The 94 Astro I got has surface rust underneath on the body and the front subframe. I do not have a lift, don't want to remove much in the way (think gas tank), but want to remove as much visible scale as possible. My air compressor tank is only 20 gallon so not much volume to blast loose scale with air. Other options? Does Harbor Freight have a solution.
I'm thinking if I don't get the visible scale the rust converter won't be able to seal as well.
Scraper and wire wheel or cup on grinder is my go-to for these situations, and a good old manual wire brush
Patrick said:Scraper and wire wheel or cup on grinder is my go-to for these situations, and a good old manual wire brush
But I was hoping to avoid serious manual labor. Guess I may not be able to.
I'm with Patrick with the tooling required. May also consider the fiber paint remover wheels, but they don't last very long.
I'm also with you and manual labor sucks seriously.
It's really nice when the rust is gone though. Your eyes will thank you from that point on.
Yeah, the big cheap manual grill brush type brushes are pretty good for this.
If you're going to use a wire cup brush on a grinder, I strongly suggest one that's lower speed or variable speed. My favorite for this is actually the $15 Harbor Freight angle grinder. It's only 4.3A, where most "real" brands are 6 or 7A. The lower speed/torque makes it easier to control. If that cup brush catches an edge, the grinder will want to jump out of your hands faster than you can react if it has a powerful motor behind it.
In reply to obsolete :
Grill Brush huh? Never thought of that. Great idea.
I like wire cup on a drill so I'm not eating as much rust. The drill is easier to use under a car.
Do yourself a small favor in the miserable job you will do, mask up. The amount of times I had to seriously clean my nose out after rust removal... yuk.
Agree with Alfadriver. And since he and I both worked on Italian cars, you know we snorted lots of rust.
In reply to alfadriver :
Always! I got a combo respirator/safety mask that seals to my face and it's a grinding life changer. No more crappy fitting n95's and fogged up glasses
In reply to Patrick :
Care to share the brand ?
In reply to Indy - Guy :
I've used a generic hardware store one. If you can try it on to make sure the seal to your nose and mouth is good, that's the key part. For the most part, respirators are designed for finer stuff than rust dust, so any will work. Fit is where you make sure your safety glasses don't fog up.
alfadriver said:In reply to Indy - Guy :
I've used a generic hardware store one. If you can try it on to make sure the seal to your nose and mouth is good, that's the key part. For the most part, respirators are designed for finer stuff than rust dust, so any will work. Fit is where you make sure your safety glasses don't fog up.
I have a respirator and shield. They will get used.
Gonna look into a needler too.
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