Rear fender well rust repair

Well today i decided to grind done the rust and the metal was rotted all the way through.

 

So fair i completely replaced a door to avoid the rust.....and the repair.

 

But now i cant really replace this.....I plan on using fiberglass to fill the hole after using rust be gone (or something like that).\

 

Any suggestions on a fix that doesn't require welding? What have you guys tried?

I mean as far as stopping rust, you have to cut it out. Otherwise, no edge primers/rust converters/rust neutralizers will stop it... it will always come back.

 

But if you are crafty and daring if you cut out the rust and use duraglass and fibreglass mat/mesh you could remake the part.

 

It may be more work than its worth.

 

Bondo holds water, that's why it is considered a body filler, to smooth out contours, rather than fixing rusty holes.

what? youre taking this opportunity to go widebody? good idea bro!

Hella flush or GTFO lol.

 

But really, welding (despite cost) is the only way to go.

If it's on the rear fender, be sure that it hasn't allow rust/corrosion to spread further up into the strut tower. I'm not sure how similar the rear fenders are between my wagon and the sedans, but for what it's worth: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/frame-body-chassis-205615.html

 

From what I've discovered, rear fender rust is cosmetic til it ain't. Good luck, and here's hoping it's just superficial!

well luckily my neighbor used to repair cars so he is going to teach me and help me out. thanks

This may sound weird but it works great. If you grind out the metal and there's nothing behind it to lay the bondo over you can use that expanding spray foam in a can they sell at Home Depot. Just spray in the hole and let it expand and dry then grind it down below the actual surface about a 1/16" then lay the bondo over. I've done this in the past for a quick fix and it works good but in the end it will come back. GL.

In my 98 LOB, I had the rear left rust entirely through. Strut up into the hatch. Took the trim out, investigated, as the pics show. About a 6 X 5 hole in the rear right as well, rusting. When all was said and done, it was about 1500 for a junkyard to cut out the panel from a donor car, weld it into mine, clean up and weld some patch metal on the other tower, and seal it up nice with some rubberized sealant on both sides. Was it worth it? That's a matter of debate. I'd have been in about that deep on a new used car. The engine & tranny have about 160k, so they're good for a while. The rest of the body was largely intact, and the factory undercoat, save for on the rockers, was in good shape. I had already put in about a grand in new parts and done the work myself, so the love labor factors in there, too. I live in the rust belt, so I could've gotten a 2008 (insert car company here) with twice as much rust; dealing with the devil I know was the option for me. What works for you might be something else, but I hope the information and pics help anyone else who might have this happen to them, as unfortunate as it is. My personal bottom line was this: I love the Subaru AWD, and engine/tranny longevity. They're solidly built cars, and I was willing to repair mine, for another couple years ( I hope) of driving this particular subie.

here is a link to fender rust repair. the page you want to look at is at the end. It shows the repairs being done in fiberglass to a Impreza RS. Process is the same.

 

http://www.rs25.com/forums/f138/t165979-acquacow-s-journey-into-world-rusty-fenders.html

 

cheers

 

rdleg05