Tailgate bottom rust

[shortlid]

Saw bubbling paint at base of my Tailgate. Removed tailgate and hit it with wire brush. This is what I have now, options?

 

[Markcuda]

Repaint

 

[shortlid]

Ok, prep?

Repaint

Going to be heard with that heavily rusted pitted surface. It is almost raised. It it corrosion from inside the tailgate?

 

[dapepper9]

Possibly. Going to wanna hit it with a flapwheel or similar and see just how bad it is. Good chance it's brittle and it looks cracked in the pic meaning there's probably going to be holes.

If you can weld, you can fix they no prob. If not, you can do the hack method of using fiberglass or get another tailgate

 

[shortlid]

Thanks, dapepper9 I am not great at welding, but do have a Mig welder at my father in laws. It is a work truck, does not need to be pretty. Just needs to hold up and slow down the cancer.

 

[dapepper9]

Thanks, dapepper9 I am not great at welding, but do have a Mig welder at my father in laws. It is a work truck, does not need to be pretty. Just needs to hold up and slow down the cancer.

In that case, get yourself a random piece of 20g sheetmetal or a panel from a junk yard, cut a pieve off and weld back to kinda figure out what settings you need and hand speed. Small rectangular piece of 20g a little bigger than the rusty area once the welder is figured out, cutoff wheel to remove the rust, weld in the patch.

Feather out the area of the paint with a sander, body filler to make it one smooth surface, primer, paint, clear.

Sounds simple but it is labor intensive. However, doing work like this on a tailgate is an easy way to kinda gather materials and know-how for the next spot that appears. Cheaper than going to a shop too

 

[shortlid]

Thank you

Thank you. Don't care what it looks like. Guessing POR15 and rattle canning is not as permanent as cutting out welding in patch then rattle canning.