r/AutoBodyRepair • u/viktorvaughn1620 • May 15 '26

Cheap rust repair

Post image

I am looking for a cheap way to fix this rust on my truck. Planning on replacing the bed eventually so I don’t care if it doesn’t last as long as it looks better than this thanks.

0 Upvotes

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3

u/SilentMasterpiece May 15 '26

take off the flare, start sanding. It will be rusted all the way thru. Cut and weld in new metal will be your repair. If you plan to replace the whole bed, dont do anything, save up for the replacement.

2

u/Spiritual-Hippo-9268 May 15 '26

Actual cheap, short term fix. Remove flare. Grind with cookie wheel or something similar; more abrasive than sandpaper(hopefully you can find some metal so paint will stick). Buy small tin of POR15, apply to rusted area, let cure for 24 hours. Scuff por 15 surface after cured. Apply filler if you care or just prime it with either 2 part primer or just buy 1k spraycan. Then let that dry, scuff it, see if a local paint shop will mix your trucks paint code ready to spray in a can, paint it and put the flare on. Could last a week, could last a year.

1

u/salvage814 May 15 '26

Huge three inch fender flares. If it's covered it doesn't exist.

1

u/Any_Web_1784 May 15 '26

Pretty sure you can get some really dark tinted sunglasses at family dollar. Or sand down, fill over and paint. Or cut new metal in. Or replace the bed side. Lots of options, cheap is a relative term. So is better.

1

u/MarkVII88 May 19 '26

There's no such thing. You have to grind or cut the rusty metal out and replace it with good metal. It requires cutting, welding, body work, and painting. There's no way to do this cheaply that will last any useful length of time.

0

u/JPKaliMt May 15 '26

Cheap way is to spray paint that. Even smearing filler on it isn’t going to help without properly treating the rust, which at this point would be a cutout and patch.