Is there a definative answer for rust abatement?

[binderbound]

I have been searching around and reading what I could and it made me wonder, is there a cut and dried method for fixing the rust issues we have and keeping it from happening again? I'm mainly speaking about trucks/travelalls. We all know certain methods and we have all seen how some people have fixed it, but the info is so spread out.

My 70 travelette is 98% rust free. No windshield rust, no inner cowel rust, no floor or cab corner rot. I want to start to at least protect it until I get to restoring it. I have a lot of irons in the fire and am not sure when I can dedicate 100% attention to it.

Whats the best rust converter? Whats the best primer? Whats the best paint? What are the best methods for applying above products?

Are you guys chipping out the original seam sealer that was applied to the body during assembly before application or just spraying right over it? How would I apply rust stopper to the inside of the A pillar and lower corners before it becomes a problem?

I want to paint the entire interior in rust converter, then Lizard Skin, then sound deadening mat, then finally carpet. So, I only want to do this once.

Heres where it is now.






This what I'm most concerned about. Its not full blown cancer just yet...


If all these questions have been answered in 1 single thread, then I'll delete this one. Thanks!

[ruderunner]

It's gonna rust, don't waste your time just send it to me...

IH was about the worst when it came to rust prevention, basically none other than the paint you see. So anything you do is a major improvement.

For any vehicle the biggest contributor to rust is water. Anything you can do to keep water off the steel helps. Keep in mind that it's nearly impossible to keep water out but fairly easy to drain it. On D trucks the rotten cowls, kick panels and winshield frame are all caused by trapped watwer combined with raw steel.

Here in Ohio a well proven though messy and not permanent solution is oil spraying the vehicle. A garden sprayer filled with used engine oil (or better yet used atf) to flood those nooks and crannies. The oil sticks for about a year and you have to do it again but its cheap and really does work.

I've kicked around the idea of having parts dipped in the nickel bath at the local chrome shop, nickel is highly corrosion resistan and sticks to steel like nobodys business.

[orodos]

If you don't have any rot (only surface rust), use a grinder/wirewheel and get as much rust off as you can, to bare steel if possible. If you can't get to bare steel, knock the rust down as far as possible and spray it down with Rust Mort. Rust Mort is just a concentration of phosphoric acid, which chemically reacts with rust and turns it into a non-decaying gray/black surface. Then paint it up with POR15, Rust Shield, or whatever you prefer.

If you have rot, it has to be cut out. There are no shortcuts.

http://semproducts.com/product-catal...ion/rust-mort/

http://semproducts.com/product-catal...n/rust-shield/

[robgimmel]

As everyone else has said and will say, you cannot prevent rust, only slow it down. In my opinion the best thing you can do is to tear down your truck completely, strip it to bare metal, use a good POR primer and then undercoat, or evern better in my opinion is to use a light coat of bedliner, do this on everything that will not get painted. Don't skimp on the quality of the materials you use, especially if you plan on keeping the truck. If you live in an area where salt is used on the roads in winter then a good water rinse every few weeks underneath would help.

[jeff campbell]

DAMN ! thats a nice solid floor ! i'd sandblast them rust areas,then primer. i'd get rid of the seam sealer.jeff

[Robert JetFxr]

Dan, I have trucks sand blasted, then spray with epoxy primer. After that before I install anything I have bedliner sprayed professionally sprayed. My feelings are the area is then sealed, but you will need to address the inner areas like inside the "A" pillars and areas that are sealed up, I use a product that is wax and oil formula to coat those areas.

Edit: On your Travelette I would strip out all the seam sealer, haven it sand blasted to kill all the rust then sprayed with epoxy primer then bedliner. I would not reapply seam sealer the bedliner should seal things up for you.

[BO185]

Acid dip the cab then have the entire thing powdercoated. Then use a oil based coating for the areas still bare metal IE the inside rockers and such.

Not cheap but it will be rust free.

Or just clean it up and keep it inside and never drive in rain/snow.

[Jay Tabor]

flake off the deep rust,then phosphoric acid bath, neutralize then prime+ paint>
using an epoxy paint or powder coat- lots of luck fixing dings and scratches!


all car manus back in the 70's used poorly made sheet metal- all the chevys and fords from those years melted from rust,too.
not enough zinc in the sheet metal, oh well . .
buy a fibreglass body then .. they dont rust . .

[Bryan G]

Sure wish I could wave a wand and have my interior has gutted as yours (and then, of course, wave it again to put it all back!) That cowl is a pain to deal with but looks 1000% easier to deal with once that dash is out of the way. Mine has the usual spots; several things have popped since I painted it a couple years back. I want to get to the insides of the cowl, rockers, cab corners, etc, and treat the ever-lovin tar out of them with something.

[binderbound]

Lots of good tips! Thanks!

Do I need to do anything to the phosphoric acid after its applied or can I just let it dry and then bedline over it? Is the POR-15 compatible with most bedliners and paint?

How are you guys getting the other stuff into the hidden areas like A pillars, B pillars, and rockers?

I dont have the means to remove the cab from the frame and have it sand blasted but I can strip it down further and then sand blast the interior and upper cowel area.

Its not getting an original IH interior put back in, so thats why I stripped it down as far as I did.