JHZR2
Staff member
This is on my 96 Dodge Ram. The truck let some water in, I knew that when I bought it. Neither door had a vapor barrier for whatever reason.
I pulled the lower trim, and noted that some screws were missing. When I pulled it, I saw a couple holes where the screws were, and some rust, like water had gotten under the paint. I pulled the rubber mat and sound insulation further in, and it’s solid and the paint is fine. It’s just along that strip where I guess water sat, there were some seams and openings due to the screws that went through, and it has eroded things over time.
I’ve left it open for a few weeks now, and watched it closely, including with hose spray, heavy rain, etc. no water gets in anymore. I’ve sealed out the water fortunately.
So now it’s time for stabilization. Because the metal further in and out is generally solid (there are a few bumps in the rocker, but they are solid, FWIW), I’m hoping to stabilize it for now, and think about it from there. It is a 25yo truck with 441k miles.
I’m thinking of the POR epoxy or POR patch paint, which may be the best bet because it’s thicker, dries hard, waterproof, and will bond very well.
I’m not opposed to cutting some metal out and trying to learn wire welding on this. But I’m not sure if this will be overkill and overboard. The rust shown doesn’t seem to substantially compromise the metal. Hammering or trying to puncture isn’t successful. At some point more detailed rust removal may be prudent, but for now I just want to get it stable and covered so humidity and rain from my feet (and up through the holes, which I’ve not seen, but could be possible, at least via humid air) so it doesn’t get worse or spread into more good metal.
So what would you use to at least stabilize what is seen there?
Thanks!
I pulled the lower trim, and noted that some screws were missing. When I pulled it, I saw a couple holes where the screws were, and some rust, like water had gotten under the paint. I pulled the rubber mat and sound insulation further in, and it’s solid and the paint is fine. It’s just along that strip where I guess water sat, there were some seams and openings due to the screws that went through, and it has eroded things over time.
I’ve left it open for a few weeks now, and watched it closely, including with hose spray, heavy rain, etc. no water gets in anymore. I’ve sealed out the water fortunately.
So now it’s time for stabilization. Because the metal further in and out is generally solid (there are a few bumps in the rocker, but they are solid, FWIW), I’m hoping to stabilize it for now, and think about it from there. It is a 25yo truck with 441k miles.
I’m thinking of the POR epoxy or POR patch paint, which may be the best bet because it’s thicker, dries hard, waterproof, and will bond very well.
I’m not opposed to cutting some metal out and trying to learn wire welding on this. But I’m not sure if this will be overkill and overboard. The rust shown doesn’t seem to substantially compromise the metal. Hammering or trying to puncture isn’t successful. At some point more detailed rust removal may be prudent, but for now I just want to get it stable and covered so humidity and rain from my feet (and up through the holes, which I’ve not seen, but could be possible, at least via humid air) so it doesn’t get worse or spread into more good metal.
So what would you use to at least stabilize what is seen there?
Thanks!