I have recently been working on a 1963 Buick Skylark at my street rod and restoration shop Waycool Customs. You will discover a lot of rusted panels on this car or truck and no replacement body panels could be purchased. Each panel should be hand fabricated. We have made new floor pans, rockers, trunk pans, and under the rear seat.
What I truly wish to touch on is when pinch-welds rust on a car.
Every single car has pinch-welds on them. Moisture gets in between the two pieces of steel and begins to rust. More than the years the rust will create up and start to swell the two pieces of steel. This is generally overlooked and can cause serious difficulties down the road. You've got to cut the pinch weld apart and scrape the rust out. I constantly use a rust converter to coat the inside with the pinch weld. I use POR-15. Once the rust is treated hammer and dolly the pinch-weld together and re-spotweld it. It can be great as new now.
Check the automobile over and if you see any signs of pinch-welds swollen you have to repair it. Should you put nice paint over top of it the rust will maintain swelling the weld and eventually break it open. It will also bleed out rust whenever you wash the vehicle. I always go on the inside with the doors and coat them with POR-15 to seal the pinch-weld up so now moisture can get in there. As with that anywhere you are able to get to it can be a great thought to coat the within of the panel to ensure that no rust will come back soon. Nobody wants that to take place!
