XC92
Proven Member
- 1,573
- 362
- Jul 22, 2020
-
Queens,
New_York
I'm in the process of derusting, cleaning, priming & painting my '92 Talon's underbody, e.g. control & trailing arms, knuckles, strut towers, diff carrier, subframe, etc., and was hoping for some advice on rust prevention once I'm done removing the rust and cleaning the parts.
I've more or less figured out how to remove the rust and clean everything, mainly wire and abrasive brushes, the occasional drill or rotary tool grinding wheel for tough spots, sandpaper, Scotchbrite, Evaporust, Krud Kutter, Rustoleum Gel, etc., and then some Purple Power, a washdown, then brake cleaner or isopropyl alcohol before priming and painting.
Using these methods I'm able to get most of the rust off down to the bare metal, but there are a few spots here and there where there's still some rust, especially in hard to reach areas. So I'm wondering what to prime and paint it with to either convert or seal what rust remains and prevent future rust.
So far I've used Rustoleum Rust Reformer (auto version) as a converter/primer/sealer and Rustoleum Stops Rust Enamel Semi-Gloss paint as a topcoat (no need for a clear coat under the car although I may apply rubberized underbody spray paint to parts close to the ground).
But I've found out that Rust Reformer is really for completely rusted metal, not lightly rusted metal. Am I better off using Rusty Metal Primer, or perhaps even Clean Metal Primer for where there's very little rust? And is the paint I've been using ok as a top coat?
I know about POR-15, and some will suggest it instead as a superior alternative. But it seems pretty involved and kind of nasty and hard to apply, so I'd rather not mess with it if possible.
I've more or less figured out how to remove the rust and clean everything, mainly wire and abrasive brushes, the occasional drill or rotary tool grinding wheel for tough spots, sandpaper, Scotchbrite, Evaporust, Krud Kutter, Rustoleum Gel, etc., and then some Purple Power, a washdown, then brake cleaner or isopropyl alcohol before priming and painting.
Using these methods I'm able to get most of the rust off down to the bare metal, but there are a few spots here and there where there's still some rust, especially in hard to reach areas. So I'm wondering what to prime and paint it with to either convert or seal what rust remains and prevent future rust.
So far I've used Rustoleum Rust Reformer (auto version) as a converter/primer/sealer and Rustoleum Stops Rust Enamel Semi-Gloss paint as a topcoat (no need for a clear coat under the car although I may apply rubberized underbody spray paint to parts close to the ground).
But I've found out that Rust Reformer is really for completely rusted metal, not lightly rusted metal. Am I better off using Rusty Metal Primer, or perhaps even Clean Metal Primer for where there's very little rust? And is the paint I've been using ok as a top coat?
I know about POR-15, and some will suggest it instead as a superior alternative. But it seems pretty involved and kind of nasty and hard to apply, so I'd rather not mess with it if possible.