I am going to be tackling a repair job this summer on my 1982 Volvo 244 DL to fix some of the rust, probably with Bondo unfortunately. First of all, does anyone have any suggestions as to how to repair the rust and second of all, does anyone know of a a spray paint that matches the off-white color of these Volvo's? I've used Dupli-color before but haven't found a good enough match. Suggestions?

Volvo sells repair panels. My guess is the rocker panels and the spare tire wheel wells are yor problem areas. If you are going to keep the car do it right and remove all the old rust. Use a metal conditioner on all minor surface rust, Most contain phosphoric acid. Weld in your new panels using a mig welder in small 1 inch beads moving to differant areas to keep the heat from warping the panels. Use a good etching primer, then a polyester filling primer, then paint. You can order the paint in spray cans directly from Volvo in 2 sizes one is about 8 oz. and one is about 16 oz. this paint is high quality and the match is very good unless your car has faded. You can also have O'Rielly Auto Parts mix and put your paint in a can. They can match from a part like your gas door or some other part that is easy to remove.

Lots of Luck

Bob Davis

Svendaswede

David -- I work in a body shop, and I've been down this road multiple ways. Like others have said, welding is a prime method for doing the kind of repairs you're talking about. Depending on where the repair is, another method is to actually glue the patch in...Eastwood sells stuff for this purpose, and you can also get panel bonding adhesive from any well-stocked auto body supply store. The glue process is proven [you'd be surprised at how much metal is glued together at the factory on newer cars]Also, I have found it to be superior to welding in terms of corrosion protection---for example attaching quarter panels or repair panels at the wheel opening over the rear wheels. Properly done, in the right place, this is as good if not better than welding.

The proper way to do a repair with 'goo' is to use an automotive fiberglass repair product. The name "Duraglass" comes to mind. It is mixed and applied the same way as "bondo" type products....but is much stronger and is waterproof. There are also variations on this product -- common names are 'kitty hair' and 'tiger hair' which have fiberglass strands mixed in with the goo. While not as good as replacing metal with metal, I have seen some really good and long-lasting repairs done with these materials. They sand like bondo, but much harder. I like to use duraglass to finish over a weld where I have used a patch panel. It is waterproof, and relatively easy to finish. I get it close with the duraglass, and then use bondo to get it really smooth.

There's nothing wrong with the bondo-type products, as long as they're used correctly. First....NEVER use the stuff to patch a hole of any kind. Second....it should never wind up more than 1/8-inch thick. It's great if used properly. [Lots of people would be amazed to find out how much is in their BRAND NEW CAR!!]

The repair also needs to be sealed up on the back side. I like to use 3m zinc primer [used for welding] first, followed by a couple coats of amber rustproofing, and then a couple coats of black undercoating. It is critical the the repair be protected from the inside....or it will not last very long at all.

Go down to the library and read up on how to finish it off from there. I would strongly recommend using a 2-part primer intended for use on bare metal. It will also seal the repair....and many have etching properties which aid in corrosion resistance.

Sorry about the rant.....but you hit one of the few subjects i'm an expert on. Good luck and have fun!!

Keith

Keith Hendrickson wrote:

> Depending on where the repair is, another method is

> to actually glue the patch in...Eastwood sells stuff

> for this purpose, and you can also get panel bonding

> adhesive from any well-stocked auto body supply store.

This is very intriguing . . . I'm of the understanding that pop-riveting outer panels (followed by a filler) is not a good idea, because the vibrations of the fender and the patch will be different and cause the pop-riveted seam to open slightly, thus causing the filler to crack. Id this right?

> The glue process is proven . . . Also, I have found it

> to be superior to welding in terms of corrosion protection

But (I think) this makes sense . . . correct me if I'm wrong: Because of the adhesion, the two panels are forced to vibrate together (Paul, come back to the body work discussion!); therefore reducing the chance of the filler cracking, right?

> Properly done, in the right place, this is as good if not better than

> welding.

Sounds like your point is you don't burn off all the undercoating or paint on the inside of the fender; there is not nearly as much mess.

> I have seen some really good and long-lasting repairs done

> with these materials.

I used fiberglass and epoxy to patch some rust holes on a Fiat 124 in 1972 . . . The repairs lasted more than 5 years (that's when I sold the car). However I generally don't usually recommend fiberglass as a means of rust repair.

Keith, what do you think of the POR-15 products?

I mentioned pop-rivets as a last choice, if one does not have a welder and is scared of fiberglass this would be at least better than "pookeying the hole". And yes, you need to use lots of them if that is the route chosen...

Les -- Regarding POR-15 -- I haven't tried any of their products...but I recently received one of their catalogs and it looks really interesting. I'm thinking of trying some of their rust-resistant paint stuff on a 164 I hope to begin restoring next year. [two other cars to finish first.]

About the pop-rivet deal......The key is to use enough of 'em....but I would consider it a last-resort type of repair.

Keith

Les Lyne wrote:

> Id this right?

Man, I hate it when I missspel.

To repair rust, the best bet is to weld new metal, if it has eaten all the way through. If it is just surface rust, then sand it and try a spray called extend. It works great to oxidize the rust so it won't come back. Bondo won't last very long if you don't get the rust out completely.

A few suggestions:

If you can do the finish work (bondo, sanding and paint) a shop will not charge much. If you want to paint a little bit of the car, you might consider a cool little tool that auto parts sell. It is a bottle that you pour auto paint into with a sprayer on top. It has an air charge in it. The thing costs about $5.00 and you can get single stage paint at the auto paint shop in very small quantities. It would match exactly. If you really want to do a professional job on it, you would re-paint the entire panel with a base clear. If you don't have a paint gun (not the one I mentioned earlier) you might want to find someone who does and ask them to help you. Laying down paint can be tricky. If you have never done body work before, I would suggest going to library and reading up to it. There is a lot to it. You have to use several different types of sand paper, and you most likely will use these steps:

Weld, sand, extend, fiberglass filler, sand, bondo,sand, plastic, sand, prime, wetr sand, paint.

Good Luck!

There is a paint code for the correct colour on the car. In the UK paint factors can put mixed cellulose paint in a sray can, ideal for small repairs

Regards

David,

Don't fix any size rust hole with "Bondo" or any other polyester based filler. These compounds are extremely porous and are pretty much a sponge as far as moisture is concerned. There are three ways of tackling a hole that will hold up over time. Les is correct that the only "correct" way to fix a rust hole is to cut out all rusted metal, treat the remaining surface on the remaining original sheetmetal (POR 15 or some other neutralizer), and weld in a patch of metal the same gauge as the parent metal.

If welding is beyond what you can accomplish and the hole is not overly large then a second option would be to use fiberglass cloth and resin. Cut out and prepare the area just like you would when welding, bevel inward the edges of the hole slightly, cut a piece of glass cloth to size, soak in properly prepared resin, ang "glue over the hole. A second or third layer might be desireable then follow up with body filler. This repair will be waterproof and should hold up pretty well.

The third method would be to prep the area as in the above examples, cut a metal patch so it overlaps the parent metal, pop-rivet the metal patch, and follow up with body filler.

Regardless of the repair method it must be waterproof so there is no exposed body filler which will just soak up moisture causing the steel underneath to rust and the putty to fall out!

Good luck,

Justin Bowser

83 244 Turbo

Check out Eastwood's "No Weld Panel Repair Kit", here is an excerpt from their description:

This comprehens- ive package provides the tools and materials needed to install metal repair panels securely-without welding. Panels are first flanged, then bonded with structural adhesive, and flush riveted. The result is a flat, repair surface requiring little or no filler.

go to http://www.eastwoodco.com/ and look for item 31102

Definitely get their catalog if you plan to do any auto restoration work.

I agree with the others: do NOT use Bondo for rust holes.

The best way to fix rust holes it to butt weld a steel patch, using the hammer-weld technique. Finish with hammer and dolly. If filler is needed, use lead. That is all well beyond my skills, but the best panel beaters can do the job with no filler required.

David wrote:

> I am going to be tackling a repair job this summer on my 1982 Volvo

> 244 DL to fix some of the rust, probably with Bondo unfortunately.

If you Bondo directly over rust, the rust will very quickly push its way out. The more the rust, the quicker it will come, but rest assured - it will come back. Maybe in as little as a month, maybe six.

Of course the best way to repair rust is with new metal, but it doesn't sound like you're going to be doing this. So, you might want to look into any of a number of rust-inhibiting chemicals that are on the market. In particular, look at the POR-15 product line. They have a series of products designed to stop the rust, and then to patch over any small holes, and then to primer the area, ready for paint. Check out:

www.por-15.com