Rust Cement / Weld Product to bond over rust in car?? (1 Viewer)

[Gregg Loewen]

Hi guys

I have been working on restoring a 67 Caddie convertible.

It has a great deal of rust on the floor panels and in the trunk, with a couple of spots rusted through.

My question:

Is there a product that I can put on that will chemically combine with the rust and form a hard bond / seal?

I guess another option for me would be to fiberglass over the rusted spots / holes?

I was hoping for some kind of paint type of solution that would cover, bond, and harden the horizontal surface.

thanks for your input!!

Gregg

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Pick up a copy of Hemmings...there are multiple producers of products that claim to do what you want. For example www.por15.com .

By the way, Hemmings is cheap in subscription prices although single copies are something like $5.

However, there really isn't any shortcut to restoration. I've been there myself. If you want a fiberglass repair, you have to cut the rust out back to sound metal, and then use an oxalic acid wash to prepare the remaining metal.

 

[CRyan]

I did this in a 71" VW beetle convert about 12 years ago. I had completely gutted the car to restore. I went through a painstaking process of cleaning, wirebrushing, and using a chemical that is supposed to turn rust into usable metal cutting away most. I forget the name of that product but saw it on the shelf at Home Depot a couple of weeks ago. After all this, I then fiberglassed. What a mess but it worked. I ruberized the finished product inside and outside the car.

However, if I had it to do over again now ( I still have the car in my garage) I would have had new panels put in. The old metal that I bonded the fiberglass too is finally giving way and I am afraid in a few years it will all rust out again. Depending on your goals here, I would consider the price of putting in new panels - either yourself or pay someone. With even a perfect fiberglass install, you invariably get pockets of air that will allow moisture to condense and cause rust.

 

[Blu]

The best way to control rust is to remove and replace it.

I've had many....too many years in corrossion control and body shops to tell you how true this is.

Cut out the rusted area and fabricate a new floor panel and weld it in.

 

[Gregg Loewen]

hi guys
I hear you on the cut it out arguement.
the problem wiht this is the car has already been painted etc. I am being told that to truly fix these areas of rust the body would have to be removed from the frame (and that is not going to happen).

 

[Gregg Loewen]

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...03793GCIA50805

How does this product sound?

 

[CRyan]

Funny. Yes, that is what I used basically as a finisher after cleaning and using the solvent I discussed above. I then used fiberglass with resin to build the floor.

Again, this will work for a long time, but eventually it will catch up to you.

 

[Blu]

Any product that claims to convert rust to X is a gimmick that will mask the surface until you can unload the car to some sucker.

Narly 20 years of experience talking here.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Throw in some fuzzy dice with your J.C. Whitney order!

 

[Gregg Loewen]

hi guys

Blu, I hear you but what else am I to do??

For now I am more concerned about covering it up and "ignoring" for a few years....then selling it.

Can the floor boards and trunk be cut and replaced with the body still in place on the frame? What kind of cost am I looking at for this? (remembering it is a BIG car). To be honest....I have spent a small fortune on this project and alsmost threw up lunch when I saw all the rust in the trunk and on floor boards.

My thoughts are starting to ramble...I just purchased the por15 product as it seems they have some kind of tech support (vs the JCW product). If I could get the rust removed and have new panels welded in for ??? I would be willing to go this route...but will it ever end (meaning my financial outlay)? (and yes I do know the answer to that

 

[Blu]

The main rule of thumb in repair work is the more $$$ you put into it the longer it will last.

Without actually seeing it and getting into it a little bit I couldn't tell you what would be the best route to fix it.

If you are truly intersted in fixing it for the long term consider some kind of trade out work with a local body man.
Your floorboards aren't really something you want to take a chance on safety wise but the trunk is something where it won't matter as much and out of site out of mind is good enough.