Well, I have removed the cab corner (inner and outer) and my question is with the surface rust thats on where the inner corner attaches to the cab. There is some surface rust there and also when you look accross the back of the cab there is a square cannnel/tube that runs accross the back inside the cab that has a fair amount of loose rust inside it, but it is still solid. The tube is about 1 - 1 1/2 inches wide and the length of the cab.

How would you get that rust out and treat the area inside???
Also, where Im welding the inner corner on I need to know how to treat that area also???

Maybe I shouldn't worry about it, but I don't want to have that come back down the road and cause problems. If anyone has tackled this problem before please give me some advice.

Thanks!!

 

I would sandblast everything that you can gain access to. Inside closed channels you either have to open the channels to replace metal or sandblast there. If I don't want to cut an area open, one method is to pour engine oil in the closed area after final paint. I live in Maine and I have been successful halting further rust that way. I really soak the area however. For example the front edge of 80's and 90's Ranger hoods (before fiberglass hoods like my 2003) are prone to trap moisture/salt and rust from the inside out. I took the hood off my 90 Ranger and set the hood on its nose and poured the oil to it. I never had rust break thru. I did it when the truck was about 8 years old and I saw other Rangers with rust breaking thru in that area. Just a thought.

 

lowtrkn2k,
If I understand you right the tube is what the gas tank fastens too. What I did was used a air hose and blasted what I could and used some rust converter from the Eastwood Company. I used some of this on the inner fenders as well as the cab corners. The trick is to find a way to get the spray inside the tube. I had to replace one of the studs that held the gas tank in place so I had a hole. Took some flexible tubing and ran it back in as far as I could and sprayed. East wood makes a sprayer for these hard to reach places but I already had one that hooked up to my air compressor and had a line run into the rust converter, pulled the trigger and it sucks up the fluid into the long nozzleof the sprayer. There are some areas that you just won't be able to get a hundred percent unless you remove them and tackle it that way. I don't know if this helps you out any or not. I am a believer in the rust converter though and would definitly give that a shot. Hope this helps Shopman

 

I would take an old speedometer cable or length of twisted steel cable long enough to go down the length of the tube, chuck it in a variable speed drill and making sure the drill is rotating in the direction that would wind the cable tighter rather than untwisting it thread it into the tube and run the drill fast enough that the cable flops around inside to knock loose the rust. Blow it out with compressed air or suck it out with a vaccuum. Treat the metal with a spray can of Rustoleum rust converter, and for good measure after the converter dries for 24 hrs paint it with Rustoleum paint. Paint it with a spray can or if you can't get it far enough inside, make a long paintbrush by twisting the end of a stiff wire around a piece of rag. Only use enough rag that it is a loose fit, dip it into a can of paint and paint the inside. you can use the rust converter on any areas you are not going to weld after scraping or wire brushing off any loose flakes. If there are going to be any areas that will be inaccessable after welding you want to protect, new or old metal, get a spray can of "weld thru" primer from a welding supplier or Eastwood company. (note it runs about 20.00 a spray can!) paint the hidden areas right up to the edges to be welded ( not the front side however) before welding. Weld thru primer is not meant to be overpainted, so don't put it where you'll be painting later.

 

i am more inclined to go with the oil based solution to the inside coating, ya sure , go ahead and give it a coat of converter or rustoleum or tremclad whatever ya got & oil too. but, as far as oil goes don't be usin' motor oil as it as additives in it that can actually in the right set of circumstances cause it to rust again....i'm sure we've all seen rusted thru valve covers, timing chain covers oil pans even though they have been coated by leaking oil they still rust thru, i recommend chain saw bar oil as it is sticky and therfore will stay prettymuch in place (make sure it is virgin) nice n'clear and doesn't have a gassy smell to it this would indicate a % of recycled wasteoil into it. buy a good brand name not from a wal mart or one of those kinds of no name offshore brand crap stores. i always use esso myself, virgin chain oil shouldn't harm rubbers, seals & etc. should it come in contact with. nuther' good oil though kinda runny is "concrete form oil" it won't hurt rubbers either. i do my entire trucks every couplethree years (with chain) even though they dont see much weather. extra protection, and lubes up window regulators, latches, hinges & etc. deadens sound and quashes squeaks too.
application is easy, just use a schutz (rock guard) applying gun or even an old paint gun can do the trick iffin' it has a large nuff fluid tip.
mikie
near ottawa canada
58 merc panel 64 econo p/u

 

Just don't plan on painting after using oil as a rust preventive...

 

I was looking at it again last night and taking it off would be the best option but damn, it would be some work to drill all the welds and remove it. I also think it's welded between the back of the cab wall and the cab floor. If it wasn't for the back cab wall I could just remove it. I have to look at it again really good and see if it is easily removable. I don't have a compressor so blasting it is out of the question so I will have to get the particles out and apply some anti-rust stuff. I will look at it again this weekend when I can get in there and look at it really good. I think POR or some simular stuff would be good if I could get it in there. I may have to try some of the suggestions from this thread.

 

The rust converter in liquid form (look in the painting chemicals at Home Depot or Lowes for a white and red plastic ~ 1/2 Pt. container with a applicator stuck on the side) Would be the easiest to use. Put the applicator on the end of a stiff wire, stick it in a small container of the liquid and swab the inside. It is not a paint, it's as thin as water, all it needs to do is wet out the rusty surface, not cover it. It will chemically react with any adhering rust it contacts, permanently turning it to a black inert compound. Since it is inside you don't really need to overpaint it (but you can once it drys for 24 hrs) and any excess will soon dry without any consequence and it seeping into seams is a good thing. It has no effect on new metal, so don't waste it putting it on any new material that has no rust. It will penetrate and react with any remaining rust in the smallest of pits, so I still put it on surfaces I've sanded or wire brushed that were once rusty. I have used this product for a number of years now with excellent results. I have been using it on any/all rusty surfaces I have found on Gracie.