My Hilux (see other threads!) has got quite a lot of superficial surface rust on it, which i'd like to clean up a bit. I don't want a spot on job, just to make it look a bit tidier.
Not having done any bodywork repairs before, what is the best procedure? I was just going to grind/sand it back to bare metal, prime and spray. Are these rust treatments i've seen any good? Will they stop the rust reappearing? Do you have to get rid of all traces of rust so that they work?
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Owen,
Rust killers usually consist largely of phosphoric acid which converts the active rust to an inert form (ferric phosphate??) which protects the surface beneath it. They work very well on surface rust, but will not cure any rust-through of course.
There's no need to get rid of every trace of rust; however you do need to get rid of all loose and flaking rust before applying the treatment. You can sand off the surface rust as you said but not worry about getting rid of minor rust pitting.
Rust killers will stop surface rust re-appearing for a long while so long as they are used correctly and a decent protection is applied over the top. My preference is Jenolite followed by a zinc-rich primer and then the usual finishing coats.
I regularly use a phosphoric acid rust killer on steam railway locomotives, with great success. In fact, when making new panels, I often leave them to get a light rust coating and then use a rust killer on them as this gives a better key for the paint than the as-new surface.
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Cheers for the advice Dizzy, i'll be getting my sandpaper out in the new year, in an attempt to return my truck to it's former glory!
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Best thing I've found for removing surface rust is one of those wire brushes that you fit into a drill chuck. Gets right into crevices that you can't reach with sandpaper.
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yeah, don't bother with sandpaper, use an angle grinder (gently!) and wire brush to remove all the loose rust.
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>>Not having done any bodywork repairs before, what is the best procedure?>>
For someone like Owen who has no previous experience of bodywork, IMHO it would be total overkill to use an angle grinder just to remove rust, - if you`re not extremely careful you could cut through the whole panel and have an unwanted major expense on your hands.
Much safer to use a wire brush and sand paper as mentioned by Dizzie.
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Actually it was Dynamic who mentioned using a wire brush, although I do use one where there's lots of rust. The sort I use is the cup-type that screws onto the spindle of a 4.5" angle grinder. Quick, effective and quite long-lasting, but a bit expensive at around £7 for a good one.
Two things to watch out for when using these cup-brushes:
1. Some have a speed limit of around 8500 rev/min but angle grinders often run at over 10,000 rev/min.
2. Wires frequently break free and impinge themselves into any exposed body parts. Safety specs are essential, overalls and strong gloves highly recommended.
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