[Vic1947]

The liftgate presents much more of a challenge. The bottom half of the frame pretty much has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. The flat section that meets the top of the tailgate was so rotted out, I went ahead and cut it out to expose the underside of the inner stamping. Overall, the frame is fairly rigid, but a lot of welding on it would probably warp it beyond repair. So I plan to use a combination of short welds, 3M panel adhesive and fiberglass mat to make it usable again.

When I lived in Houston, there was a place that could dip parts in an acidic rust remover followed by a neutralizer, rinse and surface rust preventative. But I haven't found anything comparable near where I now live. I'm considering boxing the piece up and shipping it to a shop that provides that service. When you're dealing with a fragile part it's best to use a process that is minimally destructive.