ThomasJ

I have the usual rear quarter panel rust on my 4Runner. I am going to start fixing it cause its getting out of control. Its almost up to the rear door jam. I was wondering if I took out the rear interior panel if that would let me get to the inside of it. I dont want to tear out interior to find out I cant get to it any way. This is an old pic I snapped before I put the lift on but it lets you see where im talking about. Im hoping I can get to the inside of that area.

EDIT - See pics below.

InternetRoadkill

Don't know about the second gens, but on the first gens you could get to it with one caveat: The wheel well is folded very close to the outer skin along the lip making access very difficult in the area you'll probably want to get to. You may want to consider just taking a die grinder and cutting out the rusty areas completely and replacing it with new metal. It's a tough job.

tc

Yes, you can get to it if you take out the interior panel, but there's not much room down there. Mine has similar problem - how are you going to fix it?

Tdubbs05

Maybe cut it out and let some bondo do the trick?

n8inks

I cut mine out and welded in a patch (some 20 gauge steel). You can use bondo to a point, but filling a hole like that wouldn't be too good. Bondo is best to cover metal, but not to replace it.

AxleIke

I just finished repairing major rot on my first gen.

Weld in new pieces, don't try to fill with bondo. It takes, way, way too long, and it's probably better to have a solid backing plate to work from anyway.

Good luck, its a real pain in the rear

4runnermt

New steel is the way to go. I would try to make the patches as close to the bodys contour as possible. When you weld it, the heat from the welder can make it easier to shape the new steel by tapping it in place with a body hammer. Remember to tack weld the patch first, then sloooooowwwwllly weld it up to prevent warpage. Then when its all done, you can use body filler to finish off the surface. You should then use an autobody grade epoxy primer over all bare metal to prevent surface rust. Then I would try my best to por-15 all of the inner body panel to keep it from further rusting. It may be tricky to get in above the top of the wheel well on the inside, so maybe you could buy a hvlp gun and spray in the por-15 and soak the inside real good.

rentedmule

on that last point by 4runnermt - if you remove the rear door hook-plate thingy you can get access to the inside of the rear quarter-panel to spray it down with a rust inhibitor. probably not helpful right now, but it may be good for stopping new rust after you've got it cleaned up.

ThomasJ

Thanks you all for the info you provided. I am going to start taking the interior panels out tomorrow.

One thing is I dont have a welder so that is out of the question. The way I had planned to fix it was to grind off all the loose rust and paint with 80grit on a DA. Then I was going to sandblast the rusty areas and coat it with epoxy primer on the outside and POR-15 the inside. I would then try to place new sheet metal over the big holes from the inside using 3M panel adhesive provided I can get to the area ok. I then would smooth over the outside using body filler and then high build primer and sand it smooth and so on.

The only thing I am concerned about is where the lip rolls over the inner fender. Im sure there is rust in between there I wont be able to get to and may spread in the future.

If you see anything wrong with doing it this way let me know cause I dont want to do it for nothing. After the rust is fixed I want to just touch up the area for now and probably get the whole thing repainted in the spring.

4runnermt

If thats how you are going to do it I would suggest using fiberglass cloth and resin on the outside instead of all body filler. Then you can use a thin layer of bodyfiller over it. The fiberglass is waterproof and wont crack like a thick coat of bondo. Just make sure you remove ALL the rust. If you sandblast it, that would be the best way for sure. You could always fiberglass over the patch pieces on the inside as well for added strength.

Sonofmayhem

What i do is i get fiberglass mesh ÅÅÅÅ, and bondo it together, its self adhesive isnt strong at all so i use the number one tool to man...duct tape. there was a hole right in the center of my door. and i used rubber undercoat to help cover it.

QuietGiant

This may sound crazy but, if you get a couple of cans of expanding foam and fill the rusted void, that will go a long way to stopping additional rust. After it hardens, crape away the excess and sand with fine sand paper. No bondo. Then prime, paint and clearcoat. You will hardly know there was rust and the repair will last for years. I have done this and it works great. Now, go ahead and rip this to shreads but, I know it works and it is a great repair for the cancer ridden rust belt!
QuietGiant

Spanky

how in the world does that expanding foam. . . (i am assuming like the foam in a can such as "Great Stuff" from the DIY depot places) stop rust?? I would imagine its just gonna sit ontop of the rust? Wouldnt that be the same as just throwing some packing peanuts or a NERF ball in a rust hole and slapping some paint on it and calling it good?
wow, this just blows my mind how that would work

ThomasJ

I would think the solvents in the paint would destroy the foam as soon as it touched it. Even if it does work I dont think this is the type of fix im looking for. I want somthing that will last a long time as I have no intentions of selling this truck.

ThomasJ

Here are some better pics of what im dealing with. I decided I will definetly be cutting all the rusted metal out and replacing it. I talked to a friend of mine and he said that the panel adhiesive is actually better than welding cause you can get hidden air bubbles in your welds that can begin to rust from the inside out.

passenger side



passenger side inside shot



passenger side inner bottom. All the mud I washed off the truck was going right inside here.



Drivers side



Drivers side inner



Drivers side innner bottom

ramrugby09

I have a 1st gen and I am going through the same problem. What is panel adhesive? Are you still talking about fiberglass mat?

ThomasJ

Here is the panel adhesive. It is very different than fiberglass matt. It is for bonding metal to metal with no welding.



http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?i...emType=PRODUCT