I just removed the interior of my 86 f150 and there is some rust in the cab. I think I am going to just bedline the whole interior now. Should I treat the rust and use a rust preventative or something or will the bedliner be enough to keep the rust from progressing and spreading?

 

Where is the rust? Have you poked at it from underneath? Where do you live and do you drive it in the winter salt? If so, you will be battling rust from now on, no matter what you do.

 

Most of the rust is near the pedals. And it doesnt look like it goes all the way through, just surface rust. And i live in south texas so i'm not too worried about that.

 

Here is a picture

 

If the metal isn't compromised and you are comfortable just putting some delay on the inevitable, remove surface rust with a wire wheel or such.

Spray with some kind of rust convertor (Eastwood or POR 15), spray with Eastwood Encapsulation product or paint with POR 15. I would work on the exterior area as well

All are intended to isolate the metal from the atmosphere.

For additional strength you could cover with POR 15 putty or a reinforcing filler before resurfacing.

As an option, this would be a good place for a first timer to hone sheet metal skills, if you feel like making some sparks.

 

Good suggestions .. also buy some floor mats that have sides to contain the source of the original problem (moisture from the mud, snow etc. saturating the carpet)

After rust neutralized as explained above paint with 2 part epoxy primer then your bed liner over that.

 

Poke at it, and if it's strong, then just put your favorite rust preventor on it, or you can paint rusty metal primer on it, and then top coat it with some paint.

Since this truck seems in good shape and you live down south, the only thing I would do is inspect the inside rear cab corners. If they are wet, I would check the drip rail area and the seam at the top of the rear cab on the outside. Sometimes the sealer in this seam that runs from the gutter to the top rear corner of the cab will open up, and water will leak in and run down the rear of the cab and rot out the rear cab corner on the inside.

 

Do i need to prime the entire interior before bedlining it or just the spots with rust?
And the gutter above the doors has rusted some and i think a bit of water is leaking in and dripping down into the rear cab corners. What should i do to fix this?

 

also I plan on bedlining it myself. Does anybody reccommend a certain brand? And should i use the roll on bedliner or spray on?

 

There are many different types of bedliner and each will have recommendations about surface prep that need to be followed. My understanding of bedliners is that they are to protect from abrasives scratching the factory finish.

I IMAGINE that a cleaning of the factory finish with any kind of grease, wax cleaner like what would be used before a paint job would be called for but be sure to check for directions specific to the product to be used.

Some are urethane and some are petroleum based and these would require very different prep. I do not have experience with them to make any product recommendations.

I understand the impulse to use bedliner but since you have stripped the interior already and the paint looks pretty good from the view I have in Ohio, why not just some color matching over the repaired area and then a scuff and puff with the original color overall? It will be plenty sufficient to slow rust, it will be cheaper and simpler.

You will get a "new car" smell, a fresh looking interior and a secure feeling that the insidious rust devil is a bay for the time being.

How are the interior panels? I just worked with some vinyl paints that would make them look like new if they have minimal damage at this point.

As for the gutters try the POR 15 in a tube. I haven't used it yet but I will over the winter as I redo my cab.



From the Direction Sheet:
[I]POR-15/PP
PORPATCH is a thick, pudding-like substance which acts as a total rust
inhibitor and is also very effective as a metal filler. PorPatch can be easily
brushed, or troweled. It chemically bonds to rusted steel to form a rockhard, non-porous coating that won’t crack, chip, or peel. Because it is actually POR-15 in a thickened state, it works by isolating metal from moisture;

without moisture present, steel can’t rust. PorPatch is easier and less
expensive to apply than epoxies because it doesn’t require mixing. Since
PorPatch actually bonds chemically to metal, the underlying surface does
not have to be sanded before application. As long as loose or fl aking rust
is removed from the surface, an application of PorPatch will not only cover
up the rust and prevent it from spreading, but will strengthen the underlying metal and seal holes by forming its own membranes.

I know I often sound like a POR 15 commercial but I have used their product and it meets their promises and my needs. I have said it before: "It ain't cheap nor is it easy, but neither is my sister and I like her too."

 

Thanks rbalsinger, I will definetely use the POR 15 because i don't want water to keep leaking in from the rusted seam. And the interior panels arent too bad, just some minor scuffs and scratches but I do think painting them would be good, should i sand them or prime them before using vinyl paint on them?

 

Personally the ONLY D.I.Y. bed liner worth doing is AL's. It is a 3 part mixture(just like what you get at rhino, lineX, Scorpion, etc). The Herculiner and Duplicor are just paint with grit in it. I tried BOTH and they are BOTH JUNK.

Now I have also had Rhino, LineX and I did my own AL's. Al's is JUST like the paid for ones, jut in a DIY kit. And it is only 95 for the kit, so no more money than Herculiner or Duplicolor but 10 times the product.

As for the rust. I agree with everyone else. Use you favorite rust "convertor" Encapsulator" (i like POR15)and bed line over top

 

Thank you for saving me the money, I was going to use Herculiner but i was skeptical as to how well it would work.

 

There are vinyl repair kits for automotive use. I haven't used one for 20 years but they were basically a soldering type element, some vinyl for melting into the scratch and a grain impression you put on while the repair vinyl is still soft. They work and they work best in the hands of someone with patience and some artistic ability....not me. Google "automotive vinyl repair kit" and that should yield you some results.

If it were my truck I would trim the edges of any scratches or dents with a Xacto knife and then just paint them unless I was going to sell or show the truck. LMC has Colorbond products. They do not need sanding of the panel as this would destroy the original look.

They do need washed with a clean rinse detergent like Dawn dishwash soap, rinsed, rinsed and then rinsed again. If you get the POR 15 starter kit, it comes with a "Marine Clean" pint that can be mixed 10:1 and used as a spray cleaner and degreaser. Then Colorbond has their own spray cleaner that chemically prepares the vinyl to be sprayed to accept their color paint. It will look FABULOUS!