I have a truck bed that was mostly stripped down to bare metal then stored outside under a tarp for more than a year. Needless to say it was exposed to moisture and developed surface rust. I’ve cleaned the rust off using a fiber wheel and DA sander and it cleaned up pretty well with no pitting but you can still see stains on the bare metal which I expect is rust and will come back. How should I treat this? I’ve read about using rust removers such as phosphoric acid or evapo-rust. It was also suggested that I use a rust converter, brush it on and let it sit for several days before sanding and top coating but my experience with these is thy don’t seem to stick to bare metal, only rust. Any suggestions?
Before

After

 

just got back from the local auto body and paint supply and the guys in there told me that self etch primer will cover it and seal it up just fine and that's all I need. That makes my day, I don't have to by anything else. What do you guys think?

 

I would say negative. Self etch doesn't mean "kills rust". Self etch primers have a small amount of acid, usually, that helps them grab to the metal better. It doesn't get rid or stop the rust though. PPG has a metal cleaning process made for what you are doing that works very well. The metal cleaner itself mixes with water and you apply it to the bare metal. It is a different type of acid that attacks the rust. You keep it saturated with the acid for a few minutes then hose it off with water. After you've done the whole bed it will be ready for a primer. At that point you could use a self etch or an epoxy primer. I believe the PPG P/N is DX533 but that might be the aluminum one. You can go to their website and get the p-sheet on the whole process. Plus, its pretty cheap.

 

Yeah gt350h, after talking to some others I decided to use a rust converter called Ospho. got some ordered and will apply it next week, then self etch primer. Thanks.

 

Check out rustbullet.com or call 18002451600. I was on their website. I want to paint my under carriage and they have several paint products that sounded like they would save time. 1 qt black 54.99, 1 gal black 189.99, 1 qt grey 51.99, 1 gal grey 164.99. Claimed you could paint right over rust w/ little prep work. Requires 2 coats.

 

Picklex 20. Rub it on using a scotch brite pad. Not too wet and let sit one minute then wipe off. The truck can then sit inside, out of moisture, and develop no surface rust unless you wash it off with water. Or, you spray an epoxy primer right afterwards. All panels of my truck were done that way and sat in my garage for 4 months before painting with no rust developing on the surface. Re-did it just to be sure and then used PPG DPLF on them. The key here is to use an epoxy primer that does not have an acid content in it.

 

Yeah My uncle did testing because my grandpa was the original owner and it I would only use the grey in the black they take out the aluminum. And will only last a couple years the grey will last a lot longer.

 

The picklex 20 route is the way to go as tbm3fan posted. DO NOT use any self-etching primer after. That stuff is great for protecting your work for a very long time.

 

I say to use a quality Epoxy Primer. This is the brand that I used;
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I have found these to be of excellent quality and very reasonable prices. This brand was recommended to me by several of the local collision supply houses and body shops. They also have a very good forum that is mainly set up for professionals, but I am not a professional and there are other non-professional guys on there as well.
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I am also going to put this link (The Perfect Paint Job) here for anyone that wants to read it;
Perfect Paint Job

I wish you good luck with your project and please post plenty of pictures documenting your progress. Oh, and here is a link to my backyard project; https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...build-log.html

 

anything with any rust gets treated with ospho before any paint or primer goes on. it converts the rust from iron oxide to iron phosphate.
anything treated will never rust again.
i treat all my frames before painting whenever the bed is removed.

 

I'll be happy to test it for you ...

I have my doubts .. Oem 's in pristine conditions can't keep steel from rusting ...

 

Nothing ... is stronger than rust .....

I have tried most everything in the almost 40 years in the business. I would love to have a product available to use on the DD 's I work on .

Its easy on a restoration , most drive them little & care for them better afterward..

The areas of greatest difficulty are any place there are multiple layers of steel one on top of another like door seams , 1/4 panel to inner welds , ect. . Frame brackets , anywhere you have a seam or a joint ..

 

oh yea??




































chuck norris is stronger than rust!!

 

Oops , forgot about Chuck ...

 

I did a rust repair last week on an 03 Chevy truck , L 1/4 Front , R1/4 Rear..

Previous owner of the truck was a body man & both panels had been repaired.. After blasting & grinding , every where I feathered the previous filler , it had rust stains under it . 2 small spots ended up 2 large spots in a hurry ...