The mechanicals are nearly done on my '79 F-350, and I started working on the rust. I bought some Eastwood rust converter, and I'm thinking of their gel that supposedly destroys all the rust. I was at a body shop supply house and the long time owner had the opinion that you can't kill rust completely, it will return, and indicated in his experience you have to cut it out and weld in new metal. I was hoping to kill the rust with the chemical and go on from there. Anyone out there with experience who could give me some points of view?

 

Not to rain on your parade but after 25 years doing autobody the only way to get rid of rust entirely is cut it out and weld in new or replace the panel , everything else is a temporary patch . The only dufference is some last longer than other and the climate that you are in makes a huge impart on how long repairs will last. Good luck.

 

I agree. Panels I am not replacing I tpically sandblast as much as I dare to get all the rust out of the pits. Then I use an etching primer with phosphoric acid. I feel the most comfortable with this process, and still know at some point, it will bubble.

 

Thank you both for the reply. That is pretty much what I was told. I will grind until I have shiny metal, then use a 80 grit sanded finish on both the body and the replacement piece- then use 1 hr "panel bond" instead of welding. Only the front corner of the doors will I weld the piece on. Thanks again.

 

I would definately not grind away the rust,with that you wear away the good metal with the bad, a sandblaster is the best way to go, if you can't get a sand blaster then a flexable sanding pad on a grinder (they call them hookit pads) is the next best. You want to remove the rust only and leave as much metal as you can. More troulbe has been cause than fixed using a grinder to clean up the metal. Seeing you are in new mexico makes a big difference, if you get the worst rust out, then treat it with a zinc type or 2K primer then undercoat the back side ofyour repair once it's all painted, it will last another life time, here in Eastern Canada we are rust repairing 4 year old cars and trucks.

 

I appreciate the help. I gave my son his first electric drill, an older model that had a very fast RPM. We have used it for sanding the last few years. I have some of those small diameter flex wheels that fasten to the arbor with a half twist. Do you recommeND I use some of that Eastwood rustbuster jel to eat out the rust in the pits besides sanding the part? The rust is on my '79 along the gutters. Only an inch or so wide, but some of it is rustd through. The front corners of the doors is bad too. Running about 2" x 2" in the corner, with the drains rusted away and needing sandblasting.

 

If you have a sandblaster use it to remove all rust, there's nothing better because it doesn't harm the good metal around the rust. Those twist lock pads are great for removing minor rust and for paint removal because they too don't harm the good metal. The gutter will be the hardest rust to fix just beacause where it's at, I had to replace the entire roof on my S-cab because of it , but I am sure yours is better shape. As far as rust converter type products go, I don't use any of them and most guys I know don't either, so I don't want to guide you in the wrong direction with my opinion. Good luck, if you open my profile you will find pics of my 78, you may get or see an idea you can use on your truck.

 

Wow, you guys really do have a rust problem there. The only time we find rust like that is from something brought in from another state or has been out on the farm for about 40 years uncovered. I guess we should be thankful for our climate. I took two rust free cabs to the crusher last spring because nobody wanted them and the county said "get them out of sight" .

 

I looked at your gallery-you had a much worse problem than mine. You did a great job. My truck was outside in Fallbrook until it was traded in. The lease mgr of Dixon Ford in Carlsbad, Ca. had it for some years, and it set out by the ocean. I bought it with 73K miles and some rust and have been fighting it ever since.

 

If they were Super cabs I would have bought one, but getting it here would have been hard. I hope once I fix the problem out here it will last longer. I'm 66 and I have the truck under a carport [truckport] now. Hopefully it will outlast me, I only have 93K on it. My personal odometer has ben around a few times.

 

If there is a rust bubble on the outside of the panel you can bet the rust spot on the back of the panel is 10 times bigger, so you see just removing the rust from the outside, priming and repainting, it will be right back. You have to cut the whole effected area out and weld in new metal if you want it to last.