Well ya'll, I found some cancer on my car while preparin for this motor. Not too bad but doesn't make me happy. The front floor pans and frame rails have some surface rust on them. My question is what is the best way of taking care of this surface rust b4 it becomes a problem? I've heard to use rust bullet but what else? My best thoughts is to wire wheel as much as possible off, use the rust bullet, primer it and re undercoat it. Any suggestions? What kind of primer should I use? Any other prep I should do? Thanks for all yall's help.

 

por 15 is easy to use

 

No need to use a wire wheel other than to get the old paint off that has peeled away from the metal. Just brush on the rust encapsulator, let it dry, then hit it with another coat. You can then paint over that.

 

I suppose POR-15 vs. Eastwood could become as popular a topic as 351W vs. 351C. I've used Eastwood's stuff and as Glen said, if using a rust encapsulator you just need to wire brush any loose paint / scale before applying. I've always wiped the surface down with mineral spirits after brushing just to get rid of any dust left from wire brushing. If it's a hidden area, you can simply apply with a brush. Eastwood (and I'm sure the makers of POR-15 as well) sell other rust conversion products as well these days, you might want to take a look at their respective websites and decide which, if any, additional products you want to use. Personally I have used Eastwood's OxySolv to dissolve as much light rust as possible before using the encapsulator. When Eastwood first started selling their rust encapsulator the claim was that it actually worked better on rusted material than on plain steel... they have apparently since reformulated this stuff somewhat to better adhere to clean metal.

Some before / after pics of the firewall in the 72. I hope this stuff works, otherwise my car might fall apart on me someday.
The inside of the door pillar and underneath the brake pedal support eventually got their own coating of rust encapsulator (spray can for those hard-to-reach areas).



[IMG]local://upfiles/47054/3ABE46E2DC464289BADBED0455D2F298.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/47054/5748867CB501459E8B2680DE44290026.jpg[/IMG]

 

so i don't need to scrape off the old undercoating? Will the rust bullet also work to prevent further rust damage on unrusted parts?

 

Rust encapsulators work by sealing the surface from future moisture and air. If you have undercoating, I would rec removing as there may be rust under it and encapsulatores are meant to stick to metal, not other paint/endercoating etc. This is the process I use and it has worked well for me:
1. Remove paint, undercoating, loose rust etc. with wire wheel.
2. Any remaining surface rust gets treated with Phosphoric Plus (available at HD for about $10 a gallon, POR-15 also make "Metal Prep which is the same thing but they charge you $15 a pint) this is a mild phosphoric acid solution that contains zinc phosphate. So, it disolves the rust and leaves a phosphate coating that is an excellent base for topcoat. It was also used for many parts as a finish coat (i.e. phosphate and oil treated hardware) in fact, since the encapsulatore are meant for seasoned/rusted metal, it is recomended you trat clean metal to give the POR-15 a good surface to adhere to.
3. Repeat step two as neccesary. When the rust is dissolved, it usually turns black. Typically with heavier rust there will still be rust underneath. Prob sufficient to top coat with encapsulator, but my thinking is why take the chance. So after the first go round with the phosphoric acid, I will usually wire wheel and retreat again til I get all the black/rust out.
4. wipe down with laquer thinner, wax and grease remover or similar product, blow away dust with compressed air and wipe with tack rag.
5. Apply two coats of encapsulator. I use por-15. It is tough stuff. I have even spilled some of the phophoric acid on previously treated panels and it has no effect on the por-15, just wipe it off.
6. I then use the POR-15 Self etching primer (saves having to scuff the POR-15 for other top coats), let that flash and if part is straigh, no pitting etc, just top coat, or if some work is required to fill pits etc. I spray a couple of coats of sandable primer, sand or fill as req'd.
7. Top coat with paint of choice.

A couple of notes. POR-15 does not have to be top coated. However, it is UV sensative and will change color/fade over time when exposed to sunlight. For the frame rails you could prob just POR-15 and undercoat. I also used it in my engine bay and origionally had not intended to top coat, but I found that the finish was not too consistent from panel to panel (some areas flatter or glossier than others) and I had some filling/prep to do so I top coated.

From what I have read, I would think that the eastwood stuff is just as good, I just happened to have a store in my area that carries the whole line of POR-15 stuff.

Good Luck