Removing Rust and Repainting

[titelines]

Hi All,

I have a couple applications for this question.

1) My truck is about 7 years old and is getting quite a bit of rust on the front fender. It's the bubble type of rust mostly, not eating through yet. I'd like to grind, sand or blast the whole fender, prime and paint so it doesn't get worse.

2) The same truck has little blotches of rust in various places, the largest being maybe 1/2 the size of a dime. I'm thinking that a Dremel with the right grinder attachment could handle this(?) Then prime and touch up with matched paint from the dealer.

3) My utility trailer is ready to be re-painted. Again, need to grind the rust off, prime and paint.

What would be the best way to tackle each of these projects? Angle grinder? Wire brush?

Also - Suggestions on primer and paint? It's kind of a dull/light gray, so I'm not too concerned about not being able to find something to match.

Thanks much for any suggestions!

[Minnesota Fats]

Those soft abrasive pads from 3M that hook up to an angle grinder work pretty well for removing paint and rust... they don't tear up the good metal. Then apply naval jelly, then clean with acetone, then bondo (if needed to smooth the surface out), then prime as quickly as you can. Then paint, wet sand, paint, wet sand, clear coat, and viola! good as new!

The trailer - same 3M pad, naval jelly, acetone, prime, paint.

[Corey Bechtold]

Unfortunately Rust is like Cancer. You can slow it down but stopping it is difficult. There are a ton of products that claim to "convert" or "kill" rust but they usually don't work. There is a product that I have been testing on my truck and it is called POR15. There are a few colors and it is the only product that I have seen that does what it is supposed to do. I applied some to a few rust spots on my truch last year. The rust hasn't spread and it still looks good.

One bit of advice I need to give you is DO NOT get this on your skin! It is nearly impossible to get off. Be sure to give it a lot of time to dry.

To find out more about this product Googal por15 and you'll see it right away. There are also some tips on how to prepare the panel before application.

Good luck,

Corey Bechtold

[Shack]

Like Corey Said, it is very hard to stop rusting.

I have heard (but do not recall the name) of some products after grinding and exposing the rust, it will stop rust from spreading. I venture the cost of doing this (time included) will out weigh just replacing the panel and then repainting.

Good luck!

[Hafnutz]

I would suggest going to a local body shop and asking them for some advice on how to repair it. I have never seen anyone with no auto body experience do a decent repair on something like this. Usually it looks a lot worse than if they had left it alone.

[Shack]

I have had many years working in close proximity of bodyshops. I have many friends who are very good painters.

All though they do not screw up, but what they told me during my painting ventures is:

Auto body is like a home work assignment. But, if and when you screw up, you get to a second chance. Just keep doing it until it is correct.

If one does want to further auto body work on a D.I.Y. scenario, I suggest getting some good books and reading up before you mix any paint.

You can do it if you know how

Good luck!

[Corey Bechtold]

14 years in the industry. Been around it my whole life. There's no one way to explain it other than it's highly specialized. There isn't a solution for rust. Just try and slow it down as best as you can.

Don't believe what you see on reality TV.

Good luck with the rust,

Corey Bechtold

[Shack]

I have good luck with basic automotive painting, but being the vehicle is only 7 years old, what color code it is and model have not been said, I venture you are way better off bringing it into a body shop.

The stuff I have seen was used in automotive restoration, but I should add the any and all rusted metal was cut out and this product was used to prevent rust from spreading and applied on clean, good metal.

I also forgot Corey is an auto body shop manger. He knows his stuff .

Quote:

My utility trailer is ready to be re-painted. Again, need to grind the rust off, prime and paint

For this, I would just recommend doing what you had said above. It is all you can do and it will look nice when done. For application like this, I have found just going to Menards and buying a good matal primer and the color paint you would like (I think have some inexpensive tractor paint), reading the directions and practice applying paint on another surface first, to get down how to apply with out runs occurring. I assume you are using a air paint gun? I would just get all the dirty work done, clean with recommended product the primer suggests, prime right away, then follow pre-app instructions for the paint (cleaning and sanding), then spray the paint on. It would be up to you if you would want to put a clean coat on it or not. I would.

Good luck!

[titelines]

Thank you all for your input. I'm going to digest this a bit, and do a lot of research before diving in. The trailer I can handle, but I'd hate to have the truck end up looking worse in the end.

Thanks again!