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I know there are a lot of car guys on here so I though what the heck!  I will be picking up a used truck for my son this evening.  It is a 2003 Dodge Dakota 4 x 4 with the quad cab.  It is in good shape for it's age but it does have a rust problem in the bed.  Where the wheel well bump outs meet the side of the bed, there is rust-through on both sides.  We are not going to use this for hauling gravel, etc. but it would be nice to repair that rust through so water does not come up from the wheel wells into the bed when hauling his stuff back to college.  I will post picks when I get the truck but is it worth trying to fix it or should I just start looking for another bed?  Used beds run from $500 to $1500 and then you have the pain issue unless you can find one in the right color.

Any tips on what to use/how to fix it?  I do not have welding equipment and I know to do it correctly, it would be best to cut the rusted area out and weld in some new metal.

Just looking for advice on an easy way to get this fixed before he heads back to school.

THANKS!

 :drinking: Tim :drinking:

Tim,
If it is not 'structural' and not bigger than say a few inches in diameter- you should be able to get by with some POR15 and fiberglass matte.  I did this with the trunk in one of my Spitfires - worked well and was a very quick and easy fix.

Prep the area by sanding and/or using their "metal ready" product, lay down a coat of POR-15, drop the fiberglass mat on it and brush on some more POR15 to embed the cloth.  Not pretty, but functional.

You can buy "starter kits" on eBay that have pretty much everything you need for about $25.  Just search for "POR 15 Starter Kit".

Good luck and be careful, POR-15 is great stuff, but nasty - contains cryptocyanine so you don't want to breathe any of that stuff in.  Use it outdoors at a minimum - and outdoors with a respirator if at all possible.

Jim

         "Patch" it real quick and dirty...........then install a bedliner.

         And if it has the 4.7 engine, change the waterpump before he goes anywhere. It only takes 15 minutes.

I agree with MoonDawg, throw a quick patch on it and put a 100.00 Bed liner on it.

Here are a few pictures.  One side is worse than the other but there is rust through on both sides.  I don't think it is structural rather more of a way for water to get into the bed and I plan on installing a cap.  The POR 15 sounds like the hot ticket.  How much of the rusted metal should I knock out of there or should I just sand it to prep and run with the POR and fiberglass?  I am assuming that I will have to sand out the spray in bed liner to get it to take properly?  Does the POR 15 encapsulate the rust so it stops corroding?  I know that Eastwood sells a product that does that but does the POR 15 require bare metal to bond the best?  Last question,  would it make sense to hit this with the POR 15 and fiberglass mesh from both sides to get a stronger bond?

THANKS AGAIN!

 :drinking: Tim :drinking:

It has the 3.9 V-6.  Seems to be running well.

 :drinking: Tim :drinking:

POR15 won't adhere well to already painted metal (BTDT), so you would need to sand back the bed liner. An angle grinder might be the right tool for getting the bed liner sanded back. POR15 really needs bare metal or prepped rust to grab onto.   If you buy one of those Starter Kits, it should contain a cleaner/degreaser and a 'neutralizer' for the existing rust to get it ready.  If you follow the instructions that come with it, you should do fine.   

I have used the Eastwood rust encapsulator.  It works fine but POR15 is like "next level" stuff in terms of hardness and durability.  I did the trunk in my Spit about 8 years ago, it still looks like it did the day I coated it.   I would do both sides to make sure you get a good seal.

Good luck Tim!   If I lived closer, I'd be happy to help out.   :drinking:

Jim

I would leave it as is but put the hard plastic bedliner, should be all you need.