and make the holes slightly larger, but it will eventually weld solid. Your best bet is to get a little sliver of copper and put it behind where you are welding, it will act like a heat sink. Keep the heat low to minimize warpage. Short strand fiberglass filler (or the metal fillers) are also good options. But nothing beat welding it solid. Jason
I'm going to look at the thickness a little closer and maybe take the hood to a local body shop where they are used to welding thinner metal. I don't have access to a welder of my own yet. I guess I'd be pretty torqued if the rust came through the paint later on.
