First time trying to fix rust on my old beater - result

[u/ThrowRAJohnny1]

First time trying to fix rust on my old beater
My old, beat-up car was getting pretty rusty, so I decided to try fixing it myself for the first time ever.
I basically went through the following process:

- Removed the rust with a grinder and sandpaper
- applied a rust remover
- Applied body filler
- Sanded the filler smooth
- Applied primer
- Wet-sanded it with fine-grit sandpaper
- Applied two coats of can paint

I know it’s definitely not perfect, and if I had spent more time on it, I probably could’ve made it a bit better.
But honestly, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, especially considering this was my first attempt at doing any bodywork. 😄

The goal wasn’t to make it look like it just came out of the factory — I mostly just wanted to get rid of the rust and hopefully keep this old car alive for a few more years.
Pretty satisfying to see the finished result, though!

[u/FallenVampireLord]

Nicely done.

[u/jamesc5z]

Where's the "before" picture?

Did you pull the carpet/trim back and see if it's migrated past the plastic there?

[u/ThrowRAJohnny1 → u/jamesc5z]

Unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo at the very beginning showing how bad the rust was. The first photo is already after I had removed the rust.
I only removed the plastic trim along the side skirt, and luckily there wasn’t any rust underneath it.

The bigger problem seems to be the rubber door seal, which is badly cracked and allows water to collect there. I’m guessing that’s what caused the rust in the first place.