doin' some bodywork

[JackstandJohnny]

on the dodge. finally got it runnin almost tip top so i can start some body work (unless someone buys it)

so the plan is to gator guard all the rockers to the rear, punch out the dents, and cover just about everything thats rusted in gator guard.

question is, how should i go about prepping this;  i was thinking, sand the rust out as best as i can, then put a light layer of body filler in to even out the body with the paint/clearcoat.  give it a good sanding then apply the gator guard (spraying it on) 

question is, what else should i do? should i sand the whole area, or just clean it well? i'm inclined to give it a light sanding at the minimum.
what do you think? 

heres pics of the areas in question

[Toyman]

Looking at that right rear 1/4, there is some previous body work that needs to go.  This looks like a lot of work.  If I were you, get a grinder and a flapper wheel, take all the rust off, down to the metal.  Get rid of all of that body work on the lower right quarter with a screwdriver and a hammer.  I bet it is rusted underneath, which is why it's flaking apart. 

The best thing to do is get all the old body work and rust off.  Then, I would clean with a good wax and grease remover, any left over rust could be treated with POR 15.  Next, reshape with fiberglass body filler over the large, deep patches, then fill the smaller areas with putty/bondo.  Sand till flat with the a DA sander, then clean again, then you can mask off and get ready to spray your Gatorgaurd, or which ever product you decide on. 

Good luck, I'm doing much the same with my Cherokee, I'm dragging my a$$ on it cause I know it's a big job to make it look good.

[jkrubi]

As stated befor get rid of the old body work if its flaking off.  Don't use a flapper wheel they create to much heat and will warp the metal  (my .02) just use the grinder and remove all the rust.  Do the body work properly fill it and the make it smooth, and continue down to a paintable surface.  Dont have any marks, sand scratches, highs or lows.  it will show and you wont be happy.  Don't gator guard above the rockers imo it looks bad.  White is a hard color to match, so I would recomend going down to a auto body supply shop that does custom color matches to have some paint mixed, and have them put it into spray bombs unless you want to use a gun.  Make sure that you scuff/sand the painted surface where you are wanting the gator guard/paint to stick and clean it really well befor you paint.
Other tips to share
- sand all the edges of loose /excessive bondo
- sand the inside of the wheel wells and the cab back, box front even if you did not do anything to it
-remove any and all trim/ tail lights. 
-use body lines for taping purposes, hide as many of the tape lines under the trim work.
-you wont notice a diferent color on either side of a peice of trim but it will show if you make a patch. Its better to paint 2 ft and not see it then to paint 6 inches and see it imo
-To make the panels flat use an inline sanded ( hand model not air power) or board (you can use a pocket book or anything else that is flat and does bend to readly) ( dont use your hand ) dont use an orbital sanded till the finishing touches.
-Primer  atracks water and is porus, so  if its your DD do a small area first and finish it. Start on the cab and get it done

Doing body work is the worst thing ever.  Any mistakes you make will always show and is very visiable to you. and its a time consuming project. and its dirty and dusty.  Oils and waxes are not your friend now.

Sorry  for the long winded reply hope it helps you out though

[sylvrinvader]

you might just get lucky if you find a new used box at a wrecker for a good price. this would save you the trouble of doing the body work

[JackstandJohnny]

thanks for the input guys.  greatly appreciated.

sean i looked for a box.  to costly and would still need to be painted = same work anyways. 

this is a much cheaper alternative.  plus, my only real goal is to handle the rust;  i will attempt to flatten out the bad panels, but if it doesn't work, i'm just gonna pull the old body crap off, sand it, and get it ready to spray.

[JackstandJohnny]

just thought i'd throw up some pics of the finished product.  not the greatest, but i think its a lot better than before.........  body work was hard. i gave up trying to pull the big dents and just got rid of the rust and bedlined it.  used gator guard. really like it.

anyways, ya,

[Rubi03 jef]

nice job     looks great

[Spinalguy]

that looks much better and will help you sell it easier.

[Knox]

looks like a different truck

[BEZZ]

If we were in Quebec you would have the coolest rig in town. Nice job!

[CatSplat]

Hey, that looks pretty sharp!

[Grease Nipple]

Looks like a skunk