Preventing rust in places that are unreachable

A

aggie jon

Not sure this is in the right place, so feel free to move it if need be. I read Barry's post: "What every new painter must read! *Never use a rust converter of any kind. NO MATTER WHAT IT IS." Then I talk to my hot rod building buddy and he talks about his old sandblaster using a sprayable rust converter that they sell at the welding supply house to apply to areas that you can't or won't be able to sand, prime, or anything. Just saturate it repeatedly was what he said to do. "If you cant sand it and paint it, spray it."

For clarity, what I am working on is a 1949 Chevrolet truck. Specifically, the area under and behind the dash (which is permanently installed and not removable), the beltline where the cab roof joins the cab back, and low portions inside the door skins. So while I put more trust in Barry's advice (as he is the guy who develops these products), than the ole' boy at the sandblast shop. I need a recommendation.....

For the areas that are unable to reach with hand sanding, sandblasting, paint gun, anything....what can be done? coat it w/ epoxy primer and hope it is covered enough to keep it from spreading? Think I won't be around in another 60 years to worry about it? Anything else? I know the restoration crowd will have a solution. Or do you just look the other way?
 
I believe the best thing to do would be to drill out the spot welds that attach the dash and remove it. Huge pain in the arse, but the right way to do it. I haven't looked at my Advance Designs pickup but I would assume the dash is spot welded in.
 
There are lots better opinions than mine on here that will provide a better answer, but;

If it stays dry it shouldn't rust more than just surface rust from the moisture in air.
The rust we deal with in doors, fenders, dash... is from air, moisture, elements continually acting on the metal. If bare metal is kept from being exposed to the elements it will not rust more than just surface.
Under side of my 68 Camaro dash or inside doors are good examples.
Good Luck

- - - Updated - - -

There are lots better opinions than mine on here that will provide a better answer, but;

If it stays dry it shouldn't rust more than just surface rust from the moisture in air.
The rust we deal with in doors, fenders, dash... is from air, moisture, elements continually acting on the metal. If bare metal is kept from being exposed to the elements it will not rust more than just surface.
Under side of my 68 Camaro dash or inside doors are good examples.
Good Luck
 
I agree about under the dash and other areas inside the car only getting surface rust, unless there is a leak somewhere for water to get in. A lot of those areas never were painted at the factory, and after several decades, most cars now will only have surface rust. You could brush on epoxy, but not sure how it would work over surface rust, so some rust converter probably wouldn't hurt because you won't be painting over it anyway.

But I would suggest that the inside of doors will get wet and need protection. Even if the car is kept in a garage and only driven on sunny days, the door inners will get wet when you wash the car, so they need to be cleaned and then you can just pour the epoxy in and roll it around. I have found that it is better to pour the extra epoxy out instead of leaving it thick in the doors to dry, because it does shrink a little and may pull away from the metal, similar but not as bad as a hockey puck in the mixing cup.
 
removing a dash is ridiculous . you will not live long enough to see it rust through. the only areas that rust out is where dirt becomes trapped.
and there is no such thing as converting rust.

- - - Updated - - -

removing a dash is ridiculous . you will not live long enough to see it rust through. the only areas that rust out is where dirt becomes trapped.
and there is no such thing as converting rust.
 
So then sounds like sand and scuff the surface rust off best that I can of what I can access, and twist and contort the spray gun and get a coat of epoxy on the areas as best as possible. And then flood the seams with epoxy at the areas that I can't spray to get some cover on it. And fix any leaks or areas that may get inundated with moisture and make sure that it drains.

Cab corners will be coming off and replaced with patch panels, so the insides of those areas will get a thorough sanding and painting with epoxy. Any other areas that will see moisture/dirt/mud/etc will also be concentrated on. As a related question, what is a good option to use as an undercoating for the cab/inner fenders? I am considering using SPI bedliner for the exterior cab floor underneath the cab, the wheel well portion of the inner and outer fenders, and underneath the running boards. Is there a better option?

The truck's life as a workhorse has come to an end. It's second life will be that of a fair-weather driver and will spend most nights put up in the shop warm and dry. An occasional trip to the lumberyard or feed store just for grins may be all the work it sees. I guess I want to stop the rust that is present. Just don't feel right fixing the whole thing and turning a blind eye to areas that are untreated. Just don't want them to rear their ugly head down the road. I've done that before. Bit me in the backside.

My largest area of concern is a few bubbles of rust where the roof and cab meet along the beltline. The thought of cutting/welding or patching in that area does not appeal to me. It is in a very visible spot, and only 3 visible bubbles that look to be just starting. I guess once I get the paint off, it will confess the true story that lies beneath.

Removing the dash will not happen. Replacing the gauges is enough of a task to make a preacher cuss like a drunk sailor on shore leave. That and my understanding is that the dash is a structural component of the cab. I would use tape off visible portions of the cab interior and coat with ospho and spray with a non-epoxy primer or paint to attempt to keep it from rusting more and at least get the "I tried my best" feeling of doing something to thwart the spread. I would use extreme caution to keep it from any area that would get a visible finish if it came down to that. And that would be a last resort.

- - - Updated - - -

So then sounds like sand and scuff the surface rust off best that I can of what I can access, and twist and contort the spray gun and get a coat of epoxy on the areas as best as possible. And then flood the seams with epoxy at the areas that I can't spray to get some cover on it. And fix any leaks or areas that may get inundated with moisture and make sure that it drains.

Cab corners will be coming off and replaced with patch panels, so the insides of those areas will get a thorough sanding and painting with epoxy. Any other areas that will see moisture/dirt/mud/etc will also be concentrated on. As a related question, what is a good option to use as an undercoating for the cab/inner fenders? I am considering using SPI bedliner for the exterior cab floor underneath the cab, the wheel well portion of the inner and outer fenders, and underneath the running boards. Is there a better option?

The truck's life as a workhorse has come to an end. It's second life will be that of a fair-weather driver and will spend most nights put up in the shop warm and dry. An occasional trip to the lumberyard or feed store just for grins may be all the work it sees. I guess I want to stop the rust that is present. Just don't feel right fixing the whole thing and turning a blind eye to areas that are untreated. Just don't want them to rear their ugly head down the road. I've done that before. Bit me in the backside.

My largest area of concern is a few bubbles of rust where the roof and cab meet along the beltline. The thought of cutting/welding or patching in that area does not appeal to me. It is in a very visible spot, and only 3 visible bubbles that look to be just starting. I guess once I get the paint off, it will confess the true story that lies beneath.

Removing the dash will not happen. Replacing the gauges is enough of a task to make a preacher cuss like a drunk sailor on shore leave. That and my understanding is that the dash is a structural component of the cab. I would use tape off visible portions of the cab interior and coat with ospho and spray with a non-epoxy primer or paint to attempt to keep it from rusting more and at least get the "I tried my best" feeling of doing something to thwart the spread. I would use extreme caution to keep it from any area that would get a visible finish if it came down to that. And that would be a last resort.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top