patching up rust

hey... im 14 so you would expect im noob at this. anyways... there is a rusted spot on our van and i was wondering how i should go about patching it up and what materials im supposed to use. my dad said something about metal mesh and silicone putty or whatnot. i got some pictures of the rust here:

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/197744Van_001_WEB-med.jpg

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/197744Van_002_WEB-med.jpg

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/197744Van_003_WEB-med.jpg

there they are. in case your wondering its a Dodge Grand Caravan. its on the driver side(in the US) in/on the rear wheel well that is below the gas filler.

any help would be appreciated. thanks in advance!

The cheap and easy would be just to throw some Bondo on, sand it to match the contour, prime, and paint. It doesn't appear to have gone through the metal...you may want to sand down the rust too first.

Before you throw the Bondo on(if you want to stop the rust), try something like POR-15....

yeah i would definately take a grinding wheel to it and get it so that theres no rust left and then put por 15 all over it and fill er up with some bondo and paint it once its good and flush. better yet, although i doubt it would be worth the time, you could maybe find a website that sells patch panels or fabricate your own and mig weld it in place (dont use a rod welder or it will be too hot for the thin metal)

thanks!

has anyone heard of anything to do with metal mesh and some kind of putty? i've been doing some research but i havent found anything. most of the stuff i've seen had to do with cutting the part out and welding in some new sheet metal. i'll probably look into some POR-15 some more.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/uploads/30058/rust.jpg

Wheel wells are impossible to fix (permanently) without removing the rusted area and probably a spot twice as big as what you see. Cleaning it out and filling it with bondo will last for about 6 months before it comes back.
Look at the pics you supplied. You can see the "spider webbing" caused by rust migrating under the paint. The rust is coming through from the backside. You will notice the discoloration on some of the paint. Use a screwdriver and dig out the worst of the rust. You will see a couple of different layers of metal coming together at this joint. The problem here is the joint holds water and road salt and, everytime it rans, the water will reactivate the salt (even in the summer).
I would say, for the practice, clean out the bad spot as best as you can. Use some RustMort or converter on it and fill it with some bondo. There are fiberglass screens you can use to add strength but this area reallt doesn't require that. Sand it to contour, prime and paint as best as you can.
There are a ton of books available for this kind of work and, if you are really interested, there is money to be made in the industry...
Pick up a bodyworking book, look through it and then use some of the knowledge it will give you...
Mark

ok thanks! i'll take a look at some of the stuff you said!