What can I do to mitigate this kind of rust?

[Secret Chimp]

This isn't the greatest picture, but basically at the leading edge of my left fender, it looks like the sheetmetal has somehow peeled from something else underneath it.

It's very thick - like it takes some effort to move with my thumb - so I'm not quite sure how it started in the first place. Nothing feels "cancerous." It's been like this since I bought the car a year and a half ago.

I don't want it to progress further as this year's rainy season comes. What can I do? Dropping a few hundred on proper repair isn't a good option for me right now.

 

[Donny]

Ignore it. If you can't spare a few hundred to fix it, ignore it.

 

[Photon440]

It looks like a layer of body filler separating from a previous fix. Put a magnet to it and see what happens. If you can't fix it and just want to slow the decay, spray some LPS-3 in there. It's a creeping, water displacing fluid. It stops corrosion inside aircraft wings, so give it a try.
http://www.lpslabs.com/product_pg/corrosion_pg/LPS3.html

 

[RGAZ]

I also vote for filler (or possible thin sheet repir patch) peel-back. Check with magnet.

So you can't fix it right, then let's try and prevent it getting worse.

1. Stop the rust that is inevitably in there. I recommend Eastwood rust converter in the spray can. tape off all the areas you don't want to ruin. A little goes a LONG way. Coat it twice and let dry a full 24 hours twice.

2. Seal and protect what you got left. I recommend Eastwood frame rail internal coating. This stuff is pretty cool. Don't bother with the tube nozzle, just get the green in there. it will creep like the stuff noted above. Again, protect all the other stuff around it. no i don't work for Eastwood, but most of their stuff does what they say it does.

3. Lastly, close the gap. This gets ugly and I am ashamed to say it (professionals look away!!!), but glue that bondo back down. A two part flexible epoxy is best. Jb weld is not flexible.

Note: my suggestions above are just suggestions since he didn't want to do it the right way (yet). This should hold it for a period of time where the nagging inside his head on the half-A repair will either drive him insane or force him to fix it right. At least it won't get worse too fast. Don't blame me for a rigged repair, but this will work as a band-aid until his conscience gets the better of him.

 

[70redbee]

Ignore it. If you can't spare a few hundred to fix it, ignore it.

As much as I respect you and what you do, I don't feel this was a proper answer. Sometimes we just can't do the complete repair to preserve our old cars. Finances get in the way for a lot of us at different times but doesn't mean we don't want to or deserve to repair things the right way. We should all be willing to help others out, even if it is only a temp fix. I am sure the OP would love to do it right and complete but it may be that his bank account won't allow him to do it at the moment. Do it once and do it right only applies if you have the financial means to do it that way. I believe in doing it right the 1st time too but until he can do it right, he needs to preserve what he has so not to cause further damage. Fix it and seal it the best you can until the time comes when you have the money to fix it properly. Good Luck and Happy Moparing!

 

[Secret Chimp]

It looks like a layer of body filler separating from a previous fix. Put a magnet to it and see what happens. If you can't fix it and just want to slow the decay, spray some LPS-3 in there. It's a creeping, water displacing fluid. It stops corrosion inside aircraft wings, so give it a try.
http://www.lpslabs.com/product_pg/corrosion_pg/LPS3.html

Ah nuts, you're right. I did the magnet trick on the very ends of my quarters but didn't bother trying with this. I realize this needs to be done right at some point but until I can afford to do it right I want to try and stop the current stuff in its tracks as much as possible. This isn't a matter of laziness, I just have a $3000 car that I can't afford to put half as much into to fix all of this stuff right now. That doesn't make me a bad guy, does it?

RGAZ, I already have a jug of phosphoric acid, is that any different from Eastwood's stuff?

 

[RustyRatRod]

Pull up some videos of body filler work on youtube. It's not very hard. The important thing is to keep the work CLEAN and DRY. If it was mine and I could not fix it "right" I would get all of that filler out. Get the metal as clean as possible, removing all the rust you can. Then TREAT the rust with a good rust converter and patch that area as needed.

 

[70rr-brian]

Pull up some videos of body filler work on youtube. It's not very hard. The important thing is to keep the work CLEAN and DRY. If it was mine and I could not fix it "right" I would get all of that filler out. Get the metal as clean as possible, removing all the rust you can. Then TREAT the rust with a good rust converter and patch that area as needed.

With a name like rustyratrod you are giving advice on rust removal? Is this one of those there oxymorons? :eusa_think:

 

[Secret Chimp]

Thanks guys, I'll give a redo of the filler work a try when I a., can get some color-matched paint (I have no idea where the repaint was done) and b., get my confidence level up enough to try it. My experience with body work is limited to hammering the tail light housing of my Miata out after it got backed into by a garbage truck.