my 94 f 250 4x4 has alot of rust on the frame i havent really owned the truck that long maybe 4 monts or so but the guy I bought it from plowed snow with it and looks like he never washed it much after he plowed.the rust on the frame i tryed sanding it off with a cup wire brush on a drill and it wont come off.The rust is as hard as a rock for some reason.how do i get this rust off before the truck falls apart?would a sandblaster take it off?i was thinking of buying a cheap sandblaster if it will remove the rust.but not really sure where to buy one.

 

i am in the process of cleaning up my 150 and will say i am going to be using a knotted wire wheel on an angle grinder, (i all ready beat the frame with a hammer to get scale off and find weak spots) then im going to use either a converter or rustolium then a good few coats of black paint.

 

I used a chipping hammer on mine, then took the wire wheel to it. You will definetly find your weak spots with a chipping hammer.

 

Knotted wire wheel in a grinder preferably but a drill will work well too.

After your done clean it off with brake cleen (to remove most everything left) then paint it some kinda rust proofing paint and then top coat. I like rustoleum rust reformer and satin black to top coat..

 

i would use a cold chisel. i used that on my rims when i broke them down and it worked like a charm

 

thanks ill try a all try out all of those things.the rust is the worst near the rear shocks on the inner part of the frame just behind the rear shock mounts.i got alot off with a scraper.but its on both sides of the frame inner and outter guess I got a job cut out.if i had more time i would take everything off the frame and have the whole frame sandblasted at a local shop but its not really worth it.

 

I worked in a HD truck shop and we did this to the semis every few years. We used a needle scaler on the frame to break a lot of the rust/scale off and its very effortless and probably the easiest. Then you wire wheel the whole thing. You get it damn near stripped this way. Like everyone else said, you will find the weak spots as you move along. Afterward apply some paint and youre good for a while.

 

What do you guys mean by "weak spots"? Are you talking about punching through the frame?

 

Yes. When a frame (or object) rusts it can get weaker. As metal oxidizes (rusts) you lose the solid bond. When you clean up the rust (usually heavy stuff, not just a light surface rust) you are taking off material that was part of a solid structure. If its really bad, you will notice spots that are thinner than others or even spots that go all the way through.

My buddy had some wheels on his truck that were so rusted that he could take a screwdriver and poke right through the wheel with it. Needless to say, they were replaced immediately.

Hope this helps. I tried to find the right words to explain it clearly.

 

Never thought of a needle scaler but that would work great. But if the rust is as bad as you say you will probably find a place or two you go the whole way through. mine was the worst around the hangers and the bumper brackets. Also check out all the cross members. I had to replace the two that suported the rear tank. Most of them are simple enough to fabricate your own if your trying to stay on a budget.

 

What I did was I took a wire wheel on an air drill and just went all over it, then I bought a quart of POR-15 and slapped it all over with a few coats. Now my frame looks brand new.

 

i did that on my ranger. my f350 wasnt so bad so i just wire brushed it, chiseled a little, then used rustoleum rusty metal primer, paint on rustolluem black, black spray bomb, and 3 coats of clear and it came out mint (mind you the body was never taken off)

 

@mud digger, how much POR-15 did it take to cover the frame?

i am having a toss up between a base of POR or rustoleum. deciding factor will be price.

 

Needle scalers work very well. We use them on tractor rims all the time from the rust the the tire ballast causes.

 

I bought the quart, I did 6 good coats, then I coated my plow 4 times. I also did my gas tank. AND I still have some left. It cost me $45 for the quart. $30 for a pint.