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Tailgate rust mitigation

Old Aug 24, 2025 | 05:27 PM
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Tailgate rust mitigation

Starting in the tailgate. Old paint bubbling at the sides at these seams. Any idea how to mitigate this without tearing it apart? I was thinking of shooting some rust reformer in there with a straw.


 
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Old Aug 24, 2025 | 07:27 PM
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I'd soak it with OSPHO and then seal it with POR-15. maybe the rust belt guys have a better idea, but it works on my fertilizer equipment.
 
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Old Aug 24, 2025 | 09:29 PM
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I had a '72 Chevy step side, it's TG had rust, and some dings. I had some steel that was my FIL's before he passed, one piece was very near 1/8" thick , not much thinner for sure, maybe was just 3/32" .... and was big enough to build a TG. I built the sides with some rectangle tubing, and top and bottom with round tube. It was a heavy rascal, but I was able to get it in place, used same round drilled bar sections in lower tube as hinges, I moved the chains to inside the bed. I put white "C H E V R O L E T" TG letters across the center, spaced just like embossing on a factory TG, looked good. Unless looking from up close, looked like OEM.

I know, no help.
 
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Old Aug 24, 2025 | 10:03 PM
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Originally Posted by tbear853
I had a '72 Chevy step side, it's TG had rust, and some dings. I had some steel that was my FIL's before he passed, one piece was very near 1/8" thick , not much thinner for sure, maybe was just 3/32" .... and was big enough to build a TG. I built the sides with some rectangle tubing, and top and bottom with round tube. It was a heavy rascal, but I was able to get it in place, used same round drilled bar sections in lower tube as hinges, I moved the chains to inside the bed. I put white "C H E V R O L E T" TG letters across the center, spaced just like embossing on a factory TG, looked good. Unless looking from up close, looked like OEM.

I know, no help.
got it…” build your own “ LOL
 
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Old Aug 24, 2025 | 10:05 PM
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From: The Shenandoah Valley
Originally Posted by egchewy
got it…” build your own “ LOL
Yours looks to nice still, to consider that just yet.

 
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Old Aug 25, 2025 | 08:03 AM
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OSPHO ordered. thanks for the recommendation. I tried whacking the wavy part of the sides w/ a hammer to flatten it out and was able to get a bunch of rust to flake out. I'll repeat this process, soak several times in OSPHO, and then try shooting some rust reformer in there on a straw, WD-40 style. I'm assuming rust reformer has phosphoric acid in it.
 
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