While cleaning up my recent car trunk oil spill I discovered that the trunk has been rusting away. I have a hole about 6 inches long and from quarter inch to two inches wide where I poked through it with my finger. It is a 97 Mitsubishi Eclipse with less than 150,000. Not planning on selling it right away. So questions…
What do I do to stop the rust?
What do I do to plug the hole temporarily?
What do I do to fix the hole for long term for resale?
I know it is an old car and it is time for a new one, but I am about to make a huge investment in a new home so I may want to get another year (or two) out of her. She still runs fine and the body is in fair condition.
Depending on where he lives, the rust could very easily be coming from the outside in. In places other than Scottsdale, they have these things called “rain” and “snow”. When an area gets “snow” oft times the government puts down “salt” which combined with “snow” rusts the hell out of cars.
Obviously beowulff a resident of Scottsdale would not know of these things as they are foreign to you.
Ducks and runs
Seriously get the car inspected. If there is rust in the trunk, there most likely is rust elsewhere. It may be way more serious that you think.
And if it’s not more serious then that, if that does turn out to be the only major problem, I would probably try and find a neighborhood welder and have them cut the rust out and weld a plate over it.
Not sure how to find out how the water is getting in. One of the suspected leak spots is one of the two trunk plugs one was also rusted out. I was using a compression gasket to seal the plughole when I discovered the larger issue.
A serviceable pop rivet gun costs around $20…IF you can rent one, I bet it will cost a substantial fraction of that, but suit yourself. Don’t be tempted to use aluminum for the patch. Even though it is much easier to work with, placing dissimilar metals in contact invites galvanic corrosion.
If the trunk had carpet with sound deadening padding, that tends to hold moisture and may have a lot to do with the corrosion.
I had no idea a pop rivet gun was so affordable…I assume I still need to grind out all the rust. I would also assume that working from under the car would be best, not from the inside, which would be easier. Should I be thinking about an adhesive, sealant and or rust inhibitor?
No aluminum siding on the car, what type of sheet metal should I be looking for?
As to the existing rust, I like to use products like Permatex Rust Treatment (there’s several other brands that’s basically the same, e.g., Duro). Scrape/brush off the existing rust and paint it on. Reacts with the rust and forms a sort of plastic-like coating. Lasts a long time. Not so good if you want to do a finish coat (you’d then have to sand it off). But for a trunk that’s probably not an issue.
You could even BUY one, they’re not expensive (and it’s a nice tool to have around the house), but be careful drilling those holes right over your gas tank. You’ll want to clean all the rust up (probably just cut it off with a grinder), find a suitable piece of metal to cover the hole. Drill holes around the edge and then, before putting in the rivets, I’d put caulk all the way around the perimeter to keep the water out. Also, now that I think about it, you’ll probably want to paint the unfinished edge before riveting the part on.
OTOH, once you have the trunk liner out and get a look at what your up against, you might want to have a welder take a look at it. It might be cheaper then you think to get it done.
