Its a cheaper alternative (1/2 the price by volume) to Por15 and its sold at Home Depot.

Por15 has been good at promoting itself on forums but I don't know that it's any better than stuff made by Rustoleum or Corroseal etc.

Corroseal Rust Converter Primer-82320 - The Home Depot

 

I've been buying Permatex Rust Treatment from the Irish store (also sold at NAPA) for about 7 bucks a can:





It's a work in progress, but I'm running out of 50-degree F days (for drying).

 

Many of these coatings seem to have one thing in common: an acid of one type or another. This is from a study that was done a few years ago:

From here: https://ncptt.nps.gov/blog/comparati...st-converters/

The study indicates that professional conservators favored none of the commercially available coatings and most made their own, based on tannic acid.

 

Rich,
I don't know if it is the camera wide angle lens or what but from the looks of things you may be a little out of align. LOL

 

Good info Pikachu! Bummer that they didnt test POR15 which is so hyped.

The fact that Rustoleum is tannic acid heavy, similar to the cocktail experts prefer, makes me inclined to try Rustoleum brand. And its cheaper than POR15.

 

If going by the test results make sure you use the same product tested,
as mentioned they have several similarly branded products.
Think I'll give it a try...

Rust-Oleum Stops Rust 8 oz. Rust Reformer (6-Pack)-7830730 - The Home Depot

 

Not sure if HD sells it in individual bottles. I assume so. If not, Amazon does: $12 delivered with Prime.

 

I tackled this task on Sunday and have a few lesson learned to share.

First I had to degrease an engine and oil pan that hadnt been touched in 200k miles. It was thick with oil and dirt. I didnt pressure wash, I just soaked with various degreasers including:

Spray Nine Greez Off, GUNK gel, Simple Green, and ZEP purple concentrated industrial degreaser (1 gallon).

I think the Greez Off and ZEP Purpose worked the best. The ZEP is concentrated and sells at Home Depot for $10.50 a gallon and let me tell you that stuff BURNS. It is definitely concentrated. The GREEZ OFF also burns. You need to be careful to cover eyes, mouth and hands if you're gonna be under the truck spraying this stuff. I only diluted the ZEP Purple 50/50 and I could feel it burning my hands and mouth on contact. Thankfully I was wearing goggles. It also makes your hands very slippery. Wear rubber kitchen gloves.

Overall the ZEP Purple is the cheapest and strongest. But I still needed a thin plastic bristle brush to get around the top of the oil pan especially where it meets the transmission as the oil was very very thick. What a bloody messy job, on my back no less.

As for the corrosion and oil pan. My pan was bad in a few spots and like new in others. Worst was the lowest hanging portion of the pan towards the front passenger side corner. Some nice chunks of rust came off.

The shallow section of the pan was also kinda nasty looking throughout

These pics are after I took a ~4 inch wide Craftsman wire brush on an extension attached to a drill to it and then some some mechanics sandpaper.



















LESSONS LEARNED

I think I screwed up by using the Rustoleum Rust Reformer LIQUID (not spray). By the way, one 8 ounce bottle is PLENTY for the oil pan. Twice as much as you need frankly. Its $11 on amazon prime or $6 at your local community destroying, public assistance needing, govt-subsidized Walmart. I used a sponge to paint on the Rust Reformer. Its too runny for a paint brush while painting against gravity.

I realized after the fact that Rust Reformer is meant for rusty surfaces ONLY. And since most pans are a combination of rusted and unrusted, Rustoleum customer service recommended using Rusty Metal Primer Spray followed by the 500 degree engine enamel (not 550F because it requires heat curing) would have been the correct path.

The rep from Rustoleum said that I couldnt just paint over the Rust Reformer with 500 F engine enamel now because the non-rusted sections would likely shed the Rust Reformer with the engine enamel. So Id need to start over, strip the Rust Reformer plus original black paint off, get to bare metal and start with Rusty Metal Primer Spray followed by the 500 F Engine Enamel.

None of this would be a problem accept that I need to do this while on my back with nasty stuff falling on my face.

And anyway, do I really wanna strip the paint that's still intact and looking good, off the pan?

Here is how the pan looks the following day with Rust Reformer used across good and bad surfaces. I need to take better pics...sorry. Phone was acting up.

 

I tooks some more pics of the treated oil pan, steering linkages and frame. unlike the oil pan, the linkages and frame were uniformly rusted.

The Rustoleum tannic-acid-based Rust Reformer is certainly not like a paint, in that it doesnt cover over the rust but rather it sort of binds to it and creates a shiny surface over that rust.

Nonetheless I should not have used it on the oil pan for the reasons stated above.

 

I've been using the Rust Bullet stuff on my Excursion. It takes a while since it is a 3 coat process but it leaves a solid candy she'll type coating that won't chip with a hammer.

 

Thanks for the info White Buffalo.

As an aside, there is an entire book written about RUST. Its quite fun.

 

Can we win that war? 😱😎

 

I used POR-15 start kit $22 SUPER STARTER KIT - Black and couldn't be happier. Followed the directions de-greasing and then prep. My pan was so bad (Salt Belt) that large chunks of rust came off around the oil drain and I was afraid I was going to break through. It's very thin there.

I also picked a tube of the POR patch which is much thicker. I used it to build up the thin areas. I'm pretty impressed with the product as it created a solid layer and has not shown any issues for the past 2yrs. Looks just like the day I put it on.

Using a brush to apply I feel I was able to thoroughly apply/saturate the product into the rusted areas that a spray can is not able to do. I'm not a fan of the rust preventer in a can. Just my .02

 

Exactly! For me brushing on was much better as well.

I started this last fall, it's been about a year and so far so good, but a have quite a ways to go. Not the greatest pics but here are a few for comparison. The first one is an area that still needs attention and the second one is a current pic of a previously horrid looking spot that was worse than the area in the first picture. Pics taken yesterday - Rustbullet applied 14 months ago and still holding up well.

 

Here is the final research paper: