Just recently I have noticed that my truck has cancer on the bottom of the main doors. I have taken pretty good care of the truck since I bought it new - and this is kind of a surprise. How would this get fixed and how much would a body shop charge to do it? Right now it is limited to the very bottom of the door edge (full length) and the inside bottom edge where the skin folds over, and a couple small bubble spots through to the outside. Biggest one is maybe 1" x 2"....
Ideas?

 

It is probably rusting thru from the inside..... pull the door panel, lift the plastic moisture barrier, and have a look. If you find rust on the inside, fix that FIRST. Then address the outside...... If it isn't too bad, just clean the area up with whatever is necessary, (sand it down? grind it if sanding seems inadequate, etc.) Prime it, and paint it. You can do a fairly good job with rattle cans. Hitting the bottom edge with Rhino-Liner, or some such, seems to be a popular idea as well, and in all reality, isn't such a bad plan.

 

Yeah, it is pretty bad on the inside bottom under and below the weather strip. Haven't had time to pull the door panel. Really don't have time to fix it myself - anybody work at or own a body shop that could give me an idea of cost on this?

 

I know this sounds kinda dumb, but...Check some junkyards, and salvage places like, Copart, to see if they have a truck the same color as yours, and just buy the doors from it. I'm actually planning on doing that myself cause my passenger door is messed up. Used doors are what you have anyway, lol.

 

Yeah, but I think that would be cost prohibitive for something that may develop the same thing before long....
I kinda like the Rhino Liner idea - but I still gotta get the rust stopped first?

 

The only way to completely stop rust, reguardless of what "spray cans" say, is to cut it out and weld in new panels. Which is why I said about just replacing the doors. with new ones, before you put them on, you can inspect them, and treat them so they'll last longer. Stop the rust before it starts.

 

Right...

Only thing you can do now is to either hide the rust, or cut the rust out and weld in new sheet metal.

Obviously, putty will be the cheapest route, but I would only do this if you planned on flipping the truck soon. Either way, having a body shop do any of the work will not be cheap. Might go and get some estimates on both processes and in the end, you might be better off to just buy two new doors and have them color matched or get lucky enough to find the same colored doors.

 

rust never sleeps

 

Yeah. Dam shame the FACTORY didn't think of that idea....

I guess I'll check around. I'd like to keep the truck but I can't stand RUST holes in a vehicle. DAMMMMMIIIIIIITTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!