Rust and vinyl tops

Peeled off the vinyl top on the old Dart today. No soft spots in the metal but there is a few areas where there is some pitting. Any tips on dealing with this? I'm thinking about cleaning the **** out of it along with maybe a quick light sand blasting of the area. Then apply some rust neutralizer of some sort, a bit of body filler to smooth out the area, primer then paint.

Will the rust come back? Is the right fix to cut out pitted material and replace? What say the experts or anybody else that has a opinion? :D