I've had my DD up on jackstands all week to deal with several issues before the winter. One, the most time-consuming one, is managing some rust, which is probably there in the first place from some improperly done repair prior to my ownership. The problem area is the right rear quarter: I've got rust spots where it joins the door jamb and along the wheel arch. The door jamb looks like it was just a weld area that went bad from behind - no choice but to cut it out and weld in new metal, but it's easily accessible and small. The outer portion of the wheel arch is lightly pitted - that has been cleaned up, and tomorrow I plan to hit it with rust converter to kill whatever's still in the pits, then prime, fill, prime, and paint.
The one I'm not sure how to deal with is the back side of the wheel arch. The area joins two pieces of metal together (inner and outer) in a pinched seam; whoever did the body work did a crappy job of sealing it, so it's rusting. I know that cutting it out and replacing it is the right way to fix it, but it ain't going to happen - the work needs to be done by this weekend, and that level of complexity is beyond what I can do in that time. I've ground it down to a reasonable state (nothing scaling off any more), and I'm planning to at least use the rust converter on it, followed by an epoxy paint and then a layer of bedliner.
So the question is: is there anything else you can recommend to hold that rust at bay? I've heard good things about wax-based products applied regularly, which I'm fine with doing - any idea where to find such things?
What kind of rust converter are you using? I'd recommend Rust Bullet or POR-15, then paint and bedline as you say. Once that's all dry, hit it with some Fluid Film or Waxoyl.
As far as I know, Amazon has all this stuff.
Go ahead and fix the outer, then find a long tube for a spray can and hose your favorite lubricant in there- I prefer Fluid Film, because it seems like the sort of thing that is thin enough to flow into the cracks, but thick enough to stay around.
Eastwood makes a rust inhibitor with a tube on it for just such a thing. I bought some, but haven't tried it yet. Try Eastwood body cavity spray.
The rust converter I have is Rustoleum - it appears to be phosphoric acid primarily. May not be the best, but I'm under time constraints here, and that's what was locally available. As long as it doesn't make it worse, I'm fine with it.
I'll look into the suggested products - sounds like the sort of thing I'm after.
My belief is that the acids remove rust, and what you are seeking is a rust inhibitor. For instance, I cleaned up some parts in phosphoric acid last weekend, and they are already re-rusting. I have been known to be wrong before, though. Often.
Correct. I'm using the converter (acid) to stabilize the rust before painting as best I can; in the accessible areas, I can ensure proper paint coverage. It's up under the lip of the wheel arch that I can't get proper access, so I'll need to add something to slow whatever rust I miss. The rust inhibiting paints are fine, but I can't ensure I'd cover everything, thus my search for something to add over the top.
wheelsmithy wrote:
My belief is that the acids remove rust, and what you are seeking is a rust inhibitor. For instance, I cleaned up some parts in phosphoric acid last weekend, and they are already re-rusting. I have been known to be wrong before, though. Often.
Sounds right to me. If you don't paint right after using the phosphoric acid, the rust comes right back.
Another vote for the Eastwood stuff with the tube. I use it to coat the inside of frame rails. Eastwood spray
For topical anti-rust treatment on exposed metal that I haven't had time to finish yet, Gibbs works pretty well. I reapply it every couple months. I have unpainted patches on a rear valence that have stayed clean this way for two years now. Gibbs
FYI for oil rust prevention, Lowes has cans of Fluid Film for ~$10 each.
I am trying it to slow some stuff on the wife's subaru that needs to wait another year or so for me to be able to have it off the road for anything more serious. Seems like good stuff.
The Eastwood internal frame coat is great. To cover surfaces I either use Fluid Film (which doesn't contain a rust converter) or Formula 3000/Corrosion Free (which does, and is much stickier than Fluid Film, at the cost of attracting a protective coat of dirt).
Corrosion Free likes to hype the older Canadian Armed Forces study on how to keep tanks from corroding. It doesn't contain Fluid Film, only Formula 3000/CF, but it does very well against a handful of others (including LPS2) and their experimental methodology is relatively sound:
http://cradpdf.drdc-rddc.gc.ca/PDFS/unc53/p526285.pdf
OK, I double-checked just what the Rustoleum product I bought is called, and it's "Rust Dissolver" not "Rust Converter" (short term memory loss is a bitch). Anyway, it's been applied, waited 30 minutes, keeping the areas wet per the instructions, and removed. The rusty areas look sort of blackish now. Next step is SEM Rust Shield, brushed on in three coats (again per the instructions). After that dries, prime, fill, prime again, paint on the accessible surfaces; epoxy paint and bedliner underneath. Once all that's done, some sort of wax or oil rust inhibitor over the top in the latter spots. Sound right?
