What have you fellow rodders/restorers out there done about surface rust? I want to stop the rust from coming from the inside out later, and can't decide whether to media blast, or use a product like POR paint. I want to take care of the metal before replacing the inner body structure of my '29 Stude. This car only has minor surface rust. What have you had the best luck with?
I initially sandblasted my entire frame on my 47 Chevy on my own and it came out very nice. I followed the instructions on por-15 and after five to six months, the surface wrinkled and it blistered. I even had put a top coat and kept it indoors to prevent it from getting messed up. I was very disappointed with the product so I ended up taking my frame to the sandblaster and powder coater and it is night and day. That was my experience and I advise people to just get it powder coated or get it painted with something better Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk
I have a love/hate relationship with sandblasting ,it's a necessary part of the restoration process. HRP
They say POR doesn't adhere well to clean metal. It actually uses the rust to stick. If you blasted it, could that be why? I powder coat all of my frames, but this question is for sheet metal inside the car where it isn't seen later.
If its surface rust on the inside por it. I have a fabricator friend that has thinned por and used it in a spray bottle to get in all the nooks and crannys. BTW use rubber gloves.
You bring up a good point. I sandblasted it clean, hosed it down and let it oxidize for a few weeks. The issue I had wasn't adherence to the surface but the top surface looking bad. I'm not building a budget build and plan to keep the car. Perhaps POR-15 will work for him but going forward, I will either use a catalyzed paint or powder coat. Sent from my SM-G925V using H.A.M.B. mobile app
IF YOU SPRAY POR 15 USE BREATHING PROTECTION. IT WILL SET UP IN YOUR LUNGS AND NEVER GO AWAY. IF IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OFF OF YOU HANDS, WHAT IS IT GOING TO DO INSIDE YOUR BODY? DON'T BREATHE IT. Otherwise, it's good stuff and I use it a lot. Media blasting is messy. Best to get the metal clean and then epoxy prime it. See the above big font and apply it to epoxy primer too.
I prefer KBS Rust Seal over POR-15...I have found that it adheres better and I have never had a problem with flaking (as some of my buddies have had with POR). KBS is also a bit cheaper and they have a good variety of colors. Here is a pic of my 56 F100 showing how the Rust Seal penetrated the roof seam and actually oozed out...this is exactly the action I wanted to seal up those pinch welded seams.
I sandblasted my car body myself in my avatar and coated it with DP90 epoxy. Been this way for ten years and no sign of rust coming back.
I have used OSPHO on the underside of fenders and on the interior surfaces where there is surface rust, when dry I painted them with Rustoleum. seems to work fine
POR is definitely best over light surface rust. It even helps to power wash the rusted areas to make sure and crumbs and even a layer of rust "dust" doesn't remain. At that point it will NEVER come off, but of course you want to be sure it's dry once you're ready to apply it. I have a Jag E-Type in here that was POR over surface rust about 25+ years ago. It's not coming off, in fact we're not even going to try because those parts of the car are not seen once done. Why spend the time, right? Time is $$$$ and we'll spend it where it counts.
On my T we blasted stuff like that and DP epoxied it and I feel pretty good about that although inner structure pieces like what you show there with mild surface rust and hard-to-blast seams are probably the one place where a product like POR-15 is perfect for. Blasting only really works if you have a perfect line of sight, if the sand can't hit the area it'll never get clean, where as you can brush and ooze some paint on surfaces you can't see or reach well. Either way, I think if you treat it well it will hold up, blasted and primered or POR'd. But as was said, don't blast it clean and then POR, that's not what it's meant for.
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