how to FIX a rust hole in a rocker panel (fast, low-cost method)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ค. 2017
- Fixing a rust hole on the rocker panel can be expensive. I've done body work on cars for a lot of years, and have developed some techniques to make the job fast, easy and cheap. If you're trying to get a car through inspection and you want to car to look acceptable there are some shortcuts that are effective. Most rust on a car happens on the rocker panels. I use structural foam to fill the holes and then coat them with Body filler to give it some nice structure. Then I paint the bottom black so there is no finish work. The entire process takes about an hour. And it only cost about $20. Hope you enjoy the video.
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This is a miraculous method my man. Did this to my car a couple years ago, and now all the rust is gone! Everything's gone! I mean, the whole car is gone from the rust... but this mean the rust is gone, too.
Lol
Lol 😆
Lol
My rocker panels had weep holes to let water out what I see is a temporary fix first snow,water, and salt same old rusty rocker
@@georgefoltz4435......and No safety in an accident !!!
'Structural integrity'. Almost pissed myself laughing at that one lol.
Makes you wonder why they don't start building complete cars out of expanding foam, right? LOL
And these minivans had a terrible reputation for having weak shells in a crash when they were new! This 25yo one would fold up like a wet cigarette packet if it crashes, & he does it on a family car! #Zerofucksgiven 😆
@@MrPabsUk they have used expanding foam and thats the first places they start rusting because foam holds moisture!
What he meant by "structural integrity" was that it gives better structure and surface area in order to apply the bondo.
@@danielsmith7935 It doesn't matter because people who use foam to fix auto body rust holes are doing so to get another year or two out of the car before they sell it to a junk yard. For instance, I have a 17 year old car that runs well, little to no fixing required except for oil changes, brakes, etc. The bottom part of the body is shot, though and the car has a realistic value of maybe $500, so paying for bodywork isn't worth it as one small job would cost more than the car's value. But by doing this type of body repair, I have gotten 6 years more out of the car so far (and still going). I know that the next step is to junk it so I plan to use it for as many years as I can before I have to junk it.
🤣
love how he fixed the passenger side and then showed the drivers side.
Very observant. A teacher told me this story... His biology professor was telling his students about the sugar content of urine in diabetics. He dunked one finger into the urine and put another into his mouth and said it was sweet. He then passed the urine around the room. Wonder how many noticed.
probably both sides were rust
Honestly, on shit boxes this so the ideal repair.
ArcadeMachine15 (wescoolya) with my pride nowhere to be found, I accept this comment.
That bag trick is awesome. You've got a lot of good videos and tips
I have a RHD JDM GC8 and I just discovered I have some rust under my left side skirt area. This is genius. I see where my weekend is going now lol you’re like the pappy I never had, thanks bud 😂 💯
Buddy of mine was super broke one time years ago so he used paper mache to fix a rust hole to get his car on the road. Looked ok. Held up long enough for him to get a job and fix it properly.
Did this to my old car held up pretty good and got me through state inspection. Wish I would of watched this video though. That bag over the body filler is a good idea. I spent a lot of time sanding to get it decent looking.
+Tylor Kirklin
The bag over the body filler works really good. Because the bag is so thin you can actually feel where the auto body filler is thin and thick and correct it to make it more even. Another method where this bag and body filler works is on exhaust. If there is a hole in the exhaust after the catalytic converter you can use a little body filler and it will completely sealed the exhaust. This repair is almost undetectable because the body filler is so thin. Years ago I used wax paper, but wax paper does not conform like the thin plastic bags. One day I didn't have any wax paper but I did have plastic bags, and I was very pleased with the result. Glad you enjoyed the video. If you have any other useful technique's, I would love to hear about it.
I’ve repaired my Town & Country the same way. It’s worth more in scrap metal than resale so this is an ideal low cost method to pass inspection. Instead of a bag, I used wax paper for easier release. Works really well. I’ve also covered the bottom of rusted doors with aluminum fascia and self tapping screws and painted over it with truck bed coating. Some ideas for those reading the comments section that drive cheap cars in the rust belt like me.
Where do y'all live since when does rust stop you from passing inspection I live in nc all kinds of rusty cars haha
@@curtisedgerton8380 Pennsylvania. I believe the rule is that if the rust hole is larger than the size of a quarter, then they can fail you. Another cheap fix that I was told by the inspector is that you can cover the hole with a few pieces of aluminum foil tape and that’s passing. I’ve done that as well. :)
I don't understand why a rusty rocker panel would make the car unsafe to pass inspection
@@BrianLChristopher Yeah I'm in PA and my old truck just failed for rocker panel rust. A little silly honestly.
Love the wax paper idea man! I was thinking the plastic bag would stick and shred upon removal. I’m in MN and my truck is getting bad fast from the salty roads here, and it’s only 10 years old! Thanks for the tip.
WoW! Haters seem to really be hating here. Well I thank you so much as I need to get my '03 Yukon to pass inspection and there is a hole the size of a fist in the bottom of one of the rocker panels. I will definitely be trying this. For the people who think this is a horrible idea - Meh... my vehicle will be driven by me until it is scrapped and this will give it another year or two on the road. Thank You so much for the idea. (Also, professional driver who has never had an accident more severe than hitting a deer. Fixing a hole would not change much of the outcome of an accident safety wise- now if it was replacing the whole rocker panel this way I might cringe.)
Wow, I'm sorry you hate your car lmao.
A proper fix would've been hardly any more expensive. You don't even have to weld anything. There's a couple much better vieos about this on yt.
Don't be a dimwit and follow this dodgy lazy unsafe method of body repairs to pass an inspection. You would be putting a very dangerous car back on the road, with no structural integrity. You could be liable for the death of some innocent soul.
Love it ty. My car wouldn’t pass due to rust holes and this helps tremendously. I’ll update you next week. Hopefully it passes
BIGGFINE 73 did it pass
I need to know
Did it pass
Did it pass bro?
Did it pass bro?
Thank you! I'm doing this on my truck because I live in Canada and they salt the roads WAY too much!!
Glad you enjoyed the video, that salt is rough on the cars. Let me know how the job turns out. If you have any other questions let me know.
Dont do it to your truck get the work done correctly and replace what you need to replace dont listen to this fuck
Michigan
Damn right about that! Maybe one day there will be a better product that won't promote rust.
Good ole country boy he might not have the money rn. A hole fixed like this isn’t a safety issue. It’s not like it’s a rusted out brake line
Seen other foam ideas like this but your bag technique takes the cake! Excellent! Very good for us with older cars that we need to keep running in salt states.
Perfect cosmetic fix on a cheap beater.. Gotta do what you gotta do sometimes
Great work buddy will be using on my car very soon.
First time I've ever seen a saw being used for bodywork...lol
What's the difference between a saw and a cheese grater?
@@aznnp77 You probably won't slice you finger off with a cheese grater.
Legend
@@aznnp77 The cheese tastes funny after the grater was used on the foam and then used on the cheese.
Great idea, thanks for sharing
Did this a couple of weeks ago; worked for the most part. Anyone who's thinking about doing this, make sure to wear gloves! I had rust shard foam mittens - spent like 4 hours trying to get it completely off my hands.
Great idea, but you are not the first person to do this kind of fix. My late father ,did this same repair back 40 years ago early 80's. Great job by you but I wanted to share that, thanks 👍
Dang! Exactly what I was looking for...thanks for posting!
the previous owner of my car did that over years on every part possible on the car. For bigger holes he used chicken wire to hold the foam and used a rag to glue it with undercoating to the undercarriage.
Well after some time I wanted to take a closer look at the car and started picking with a screwdriver after I lost a big chunk of that stuff while driving.
What came out would be a worthy car for Fred Flintstone. I even lost a first aid kit in the trunk through one of the rust craters.....
Use the spray foam that’s made for rock fountains. It’s black and waterproof.
Whatever the material is, it will still hold moisture like a sponge and accelerate rusting.
@@sawadiy it’s waterproof my guy
I have a idea.....
1. Grind all the rust out
2. Do the 3step Por 15
3. Foam of your choice.
4. Bondo
5. Paint
This is amazing! Thanks so much!
Absolut Professionell! Unglaublich was hier für ein Murks gmacht wird!
I always trim the rusty metal with dremel cutoff wheel before spraying in the foam
hey man Thanks very much. Im going to use this method. I live in Canada, it super cold outside these days. Where do you recommend me doing this? should I find an indoor parking lot somewhere or wait til spring?
Wow, great video! I hope this works. Thankyou!
Dude!! Absolutely great video!!!!!
Great video, thanks! I have a 2006 Jetta getting close to 200K miles that runs great, but the rockers are rusted pretty badly. This method will be perfect to keep me going for another 2 or 3 years until I buy a new car.
🙈😁
You can buy closed cell foams. In fact there are several spray foams made especially for sealing ponds and waterfalls.
I read Tough Stuff is a closed cell foam so I'm going to try it shortly.
Very impressed going too try it.
What a great technique! Thank you!
Outstanding money saver. Great idea. Thanks man. I was overthinking the rusty rockers on my beater. Now I'm not going to lose a weekend.
I think that is great especially if a car isn't worth much.
WARNING: the service chains, i.e. Firestone, sears, won't pass this. Stick with the small independent shops for your sticker.
Sprinter van georgia and Miquelon. Dar hainele astea de la analfabeti pentru acelasi rang
It's definitely great if you hate your car. Fixing it properly wouldn't've been much more expensive lmao
Nice work 👍
I am so doing this on my 2004 Grand Cherokee in November!!! Thank You
Dood,, probably the best video on this I have ever seen... I like the fast forward, the edits, and the fact that it was short and to the point. Nice job and thank you
“Dood” 🙄. Wanker yanker
WOW! I was looking for this short cut. Thanks for the video!
You sir are a king amongst men. Excellent video. God speed.
WOW THAT WAS GREEAT INFORMATION!!!!!!!!!
Exactly why you really better pay attention to what you buy lol
I instantly just felt better for buying a rusted out s10 lol. Atleast it dosent have this shit in it lol
Awesome quick video buddy. Perfect amount of time needed to explain that. No need for a 15 min video where you end up skipping past the most important parts by accident
I got like major holes under my rocker panels on a car I just bought how do I fix all of that that's why I'm watching this and thank you
GREAT TEACHING VIDEO! What about cleaning off the rust ?
something tells me the "bodywork for a lot of years" has been on a used car lot
Lol
I guess if a car is 20 years old but running okay mechanically, this may keep it on the road for a couple more years!
That repair is purely cosmetic. This repair doesnt determine anything regarding how long it'll remain on the road.
@@lawrenceshdow This repair is definitely going to the determine the car's durability. In several year's time you'll drive a Flintstone car with this.
@@midasiscariot the rocker on a venture has nothing to do with the frame of the vehicle and no matter how you repair them there is about 20 other spots that'll collect road salt and water on the vehicle. Even on the rocker alone. That thing can rust across the entire bottom and still drive just fine. It isn't part of structural integrity in this mini van. The rocker is rusted on the back inside the entire length as is. Patching what comes through is just cosmetic. Replacing the rocker would be best but it won't change anything in regards to roadworthiness.
We will have to agree to disagree on this one.
@@lawrenceshdow Even if your car doesn't entirely rot away thanks to this "method", it's certainly the most lazy-ass, unhealthy way to do this. If your goal so to make a bad repair, why need a tutorial to begin with? And it's not like you couldn't fix this hole properly for almost as cheap. There's a couple good tutorials on youtube how to go about this, very cheap, no welding, actually preserving, and you might at least learn something properly in the process. See ChrisFix video on the same topic for reference.
@@midasiscariot I'm not going to argue with you about the venture rockers. You can do what ya want. If you ever work on one of these you'll see why your thinking is wrong. There is no Good repair at this stage; only replacement.
Practical and genius and easy
The plastic bag trick is BRILLIANT!!
If you place a small diameter pvc pipe at the bottom of the panel that crosses from side to side it will allow moisture to travel through the foam and not get trapped. Great video for those on a budget.
Hot damn I’d do it right but if your in a money pinch this is awesome
Great video
Great work will try it on my truck
I fixed my frame like this.
Hahahah oh goodness
Theo V hope it was structural foam,
@@filibertobarrera3839 "Heavy Duty"
awesome technique! I did the same thing on the fenders of my truck. I didn't know about the plastic bag trick though. Great advice. An argument could be made for cutting away the rusted metal, but then there wouldn't be anything to hold the foam in.
He used duct tape on the big gapping hole part to hold the foam in.
Amazing work good job buddy
Wicked man!!!
Did this once as a temporary fix. I did grind out all the rust first though. Very easy and turned out well
how long was it good? im doing it on my cheap old jaguar now and plan on learning welding in the next 2-3 years so i can do it probably afterwards.
I removed all rust, put a anti rust chemical changer on it, then put foam in, and lots of body filler and im now sanding it down to the correct shape and paint it
His vocal presentation is everything. Can I use this on my wife so she’ll get hired at Walmart?
Thanks for the information Awesome Body job
Thank you for the How To.
Great repair idea for poor people or cheapskates, thank you sir.
I am not to familiar with bondo, and find out there are many different kinds. can you tell me what bondo i should but?
Best idea bro
Great job thank you
To cover up even more imperfections, I'd use black undercoat or spray bed liner .
People whining this is not the way. If it works on and old beater vehicle who cares, if it works.I've seen vehicles fix what suppose to be the right way rust back out in 1 to 2 years. And Ive seen fixes like this last a lot longer. Who cares if the car looks better it done its job.
nobody care about the looks. There are two buts:
1. the rust has not been stopped. So it'll continue to rust, potentially on the inside and unseen. You might find out in a crash that the part that was fixed was a load bearing structure..
2. I can guarantee that there will be people who will do this kind of patch-up job before selling the car - without telling the buyer
@@AlexN2022 And a woman might marry a man because she thinks he has a nice car, only to find out too late he is so broke he fixed his car with foam to make it look good.
Great job
I just had that idea. And I so doing this to my car. Thank you thank you
Quick question: I see some use fiberglass and some use Bondo Body Fill to do the actual finish work. Any differences, pros/cons?
Fiberglass is stronger n water proof to a point
It's a great quick fix. Nobody says it's the correct way.
If the car dosnt fail the inspection
Its the correct way
@@hondamanvtec2894 😂
Man, this worked a treat. I think you might have mentioned the strip of duck tape you put to hold the Great Stuff in, but other than that, great tutorial. Too bad I bought a bunch of stick on patch material and ten types of sandpaper before I found this. I'm in Canada and I don't even know about this rust inspection thing you folks are dealing with.
Looks good to me . Thanks
Thanks for the tips sir! Short and to the point well done! My rust is just a little worse than this here.
Trust me pal you dont wanna do this, the foam holds the water in and only speeds up the process of rusting out
I have a '97 Dodge cargo van, and drivers side bottom side was totally gone ! I did something similar to what you did . The following month , I took 4th place in our community auto show ...
@@Henryb869 when you live in the desert, there isn't much water
I came to see the hater comments from keyboard warriors.was not disappointed 😂
same AHAHAHAHA
😂😂
Good job.
Thank you. My 2000 Pontiac Montana is the exact same van with some plastic cladding, Pontiac emblems (obviously), red lighting, and a Pontiac-style grill. I don’t have to pass inspection here in Georgia but it looked bad enough that I just had a brake shop refuse to work on it. The rockers are so bad that I couldn’t jack up the rear wheel when I needed to plug the tire recently. Wish I had already done this!
If you couldn't jack up your van because of rusty rockers you probably should be in a rest home or a day care center and definitely not in control of a 4000 pound vehicle!!!
@@jcanfixall1585 What are you even talking about?
The included jack fits a jack point on the rockers. The rockers and jack point were so rusted that they just pushed up into the vehicle when the jack was operated. At full extension the wheel was still on the ground, meaning I couldn’t use the included jack for a roadside tire repair as intended. Pretty simple. I had to get a floor jack and just from a point on the suspension to get the wheel off, find the leak, and plug my tire.
So, yeah, I couldn’t use the rockers to jack it up, exactly like I said, even though the frame itself is fine. Other than that the rust is just cosmetic but the rockers were bad enough that I had to do my own brakes just due to the reaction of the shops around here who aren’t used to seeing a rusted vehicle from the north.
@@emmettturner9452 my point exactly!!!
You're clueless...
@@jcanfixall1585 In what way? I literally did my own brakes with a proper floor jack in the parking lot of my rented workshop. I had to tool up since the whole reason I’m saddled with this rust bucket is because I lost everything in a tornado including my car. Not sure how the factory jack points no longer working with the factory jack has anything to do with me being “clueless.” Since then I’ve done a lot more of my own work including the thermostat, head gaskets, and more.
@@jcanfixall1585 …and it wasn’t a pad slap either. Pads, shoes, drums, rotors, springs, boots, calipers (yes), and even a flush.
The foam will holdup water and the rusting process will continue much faster. Also bondo based on polyester will fall out soon because you can't fully seal it with paint in this situation. It's better to remove rust as much as possible mechanically and use a rust converter first. Then apply epoxy primer to seal the rust and fill the holes with epoxy or fiberglass resin. This will not cost you much more money and is a longtime solution.
I mean, I thought the ideo was a joke. Apparently it wasn't uploaded on April 1st, though.
I just bought a 99 malibu with 132k which is rusted like a sob. I have absolutely no problem doing this. He's not rebuilding a hot rod here....
And by the way, you got to this video somehow of researching cheap rocker fixes;)
Foam holding water is a myth.
Ive done this to my truck and put metal reinforced bondo over it not even a touch of rust has came back and that was a year ago.
Sir, you a gentleman, a scholar, and can be called a doctor of body of work. It looks so easy, but I doubt it is this easy when I will work on my car (which just failed because of rust holes in the rocker panel).
Awesome I’m going to try this
Brovo....I do the same and 8 year up date still solid as a rock I use some decent truck bed liner on the bottom 3 and a 1/2 years and maybe touching up
YEAH!!! It does work!!!!
Man, I think I'd rather use a mesh patch and filler to this, foam is kinda prone to holding moisture (or once it builds up, takes longer for it to escape/dry)
Depends on what kind of foam you are using.
In cars with extreme rust on the rockers, and especially on the side panels, the thing you should be more concerned with is rusty sub frames, floors and brake lines. Those are not just cosmetic concerns, but safety concerns.
In some states (mostly blues states) they will reject your car if it has any rust at all.
@ryan-qz5xb Unlimited car wash pass at Holiday. Get a car wash everyday.
Use the foam filler and spray rock guard over it. 5 minute job. Fixed. The Right Way.
@@josephfilm73 right way , yeah ok . LoL
Great video.
Good video, thanks, i have to do the same thing, i have some rust /holes in my rocker panels, but i want to ask you this , A- the plastic that you used does not stick to the bondo after ,B- and the one that you used is it low /or hi type, also now and then they ask for welding to be done on rocker panels, is this way ok !?
Thanks so much for the easy fix. Had to wait to replace the rockers so this was the best fix to get it saftied until I had the new ones put on. Very helpful
Does the foam hold moisture and cause more rust inside the panel?
+Rockridge
I feel that the foam helps keep water from getting back into the inside of the quarter panel. This polyurethane foam is pretty sticky when it's wet, so it adheres to the inside of the quarter panel pretty well. I did make sure that the quarter panel was dry before I spray the foam in. Unfortunately once rust starts, it's a pretty tough thing to battle off. I've done a lot of professional auto body, and even with the best technology it's still a challenge. I have sandblasted, used metal etching primer's, specialty auto body filler's, and the rust still comes back. I started using this technique years ago when people didn't want to spend a lot of money to get their car through inspection. The technique is fast, low-cost, and looks reasonable when you're done. If a person is wondering how many more years they're going to hold onto their car, this is a good option. So yes I do feel the foam does a pretty good job of keeping the water out, but I do feel the rust will come back. I hope this answers your question. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.
Rockridge yes it holds moisture and causes more rust
supposedly there's a foam can that doesnt hold moisture a green can i believe
I do not know that what you are saying is true. I used some spray foam on a piece of my foundation where 2 slabs meet from an addition long before i owned my home where sow bugs, ants, and bees could get in and go around my baseboards and carpet into my home. I sprayed spray foam into this crack and it is outside, and no bugs since, and it is a good sized mound at the base of the foundation and it has held up to rain, snow, rodents, everything and has not disintigrated(sp) at all, nor has it expanded like it is holding/ taking on water. So spray foam may actually be a viable option. The home was built in 1955, addition in the 70's, not worth tearing down the entire addition for someone's poor work.
it depends if it is open (bad, absorbs water) or closed (good, repels water for years) cell.
Very nice 👍
Nice info
Very good for old cars to pass inspection and drive for a couple of more years.
Can't believe that would cause a failed inspection. Thank god no inspections where I live (Wi).
"tremendous amount of structural integrity!" Lmfao!!!! It's better than sheet metal guys!
it's also better than duck tape !
😂😂😂
Filled in the quarter panels on a 1972 dodge Volare and passed the inspection!
I'm thinking of doing the whole bottom of a car and turn it into a boat!
🤣
Thanks for sharing it’s a crisp to the point video with amazing quick tips
This is a quick repair for locations that are not strengthened locations, and it works well on box panels providing the foam is the water proof type. Spraying into dry box sections stops rust in its tracks, it stops moisture ingress and being an expanding foam fills up the section fully locking out air. As rust loves two ingredients air and water both are eliminated, by injecting this expanding foam. But a WARNING is in order this spray foam MUST NOT be used on CHASSIS box section or strengthened rocker panels as it will compromise the integrity of the body in an accident be warned be safe and use it with care.
OMFG! Spray foam does NOT stop rust. It shrinks and traps water. It’s a horribly stupid idea, used only by second-rate hacks…
“ But a WARNING is in order this spray foam MUST NOT be used on CHASSIS box section or strengthened rocker panels as it will compromise the integrity of the body in an accident be warned be safe and use it with care.”
Lol! Where do you come up with this garbage?
@@thommiller9941 haha tf u mean. you definately shoud not use expanding foam to repair structural areas of your car
@@SkinweedCorpbecause the foam isn't going to compromise the integrity of a structural member... It's already compromised! 😂
I bought a classic truck that i am doing rust repair on. Someone did this on the rocker panels. I have been cussing them out while I cut the old rockers out and repair it the right way. I couldn't believe they did it, but I guess if you are in a pinch and have to pass some sort of an inspection it passes an eye test. It is a lazy band aid approach and will not address the rust problem.
+Nick R
I absolutely agree that if you have a classic truck replacing the rocker panels would be the way to go. This technique is absolutely a way to get your car back on the road and have it look reasonable for the amount of time and money you put into it. I have done a lot of auto body, and panel replacement for rust repair is by far the best long-term solution. Even sandblasting all the rust, brazing in steel plates, and using metal etching primer, will still end up rusting out. Where this method comes in handy is if your car is in overall rough condition and you're not sure how many more inspections you are going to be able to get it through, this will keep the car on the road. Good luck on the classic truck.
Cheers to that. I'm restoring proper as well
If I do this to my '07 cobalt how long do you think it will last I mean is this legit
Ima be doin this myself cuz body work places are scam artists and only do insurance claims not cash jobs. They told me the car isn't worth doing rockers cuz it'll eventually rot out again. It's a 2002 chevy cavalier with 105,000 miles on it and I've seen this exact make of car last 400,000+ miles but point is anything with low mileage is worth fixing so that being said ppl say it's not the correct way but unfortunately it's the only way since the car value may not be worth what they charge to do this job or to hear your vehicle isn't worth fixing. Good job my friend as far as I'm concerned it's better work than I've seen other ppl do.
Great video 👍🏽
I think this would work great to give some stability to put on some rocker panel covers! Think about it.... most mechanics will charge you a fortune to put covers over the emply holes. This will at least add some strength to it!
it adds zero strength. it actually creates more rust.
just add a little rebar for structural integrity, and you should be good to go! Looks like house carpenters can do body repairs on the side!
Rebar would do little to nothing for "structural integrity" except add tot he cost of the repair.
cool, thank you
Thank you. You are ingenious! A friend suggested wax paper instead of plastic bag. I prefer the bag! My 'baptism' starts soon with my 2002 Subaru For Ester (it could be For Mary!) and it's got more rust than sunken ship. Thanks again! 👀👀