Any rust repair tips?

I have quite a bit of rust that I need to repair. I'd like to start with the simple rust first. The rust that hasn't rusted through yet. I'm guessing I would need to use a wire brush on an electric drill to grind as much away as possible, sand it with coarse sandpaper, use a body filler of some sort, sand it, and prime it. But I could be wrong. Maybe I'm missing a step or just misunderstand the order to do this all in. I've done Google searches and searched the Forum, but really not finding what I'm looking for. I figured you guys might be able to point me in the right direction of the materials I need and the step by step instructions on how to repair surface rust that has pitted the metal but hasn't gone all the way through yet. Here's the first place I want to start.

http://yotavans.shugpro.com/img/kc/rust/Above%20Fuel%20Door.JPG

This was taken a long time ago, so it's a little worse. Also, should I use a rust converter chemical before I do anything?

take an electric grinding wheel, they are as cheap as 25 bucks at home depot, and grind off all the rust until there is only clean metal left. if you go through the metal, it is ok because you would have to replace it anyways. if it goes through, cut out a bit from around there until you have a nice area to weld new metal onto. if you dont have welding skills, just use some waterproof fiberglass-reinforced bondo from any auto store. if the hole is more than maybe a half inch, it is better to weld actual metal in there though. dont worry too much about welding it completely flush, because you can just bash it in with a hammer later and use filler over it to make it look smooth. once you are sure you have a good surface to use, which by the picture it looks like you dont need to weld anything in there, you can simply use a grinder to make deep scratches in the metal and a few inches out from the area. then apply the filler on the scratched (scuffed) area make sure the bondo doesnt go over any paint because it wont stick and will flake off most likely. once the bondo is layered high enough, you use a cheese grater type tool to roughly sand it to a general shape you want, then use 80 grit paper and keep going up to at least 300-something grit. you may need to keep putting more and more additional coats of filler if you sand too deep into it, dont worry too much about it. also, use a block of some type to hold the sandpaper to sand the surface because your fingers will leave ridges and low spots. these devices are usually cheap at places like autozone and such. but anyways, use primer after you featheredge it with 300ish grit and then take a spray can of paint after the primer dries and just mist it over the dryed primer, make sure it is a contrasting color to the primer. you will use this as a guide to sanding the primer. what happens is when you sand, you sand off the contrasting mist coat as you go, and if there is a spot where the mist remains, you know that it is a low spot and needs some glazing putty to fill it up. if you need glazing putty, you need another coat of primer over it and another mist coat to make sure it filled the imperfection all the way. once you have no more inperfections, wet sand the surface with 400 and then 800, and youre ready for the topcoat. pretty long explanation eh??? if you are really confused by this rambling, just go to google and type in something like "how to paint your car" and click on the top few ones. they are more for the first time explanation and i used them as well as first hand experience to figure it out

oh yeah and one more thing, bondo is a pain in the ass because it sometimes will have little pits in it that need glazing putty to fix, i guess its the nature of the beast... and make sure you use the actual bondo spreaders that come in packs of 3 different sized ones, they work much better and you get a smoother covering with them. they are easy to clean too... just use some laqcuer thinner on a rag to clean em up and they will work just about forever.

Thanks. I look at the Bondo products in the automotive section of Fred Meyer (Kroger related store) during my lunch breaks where I work as a cashier. They seem to have everything I need and I can use my 10% employee discount. I hope to avoid as much welding as possible. Don't have the equipment or the skills for that. I really don't want to weld around the fuel tank filler either. Bad idea. :D I'll read your post over and over again and attempt it eventually and hope it's not too late.

Now, to get to the worst part, I'm wondering if this can be repaired with fiberglass rather than welding in new metal.

http://yotavans.shugpro.com/img/kc/rust/Left%20of%20Tailgate.JPG

I have already cut out the rust. I know I'll need to cut away more, but do you suppose I could build a frame with a galvanized wire mesh and fiberglass over it?

I have uploaded updated pictures of the rusted parts cut out. Oh yeah. Dremels SUCK!! I've gone through a whole can of cutting discs cutting that metal out.

http://kc.cognitivelube.com/VanShit/rust1.jpg

http://kc.cognitivelube.com/VanShit/rust2.jpg

I have removed the taillights in those pictures to show the extent of the damage. It's an 84 Toyota Van. Engine's rebuilt and drives great. I want to restore it and keep it for a long time.

You're going to need to create a new patch panel out of 18gage CRS and weld it in there. Thats pretty substantial metal work for rust repair. Dont fiberglass it. That will just look horrible and create more problems, and use as little filler as you can, only a skim coat.

Make sure once the panel is welded flush that you prime it with an etching primer, then a sealer. Then do your filler on that. Filler and fiberglass resins cause metal to rust if they are not properly sealed. Sand it, and coat with another sealer primer.

Good luck!