Fixing L Body Rust?

[RJ138]

I am about to get a GLH that has some rust on the top surfaces, oddly the floors look great and the underside is really clean. The car was orginally a Florida car, then was in Arizona until it made its trek to Minnesota where it still hasn't seen snow. I suspect Florida is the reason the top side has a few issues.



I believe this is called the cowl, is this panel spot welded on? I imagine it is since it goes under the windsheild. The picture makes the hole look a lot bigger than it is, it is actually pretty small. I think it will be easier to cut out the rust and make a patch panel.



I think this is typical Omni A pillar rust, I saw in GLH R/T project log (http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...t=46424&page=4) how he fixed his. It looks fairly simple, cut and sand off all the rust then weld in a patch panel and use body filler to smooth out.



Here is a picture of some rust that is on the roof by the drip rail, it has a similar spot on the other side. The car also has a sunroof which I would like gone. I don't think a panel would end up looking good so the whole roof will probably need to be replaced. How involved is this? The windsheild will be removed to fix the A pillers and cowl. Where are the spot welds for the sides of the roof? Above the drip rail? I may have a shop do this...

Is this too much for someone with little body work experience to take on? What materials should I get for the body filler? I saw in the GLH R/T log he used fiberglass and putty, I imagine I can get this at a Napa or most autoparts stores. Is there a recommended brand?

Anyone in MN want to help?

[omniac]

I have no advise to give - but my GLH had the exact same rust spots as yours.

I also have a sunroof installed which was a dealer-installed item I believe. I also had rust on top of the A-pillar which was the most serious - I had to locate a rust free omni for a donor patch which was the best repair. The rust along the drip rail edge was just prior to painting the car - so I just opted to sandblast and fiberglass fill (i know it's not the best method - but I'll be keeping an eye open for any issues and if needed touch it up again. I've posted some pics for you to have a look. The car spends most of the time in a garage now and is not winter-driven any longer. I figure that the neglect it had for the 22 years before I had it made the problems worse. I intend to maintain this car a lot better than the previous owners.

["Top Fuel" Bender]

yeap the cowl is welded in
there is foam behind there so keep an air hose and some water handy
better pull the windshield trim at least too

[contraption22]

Did you actually pull the carpet and make sure the floors are solid? The floors of my Rampage looked solid from the underside. But when I pulled up the carpet I found that the only thing under there was flaky rust held in place by the rubber undercoating.

[RJ138]

Did you actually pull the carpet and make sure the floors are solid? The floors of my Rampage looked solid from the underside. But when I pulled up the carpet I found that the only thing under there was flaky rust held in place by the rubber undercoating.

Sure did since there isn't any carpeting in the car. When I go to check it out again hopefully I can get it in more light to see things better, but it looked very solid.

[RJ138]

yeap the cowl is welded in
there is foam behind there so keep an air hose and some water handy
better pull the windshield trim at least too

I plan on pulling the windsheild out for the A pillar and Cowl repair. This way I can clean up any hidden rust while I am at fixing these holes.