Nasty Rust

[ProtegeDT2011]

I recently got myself an 03' DX with 150k on it. It runs beautifully, but there is some nasty rust forming on the undercarriage. Most of it is just body rust, which I will take care of with rust converter, primer and paint. The rust in the wheel wells is going to be converted and covered up with undercoating. My biggest concern, correct me if I have the wrong terminology, is the crossmember (the solid metal bar spanning the width of the car that connects the tires/suspension). It's covered in rust. I'm fairly certain it's just surface rust, and I was planning to combat it the same way I would the wheel wells (converter and undercoating), but I wanted to make sure and see if anyone else had any other ideas - ones that can be DIY and are relatively easy on the wallet. I'm not sure if rust is a common problem with 3rd Gen. Proteges, but mine's got a healthy amount. Thanks.

 

[ProtegeDT2011]

Bump.

Looks like I'm not getting any takers, but my problem just got a whole lot more complicated, and I'm really desperate for help.

I took my Protege to a body shop to have a rust hole looked at today (I noticed it a few days after my previous post). They took one look my car and said she's a goner.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8103/img0557qg.jpg

I'm not sure what the spot where the hole is located is called - the guys at the shop called it the rear frame rail. If that is an incorrect term, please feel free to correct me.

I wasn't satisfied with their answer for a few reasons. 1) They didn't lift my car to look at the extent of the rust damage. Though there is a hole forming, there is still a significant amount of solid metal underneath the chipped layers. In fact, the rail's sides are only covered in surface rust. 2) They disregarded any notion to weld a patch over the hole, saying that the rust would creep under anyway. Though I believe this is true, I also believe further rusting can be prevented by undercoating. Their only suggestion was to replace the entire rail (a $3000 job on a $4500 car). 3) I'm a stubborn, poor college student who cannot afford to sell this car off for less than I paid. I'd rather let the car rust to hell than sell it.

If anyone has any suggestions as to how to preserve my car for as long as possible (at least 3 more years), please let me know. According the the guys at the shop, this part of the car bears weight and holds structure, so I'm not sure if I can cut the metal out (I've got nothing but jackstands, and the car is unibody). I was thinking I could weld over the metal, or just fill the hole with POR-15 and undercoat the surrounding area.

 

[ajkulish]

dont just weld over it. that is like putting a band aid on a bullet wound. what i would do is take a dremel with some real good grinding tools on it. or sanding tools, but a small grinder would do the best job. frind all the rust down to bare metal, put rust preventer on it, then rubberized undercoat. the best way to stop rust is to completely grind/sand it out and work over the top of it. but feel free to weld over it once it is all sanded to bare metal.

i hope i helped, and i feel you for being a poor college kid.