well then i respect you for taking on the challenge, because if it were me i wouldve laughed at it, said screw this, and hit the road without ever giving it a second thought.....lol
Man o man, I would get some finer sandpaper to start off with, and than also go pick up some Naval Jelly, which will take off the rust immediately. Then I would wet sand it with some 200 or 300 grit sand paper down to bare metal, prime it, seal it, and get it painted. Rust and metal is not something to tempt fate with. Good luck!
well then i respect you for taking on the challenge, because if it were me i wouldve laughed at it, said screw this, and hit the road without ever giving it a second thought.....lol
Trust me, I wish I would have. It is now winter here in Calgary and the garage is in complete disarray. Not to mention that I have two projects of my own that got put on hold and are much less work...
I've been researching paint and body work for a while, and I've got to say I'm frustrated. It seems as though everyone does it differently, and it's hard to find a complete list of steps. I went to a local painting supply shop, and I got this advice on steps for prep/painting. I'd really appreciate it if any experts here can step up and point out/explain anything that isn't correct. I'll come back and fix my post to reflect the advice so it can serve as a reference.
1. Clean the part with grease and wax remover. The local shop gave me "Prep-All" made by Klean Strip. You wipe it on and keep the area wet for 4-6 minutes, then wipe off with a dry cloth. I did this step several times, until very little was removed. The object is to remove all contaminants, because they will affect the paint job. Oil, wax etc won't come off with the paint, it will be ground into the metal, causing problems later. Work small areas, and no heat sources, pilot lights or flames nearby!
2. Remove the paint and rust. 40-80 grit sandpaper on a grinder will work for this.
3. Use metal cleaner/etcher. The local shop gave me PPG Chemfil DX579. It's phosphoric acid (like naval jelly, only a liquid). You dilute it with water, and then spray it on from an acid-resistant bottle. You wait for a color change in the metal, then rinse it off and dry with clean, lint-free cloths. I've always been bothered that the metal flash rusts almost instantly at this point, but the paint does seem to stick fine and I haven't had issues with rust coming later.
4. Tack rag.
5. Body filler. I've been told to use a little at a time (golf ball size), let it cure slightly and then use a cheese grater - style file to get it close. Once it's dry it's hard to work with. When the filler dries, use 40 and then 80 grit to flatten it. Use lacquer thinner for cleaning filler off tools. Tack rag.
6. Two part glazing putty to fill imperfections from the body filler. Tack rag after sanding with 120 grit.
7. Prime. Start with several coats, then lay down one coat of a contrasting color. When it's dry, use 600 grit to sand. The top coat is a guide coat to show low areas on the part.
8. The local shop also gave me Evercoat Metal Glaze pn 100416 to use for larger areas if necessary. This is used to fill larger, shallow low areas shown by the primer guide coat. According to them, it's similar to body filler, but easier to work with when it's dry. Also it is used over the primer, whereas the body filler is on the bare metal.
9. Repeat 7 and 8 until satisfied.
10. Paint.
This sequence is not exactly what a pro would do. I don't have a compressor and spray gun (yet). My current project I'm taking up to step 9 and then having someone else do the base/clear.
3m rotary (drill operated) abrasive wheel, $8.47 last i checked almost everyone carries them, if you have a pneumatic air die grinder you can chuck it up to it and get rid of it all VERY fast \
heres what it looks like semi used but you get the idea
I have used those, but they can get the metal hot, especially in small areas like he has. Care should be taken. I used them to rough down an area very quickly, then go back with more of a tender hand. I recommend any of the chemical rust neutralizers, then a couple coats of non-laquer primer.