I have been trying to find the best course of action to repair this section on my Charger... there are some rusted out holes along the channel of the windshield area. Should I use some kind of metal filler or weld the holes in and grind them flat?
Fiberglass filler would be a short term solution which would probably last a few years or maybe more.Given the fact that the metal in the photo is perforated extensively the best solution is to remove the rusted metal back until you encounter good sound metal and weld in a new patching piece.Mike
Originally Posted by All Dry
I will have to take a closer look at it. The car was media blasted and then primed. According to the previous owner, it had no rust on it after the blasting.
if thats the worst of it, I would glass it with some glass putty and be done. I wouldnt start cutting it out.
wire wheel and tack them closed. Test the strength of the metal first
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Depending on how good is with a Torch,You could Braze them up. I have filled the holes in this very place with Brass many times. Just wire wheel it good after wards to get rid of the Flux. I have a small blaster I use, but Wire Wheeling will work too.
i wouldn't use filler to fill holes, i'd either braze them or cut out and replace. the latter being the correct and most permanent fix.
Hi
What about sealing it with por 15 and than reshaping it with expoxy putty
Rick
Don't use POR-15, if you want to make it last as long as possible without doing any metal work then blast it clean, brush on epoxy primer and apply fiberglass paste to fill and level the holes. Level the fiberglass like you would any body filler then reprime and paint.
If you don't want to weld it, I would use two part epoxy putty to fill it. I'm an ameteur and I have dealt with worse rust than this in the windshield channel by cutting it out and using urethane body adheive to close the hole with a patch panel, finished off with epoxy putty. Along these lines, you could reinforce the area with a patch panel over the weak area without cutting it out and finish with epoxy putty.
The epoxy putty take a long time to cure, but it is very strong and waterproof, so you wouldn't have to worry about topcoating both sides. It is harder to work with than conventional fillers, but the results are well worth it. It is your friend for a "rust"-oration.
Lots of suggestions there on how to fix it.
What year charger? I am suspecting 71-73?
I'm doing a 72 myself.
If you decide to cut and weld your going to have to remove the Dash but you probably know that already.
Its not all that hard on a third gen, there's a in depth write up on how too remove it on another sight i know of with Pic's. :cool:
I had to make a similar repair on several cars and based on my experience I think if you try to weld it you will just burn through and make bigger holes. The metal around the rust through will be very thin. I have never tried to braze them. My thought is that if you don’t cut it out and put new metal in, it is just going to rust through in another spot in a few years if you do not get something on the back side like zero rust. I would get some 18 or 20 gauge strips, bend them in a brake then take a stretcher and make it curve to the right shape then use a hammer and T dolly and make the round over part at the edge. I would cut out the bad part at the bend toward the front. You can hand trim the new piece to fit back in the space. It needs to be a good fit. You can use some small strong magnets to hold the piece in place and then tack the new piece in. After the first couple of tack then you do not need the magnets. SLOWLY continue to tack weld the panel in making sure to not warp it with heat. Grind the weld and a tiny bit of filler and you will be good as new. Be sure to use some weld through primer on the back of the new piece... It may take some time to do this but you will be good for another 35 years.
Well guys he said its a charger this panel is gonna get warped because you have to cut replace and well it its a body structure area right close to post. puttys brazing etc are just gonna flex off and ruin the windshield which is not glued in but done by a rubber.
This area is a pain to work on. your not gonna get it perfect. do the best you can. Aside from that under that is gonna be alot more rust right down side to floor. Have fun fixing all that.
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