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had a free weekend to do some damage on my vmc-56. i gutted it today and this is what i found :help:. i did some scraping and made a big hole. the surface is pretty nasty, crater like. theres 2 pin holes on left wall. i did some searching and it seems most people have the tray replaced. i dont think i have that budget nor do i do that kind of work. im planning on keeping the machine so looks are not an issue. what are my options?

im afraid to do too much scraping and sanding, in fear of creating a bigger issue. will por-15 work?

should i fiberglass the big hole? there are some smaller holes too, ive read jb weld works for those.

is this a lost cause?

I wouldnt do anything until you sandblast the area very well, both inside and out. After that a few good coats of epoxy primer. Then you can access the damage. Remember rust is alive and will continue to grow.

Joey

Like Joey said, the rust will continue unless it's removed
if your going to take the time and spend money to repaint it , do it right the first time, and it's not that expensive..

Sandblast it well, it WILL blow holes in it,.. but you'l fix this.. this will remove the rust..

if you or someone you know has welding skills, cut out the bad areas and patch with new metal, do body work and finish before paint.

if the holes aer not that big, yes you could try to patch with fiberglass and see how that works, I 've never done that, as I chose to remove the whole bad area.. but you could give it a try??

as far as the bottom pan... drill out the spot welds, take the old pan to the local sheet metal shop and for a small fee they can make you  new one to weld back in..

Good luck!

I will second  what Joey & John said   Media blast the machine take your time do it right the first time.
talk to a  metal shop or a welding shop  and see what they would charge you , I think you would be surprised
all your doing with JB weld is covering up a problem for a short time just a quick fix . 

thanks for the tips guys. looks like theres no easy way around it. i was planning on using aircaft remover to strip the paint. i guess that would be pointless if i need to sandblast the bad area. i think replacing the whole pan would be just as easy patching up holes for a welder. if i have it replaced would i still need to sandblast?

i like to try and do things myself. ive seen those pressurized blasters that are reasonably priced. has anyone used these outdoors? if they worked okay , it might be a good investment for future projects as opposed to paying someone to sandblast.

sandblast then replace!

Joey

If you buy a sandblaster you will need a compressor to run it. I would think a minimum of 5 horse power and you would probable have to stop and let it catch up. If you have some one in the area that does sandblasting let them do it. I've done a lot of blasting and it just plain sucks. I hate it. You need a mask to prevent silicosis. You also need a hood. If there was some one in my area that would blast my stuff I would gladly take it to them.

I had problems with sand blasting. I was told I needed a larger air tank and higher flow (CFM) on my compressor before my system would work right.

Same issues with the paint gun.

Surprisingly enough, it is still cheaper for me to have someone else blast what little stuff i am working on. Also, welding everything up isn't so expensive neither.

Good luck

so i had a local sanblaster/auto shop guy come by and take a look. he said he thinks it should be soda blasted and only sandblasted in the bad area and compressor area. for some reason he thinks it will hurt the metal. he charges $175 an hour for soda blasting. i asked to give me a price to sandblast and he said around $140. he said it shouldnt take more than an hour.

i got a phone quote from another shop, who said it would be around $75-150.

Soda-blasting will remove paint & light surface rust while not harming the steel, sand blasting will remove the paint also & it will remove more aggressive rust & scale, it can also damage the metal by warping it or blowing a larger hole into the chassis if applied without care, (excessive pressure, or placing the nozzle too close to the work surface, or even too coarse of a grit/sand) so be sure they know what they are doing,

Some sand-blasters (blasting professionals & armatures alike) may good at blasting structural steel, & iron beams & heavy plates of iron, but will ruin a lighter piece of work... so try to stick to blasting professionals who work on automobiles, & lighter metal pieces like office furniture, file cabinets, etc.