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rust removal Posted by Jay on November 8, 2008, 7:14 pm 24.40.213.188 I am a bit premature in trying to sand and prep the body on my 66 Galaxie 500 but curiosity got the best of me. I knew I had some rust to deal with but I kept wondering how tough it would be to tackle and just how much there was. I started on the trunk. Now before you moan at the sight of the photo below, let me say that some of the rust color is from a primer that had gone on at one time or another. This is especially true of the hood. So I tackled it with several methods to see what worked best. Wire brush, 80 grit sandpaper, Naval Jelly rust remover, and even rust converter. Some of the toughest rust is very smooth and looks like burnished metal. Nearly impossible to get off. I am making progess, but not as fast as I would like. Of course I have some pitting to deal with, no surprise to me! Having no experience, I have posted a few photos below to show the pitting next to fresh steel. There is no way I will be able to eliminate the pitting completely. One thing I have found is that some of the steel has discoloration that kind of looks like tarnish. It feels completely smooth like fresh steel. Is this just discoloration or am I looking at rust?  Post a Response

For starters here is some homework for you Posted by Daze on November 8, 2008, 9:09 pm, in reply to "rust removal" 69.145.221.22 Rust removal article Second it looks in the picture like the car is in rough primer?? That would explain all the rust. That is why in a previous thread several of us said you needed to make sure the car stayed dry if you primed it but had to weight to paint it. As far as stripping old paint and getting the panels ready for new paint you need to use some power tools. there are a number of wheels on the market that will strip the panels and the rust. but you need to be careful NOT to concentrate on one area or you will warp the panels. work a full two foot section at a time rather than a 6" section. I really like the stripping wheel in the middle of the picture. it will cut through the paint and body filler, brake down the rust but not do to much to the panels if you are careful. Do not use "rust converter" for body panels. When it comes to body rust you want to remove it all. Read the article it will answer most of your questions. I know I learned a lot when I first read it.  Post a Response

Re: For starters here is some homework for you Posted by Jay on November 8, 2008, 9:24 pm, in reply to "For starters here is some homework for you " 24.40.213.188 Daze, I already did my homework!!!!!! I bought a 7" variable speed buffer today and used 80 grit hook and loop sandpaper and it really strips the paint and most of the rust off in a hurry. I'll read that article in the morning when I am not as sleepy. I have been reading a lot of the forum info on autobodystore.com and I think there is enough respect for Picklex 20 as a flash rust prevention coating and sealer that I will buy that stuff and use epoxy primer cause you can't use etching with Picklex 20. I plan to have the toughest spots blasted, but I will save myself a lot of money by stipping most of the car myself. Once again, thank you Daze!  Post a Response

keep in mind that some abrasives used for blasting will remove rust... Posted by Daze on November 8, 2008, 9:38 pm, in reply to "Re: For starters here is some homework for you " 69.145.221.22 and other will not soda, and wall nut shells are not good for removing rust, where glass beads and sand will remove the rust but also the good steel.  Post a Response

No soda for me! Probably beads. Posted by Jay on November 9, 2008, 5:16 am, in reply to "keep in mind that some abrasives used for blasting will remove rust..." 24.40.213.188 Yep! I plan to have areas I can't get to blasted by the local body shop. Then I'll have them go over the car once more (light sanding)before they apply epoxy primer. That is all work for early next year. What little metal I have exposed will be preserved with Picklex 20 so it will not rust.  Post a Response

Daze, Question?? Posted by roger Schroeder on November 9, 2008, 6:00 am, in reply to "For starters here is some homework for you " 99.135.13.44 In your reply to Jay you stated' Do not use "rust converter" for body panels." . Why not? OMG! I'll have to remove all the paint on my LTD AND Vert. I used Bill Hirsch rust remover and converter on both for the hood and fenders. Not to mention a lot of other parts! After 8+ years the LTD still looks great, sort of, The paint is fine and when I stripped the hood from the LTD to use on the Vert. it was in good shape, except for the nose, which had some rust through from the inside seams. I fixed that and used the rust converter in those tight areas between the inner panel and outer to convert the rust before I used the epoxy etching primer. I'd be interested in hearing what you think on why you should not use it. I did use the grinder and sanding wheel like the one in the middle of the picture you took, that works great, fast and low heat build-up. then the rust converter for the pits, then more sanding with the wheel, then a rag with thinner to clean, then metal prep, then etching primer. Not being critical, just like to gain knowledge! I know I've done a lot "wrong" on my cars, but I get better each time with good sound advice! Roger  Post a Response

Re: Daze, Question?? Posted by Jay on November 9, 2008, 6:33 am, in reply to "Daze, Question??" 24.40.213.188 The reason I asked about rust converter is because I was frustrated with the lack of results I was getting with Naval Jelly (slow and multiple applications and I still have rust). I did a little experiment which is yet to be completed. I'll tip my info now however. I prepped two areas side by side, one with Naval Jelly and the other with converter. The converter is on overnight. Jelly was removed within 2 hours per instructions on the bottle. I wanted to see if the converter chemically changed the rust into something that the 80 grit paper would remove more easily. I figured that any converter left in the pitted areas was as good as I could expect to get (or I would get the pits sandblasted later anyway). This photo has a diagonal line with the Jelly on the right and the converter on the left. I'll post a new photo later in this thread with the results.  Post a Response

Thats why I love forums!!!!!!! Posted by Daze on November 9, 2008, 7:46 pm, in reply to "Daze, Question??" 69.145.221.22 because non of us are infallible I misspoke. What I was trying to convey was converting the rust is no substitute for removing it. I have seen people try do deal with major rust issues by hitting them with cheep wall mart rust converter and then hoping it will do the trick. In those cases the result was bad. There is nothing wrong with using some rust high quality professional grade converter as an addition to using the various stripping methods, but it should not be used in place of them  Post a Response

Re: Thats why I love forums!!!!!!! Posted by roger Schroeder on November 10, 2008, 4:53 am, in reply to "Thats why I love forums!!!!!!!" 99.135.13.44 AH! That makes sense! I agree with you there, I would never rely on just those 'miracle' products alone. The only miracle is how they get sold in the first place! There are lots of great products out there but it still takes a lot of elbow grease and my best method, making a blood sacrifice to the car gods.  Post a Response

I have seen to many cars held together with Bondo, duct tape, and bailing wire Posted by Daze on November 10, 2008, 9:37 am, in reply to "Re: Thats why I love forums!!!!!!!" 69.145.221.22 to trust that that everyone will put the time and effort in to there car that is deserves. When I made the original post I had no doubt, based on things he has said so far, that Jay would "do it right" however I erred on the side of caution because I new he would not be the only one reading this thread, and I figured someone looking for the easy fix might think they could fix this car with cheap rust converter.  Post a Response

Re: I have seen to many cars held together with Bondo, duct tape, and bailing wire Posted by roger Schroeder on November 10, 2008, 3:59 pm, in reply to "I have seen to many cars held together with Bondo, duct tape, and bailing wire" 99.139.136.65 Anyone can see that car needs some rust encapsulator to finish the job right! (maybe a bit of chewing gum too!)  Post a Response

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