Info Rust treatments

[Flat4]

While I'm off work over Chrimbo and New Year, I need to get stuck into the Granvia to make it a bit more presentable as a camper, before my first trip out mid-January. It has several dents before I acquired it but as it's now on the coast, these are starting to rust. How would folk recommend I treat these?

 

Most fellow Granvia/Hiace owners seem to liberally coating theirs in Kurust and then some sort of paint over the top. Is Kurust actually any good or are there better products?

 

However, as I also need to fill in the dents after I've dealt with the rust, would sanding the lot back to bare metal not have the same effect? The other half is itching to smother it in gallons of cataloy/fibreglass which I'm really not keen on but I'm not sure how else to fill fairly size able dents. Any other options?

 

Finally, as it needs to be filled anyway, does it need to be painted first once the rust is gone, or can I just leave all the painting until things are filled? The most it will likely be getting at this point in terms of paint is lashings of Hammerite, then probably camoflague it with vinyl.

 

It's been a long time since I've done any body work and certainly not on this scale, so any hints and tips appreciated.

 

This stuff is good for removing rust. https://www.bilthamber.com/corrosion-protection-and-rust-treatments/deox-gel

 

Depends how bad it is, might need cutting out if its holed.

 

really does depend on how bad it is.

 

for me I find that to attack the surface with a knot wire brush on my angle grinder first. if it holes then welding is likely required and therefore I would cut out the rust and replace.

 

If it doesnt hole then much success with the Bilthamber deox gel and also http://www.rust.co.uk/fe-123-rust-converter/c28125/

 

I'd see if its holed first off, if it is forget using filler if its anything decent, you'll want new metal letting in. Lets just assume its solid though, I'd get a grinder with the paint removal disc on, whip that over it and remove all the rust. wouldnt use a grinding disc as it'll remove a lot of stock in the process. Coat of Kurust should be fine, follow the instructions to the letter. Then when its back to bare metal i'd pull as much as possible out, if you cant get from behind with a mallet, I'd suggest a slide hammer with a self tapper in the panel. Then a thin skim of filler over the top. Don't apply filler over paint as it won't blend. Filler is supposed to be applied a few mm max thick, not trowelled on like render. All that will happen is it'll all fall off in a clump.

 

Finally I wouldn't attempt it this time of the year as filler absorbs a lot of moisture as does primer. Wait till spring at the earliest.

 

Seconded on the first aid principle. Washing off Deox, taking stuff back to bare and applying filler is all for warmer times. I get good results from a rudimentary clean up and application of Vactan. It goes off enough to protect the surface but you can always over-paint. Bits I have "forgotten" to re-visit always seem to have stayed in good shape when I get round to doing it properly.

 

My welder friend recommends doing - nothing in winter - just bathing in asses milk and eating grapes while fanned by....etc etc. Seriously moisture and climate and salt and if you don't have a hot workshop mean you are better waiting. Some sacrificial zinc paint and waxoyl should hold it to spring?

 

Thanks chaps. Definitely not holed yet. It's overall in pretty good nick for a 20 year old van, just trying to keep it that way. I guess I shall treat the rust, paint over it then maybe try some vinyl over the top to hide the worst of it until spring. The dents are BIG in places but it's double-skinned so can't get at them from inside to pull them out. Heaven knows how long they've been there for, not quite sure how they can be repaired if they can't be filled.

 

Suction cup pullers?

 

That fancy snap on (or similar) glue gun no weld dint pulling system

 

I use this instead of kurust..good stuff!
http://www.bonnymans.co.uk/products/product.php?productID=6183

 

Suction cup pullers?

 

That fancy snap on (or similar) glue gun no weld dint pulling system

 

Tried the suction cup pullers but they couldn't get a grip of the metal enough and kept pulling off instead of pulling the dent out. I'll have a Google of the other option, maybe I can hire one. For a laugh, I'm debating taking it round to the local body shop and getting a quote to have them fixed professionally.....Maybe more than the bus is worth!

 

Not sure where I read it, on here or RR where somebody had 6 or 7 pieces of zintec and tested different rust preventers.
One bare metal, one waxoyled, one primed and painted, one bilt hammer etc then left them in the elements.
Anybody any Idea where I read it or was it one of those drunken dreams that you are convinced happened?
Sorry for the ramble and the bit of a hijack.

 

Practical Classics magazine also did similar tests

Another vote for Vactan here. It's good stuff. Great for slowing down the rot. Remember though, it is designed to convert rust, so it's no good if you clean the metal up first.

 

Tried the suction cup pullers but they couldn't get a grip of the metal enough and kept pulling off instead of pulling the dent out. I'll have a Google of the other option, maybe I can hire one. For a laugh, I'm debating taking it round to the local body shop and getting a quote to have them fixed professionally.....Maybe more than the bus is worth!

 

We had some great success on a works van in the depot using small suction cups.

 

In completely unrelated news, some of our vans were found to have the Tomtom windscreen mounts missing.

 

I use this instead of kurust..good stuff!
http://www.bonnymans.co.uk/products/product.php?productID=6183

5 litres for a fiver odd. Sounds good value - be a tenner for 100ml for equivalent down Halfords...some great value if you shop about on the web. Is there a thread for great value car stuff?

 

5 litres for a fiver odd. Sounds good value - be a tenner for 100ml for equivalent down Halfords...some great value if you shop about on the web. Is there a thread for great value car stuff?

 

£19:00 for 5 litres. (Select the volume using the drop down menu.)

 

Still cheap though.

 

Ben

Doh. Ta yup still great I will try it

 

The P4 receiving a good treatment of rust yesterday. The recipe is a mixture of alloy and steel panels to get the electrolytic thing started, then head out of Sproutland to find some proper weather as we didn't get any snow ourselves.
To give the car a sporting chance of getting home before it dissolves completely, I splather under the wheel arches with anything greasy. That semi thick oil/grease stuff they put in farm implement gearboxes is useful. You can pick up half used buckets of it for next to nothing around here but it may be harder to find inside the M25. Next step is to screw lumps of plastic on top with stainless self tappers. A couple of small trailer mudguards just fitted under the rear arches and bits of lorry mudflap found on the side of the road under the front. The car will still rot but at least I'll have had some fun slithering around in it first. Yes, I've got a sidelight out, I'll be delighted if the wire under the wing is fucked...

[lesapandre]

I'm tackling rust on my AX Citroen. I got this from Toolstation - £5.80 odd for 250ml. Neat plastic pot with screw cap so easy to use and store. It's  the 'converter' type turning rust to the blue-black finish. I've used it - very thick and covers well. It's not a permanent solution as I have not ground off all the rust - this type works best if you get off as much as possible. But a good price to get thought winter. Improves appearances bit where I painted over quickly. No nonsense quick fix.

[sierraman]

I'll get a tub of that. I'm in toolstation tomorrow to get a £4.20 PU sealant for the floor on the Mondeo.

[lesapandre]

Give it a go. Needs a paintbrush but as is water-based no white spirit needed.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

I keep hearing good things about FE-123, so will order a half-litre to dab on the CX where needed.

[Mrs6C]

I have had good results with Finnegans No. 1 metal primer, painted over bare metal and metal that has been rubbed down to remove rust as far as possible. I recall it has to be left for a few weeks to cure, before being over-painted.

 

For a temporary (or even permanent, if you are my Herald coupe!) top coat, I can recommend a good quality exterior gloss paint (i.e. Crown or Dulux) the type for metal and wood. I have found it to be a pretty effective way to get a bit of nice colour on a car, protect its bodywork from new corrosion and inhibit the return of old rust. My Herald coupe has had a coat of that paint ever since I bought it some 25 years ago. Those of you who saw it at the Field of Dreams may have noted that it is covered in green slime, but it isn't rusty. It has been living outside in all weathers since I applied its last coat of Dulux exterior gloss in 2002, so I'd say it's a fairly long-lived coating. It won't be appropriate for permanent application to all vehicles, though!

 

The C15 has had a rub down in places and a patch paint in those areas with white Smoothrite and that seems to be doing quite well too. That lives outside in all weathers also.

[lesapandre]

I also 'touch in' using Humbrol model paint from my local model shop. They have a good range and some are a reasonable match for Citroen paints. Couple of quid odd a pot. Decent paint. I also used the Flag rust converter on some scratches on the matt-black window surrounds - reasonable match. None of this is going to win the Pebble Beach Concours - but for a £10 I can get a car looking 50% better and contain rust.

[lesapandre]

I like a nice rub down too

[MikeR]

Gloss paint , reminds me a of  story off a chap who had one of those boxey old white cars , when the rust showed , he would get out the tin of white gloss and cover it up ....     I just have a tin of donkeys years old hammershite just off Ford silver  for my heap , its thick like glue and covers up well .......

[mercrocker]

Hammerite used to be good but seems to be shit now.  I have a decades-old tin of White hammerite that I still use for stone-chips on my T25 van.   It seems to stay put! 

 

  Vactan is my brew of choice - especially useful for hard-to-treat areas and for instant treatment of rash under arches and sills during the winter when it is otherwise inadvisable to start tearing into things with flapwheels and such.

[sierraman]

Aldi black ext metal gloss paint is better than Hammerite now. Used it on a spade took some right batter before it flaked off.

[Flat4]

I'm tackling rust on my AX Citroen. I got this from Toolstation - £5.80 odd for 250ml. Neat plastic pot with screw cap so easy to use and store. It's  the 'converter' type turning rust to the blue-black finish. I've used it - very thick and covers well. It's not a permanent solution as I have not ground off all the rust - this type works best if you get off as much as possible. But a good price to get thought winter. Improves appearances bit where I painted over quickly. No nonsense quick fix.

 

That looks like it may be worth a go. I still haven't got round to doing anything with the bus yet. The storms are my excuse, and the fact I've lost a rear window in them so I may not be able to use it at all next week Autoglass been out to do a temp repair but even under a car cover, there's already moisture under their tape. Been advised not to drive it, so looks like I'll need to be taking a caravan out after all, which is a bit of a faff for 4 nights at 2 different places.....

 

Aldi black ext metal gloss paint is better than Hammerite now. Used it on a spade took some right batter before it flaked off.

 

I tried it and didn't like it compared to Hammerite. Other half has used it for the gates but they pretty much need re-doing every year or every other year on the coast. I was reminded, however, that I already have a tin of white Hammerite that I got for the other car. Handy having 2 cars the same colour Except I'll need a tin of silver for the bottom half of the bus....