Have rust, need help

[FinZ28]

The first picture is on the left (driver's side) where the hatch closes. You can see the rust that has formed. The hole on the left was caused by me. The second picture is the area underneath, which is normally covered by the long plastic piece containing the rear speaker (opposite side from the spare tire well). The second picture is a little bit worrisome due to all the rust. I'm fairly certain how to fix the rust in the first picture, however, I'm not so sure about the latter. As a result of all this, water is leaking into my car. I've already gotten the hose out and confirmed where the water is leaking in at. Seems that the water pools in the area shown in the first photo whenever I open the hatch and the car is wet.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[SMWS6TA]

did you take a hit on the side? A lot of buckling and warping.



How are your skills in welding/body work?

Do you have the tools to be able to do this? (welder, grinder, etc..)



no to any of the above questions take to a body shop and have them look at it.



If you have the tools and skills (this is what I would do if it is a small area and is not seen, other wise I would have a body shop do it)

you will need to grind off the paint in the area and try to see just how much rust is spreading. Cut affected area out, at least 1/2 to 1" away from the rust (get to some good metal). next get some 20 gauge sheet metal and form it to the the body, use spot welds (lots of them, alternating around the sides so you don't heat the metal too much. Once you have it welded up, cover in sealer, primer, and color.

[FinZ28]

I have a friend of mine (who also happens to be my neighbor) who runs a body shop in the area. He's going to come over and take a look at it this afternoon.

Thanks for the help.

[KMdef9]

did you take a hit on the side? A lot of buckling and warping.



How are your skills in welding/body work?

Do you have the tools to be able to do this? (welder, grinder, etc..)



no to any of the above questions take to a body shop and have them look at it.



If you have the tools and skills (this is what I would do if it is a small area and is not seen, other wise I would have a body shop do it)

you will need to grind off the paint in the area and try to see just how much rust is spreading. Cut affected area out, at least 1/2 to 1" away from the rust (get to some good metal). next get some 20 gauge sheet metal and form it to the the body, use spot welds (lots of them, alternating around the sides so you don't heat the metal too much. Once you have it welded up, cover in sealer, primer, and color.

I agree.

Rust is like a dead limb, it needs to be completely removed to prevent more spreading.

[cammed goat]

I also agree. Let your friend look at/repair your car.

[FinZ28]

That's what I'm leaning towards. Don't really have a bunch of money to throw at this particular problem, but I know it needs to be fixed before it gets worse. I really want to stop the leak first and foremost, to keep from ruining the interior of the car and causing further issues down the road. In the meantime, I'll just have to be careful about opening the trunk when the car is wet, and try to keep a towel on hand to sop up any standing water that doesn't drain from the hatch area.

[SMWS6TA]

How do the wx seals look?

[FinZ28]

The seals look fine. No cracks or dry rot, nothing loose. Best I can tell (and from running the hose over the car today with the interior pulled apart), water is getting in to the hatch when I open the trunk up, pooling in the area where the rust is, and leaking through a seam that's rusted. The rest of the water drained out as it should, to the back of the car in to the drain by the tail lights.

[cammed goat]

Until you have the funds to pay for the repairs, why not get some duct tape and cover the hole so water won't ruin the interior? Can't hurt.

[FinZ28]

I was actually going to try and sand down the area in the hatch, then seal everything up with Bondo. The metal is pretty thin, so I'm going to have to be careful with it.

[cammed goat]

You could go with bondo or metal mend tape.

[FinZ28]

You could go with bondo or metal mend tape.

I thought some good chewing gum might also work.

Seriously, thanks for all the input, guys. I'll keep everybody updated and try and post pics of the progress of the repair.