Rust Around Rear Window (2 Viewers)

[dahlmaker]

So after two years in sunny and dry LA, rust issues have started appearing and it's progressing much faster than I realized. The area around my rear window has rust that has spread the most. I've never removed the rear window. It seems daunting. My local body shop wanted more money than I wanted to spend, so I figured I would try to tackle it myself. They mentioned just removing the window and putting some stop rust on it, but it seems I should do a bit more, especially if I am removing the window.

For the other areas I would do the same. I've got some damage on the rocker panel that is also rusting. I haven't found a good step by step on the site to remove a rear window as well as for cleaning up surface rust. If anyone has done this in the past and can point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it. Thank you.

 

[Seth_O]

Rust is like an iceberg, you only ever see a small portion of it. Get that window out and see what you're actually dealing with.

I would plan on sanding down to clean metal and then re-painting. You could neutralize and paint over it, but since you have to remove the window either way, just do the job right.

 

[SteveH]

The side-window chips can be cleaned and touched up, but remove the rear glass to properly find and address the rust in that location.

 

[OSS]

Your cruiser is the same color as mine (033 white). You also have some rust spots that looked like the ones I had. No big deal (rocker panel though is a big deal).

The rear window:
Ok, I know I'll get flamed for this, but you CAN stop that rust growing under the rear window rubber seal permanently without removing the glass or seal. I had something going on similar to yours at the rear window, just not as extensive, and after I "stopped it" the rust hasn't returned in over 10 years. The rust under that rubber seal is now dead. No more rust. No new rust.

The Magic bullet is boiled linseed oil.

To stop the rust at the rear window, you'll need to very carefully remove the stainless steel lock strip embedded in the center of the rubber seal. Be super careful removing it because it's super easy to crease it and bend it all up. Use lubricant.

Once the metal lock strip has been removed from the bottom portion of the seal, get a syringe and the linseed oil and squirt it up under the rubber seal, between the rubber and the metal rusty part of the hatch, lifting the seal with a wood tool to make space for the syringe. It will drip out but just wipe it off. Do that everywhere under the rubber seal you can get the syringe into. The top isn't important. Probably not the sides either. I just did the bottom.

When you've saturated it to your liking, wipe off the excess oil that drips down the hatch. It won't hurt the paint. Check again in an hour or so for any more drips & wipe it off. And again later. It takes boiled linseed oil almost a day or longer to set up. During that time it's still a liquid, the oil penetrates into the rust pores and seals it off from oxygen & water. Kills it. When it's trapped under that rubber seal, it probably takes forever to set up, which is good, as the oil stays active & continues to penetrate everywhere.

After a few days you can replace the metal lock strip and polish out the rust stains on the paint below the strip. All that orange below your rubber strip is staining from the rust above. I will polish out (for the most part).

Those rust nicks on the body:
These are easy to fix. Use touchup paint.

Carefully dig out the center of the rust spot with a tiny screwdriver to get to shiny metal. Dig carefully and deep to dig it all out. Wipe off.
Apply a tiny bit of Ospho phosphoric acid with a toothpick to the spot to dissolve the remaining rust, then wipe off after a bit. Then prime, paint, clear coat.
It will leave a bump of paint where you patched it, but it will never rust there again.

Get the touch up paint, primer, & clear coat at automotivetouchup.com

 

[dahlmaker]

@OSS Thanks so much for the advice!!!! Now to figure out how to get the rear window out.

Your cruiser is the same color as mine (033 white). You also have some rust spots that looked like the ones I had. No big deal (rocker panel though is a big deal).

The rear window:
Ok, I know I'll get flamed for this, but you CAN stop that rust growing under the rear window rubber seal permanently without removing the glass or seal. I had something going on similar to yours at the rear window, just not as extensive, and after I "stopped it" the rust hasn't returned in over 10 years. The rust under that rubber seal is now dead. No more rust. No new rust.

The Magic bullet is boiled linseed oil.

To stop the rust at the rear window, you'll need to very carefully remove the stainless steel lock strip embedded in the center of the rubber seal. Be super careful removing it because it's super easy to crease it and bend it all up. Use lubricant.

Once the metal lock strip has been removed from the bottom portion of the seal, get a syringe and the linseed oil and squirt it up under the rubber seal, between the rubber and the metal rusty part of the hatch, lifting the seal with a wood tool to make space for the syringe. It will drip out but just wipe it off. Do that everywhere under the rubber seal you can get the syringe into. The top isn't important. Probably not the sides either. I just did the bottom.

When you've saturated it to your liking, wipe off the excess oil that drips down the hatch. It won't hurt the paint. Check again in an hour or so for any more drips & wipe it off. And again later. It takes boiled linseed oil almost a day or longer to set up. During that time it's still a liquid, the oil penetrates into the rust pores and seals it off from oxygen & water. Kills it. When it's trapped under that rubber seal, it probably takes forever to set up, which is good, as the oil stays active & continues to penetrate everywhere.

After a few days you can replace the metal lock strip and polish out the rust stains on the paint below the strip. All that orange below your rubber strip is staining from the rust above. I will polish out (for the most part).

Those rust nicks on the body:
These are easy to fix. Use touchup paint.

Carefully dig out the center of the rust spot with a tiny screwdriver to get to shiny metal. Dig carefully and deep to dig it all out. Wipe off.
Apply a tiny bit of Ospho phosphoric acid with a toothpick to the spot to dissolve the remaining rust, then wipe off after a bit. Then prime, paint, clear coat.
It will leave a bump of paint where you patched it, but it will never rust there again.

Get the touch up paint, primer, & clear coat at automotivetouchup.com

 

[SteveH]

To stop the rust at the rear window, you'll need to very carefully remove the stainless steel lock strip embedded in the center of the rubber seal.

Not necessarily. I removed both rear side windows and the rear glass without removing the evil stainless strip. Just use a handful of screwdrivers and/or plastic bike tire levers and start peeling the seal from the inside. I also used wood shims and blocks to hold the seal and glass away from the truck while working (to prevent the seal from re-engaging).

 

[brownbear]

Okay I've removed the glass a few times from my cruiser.

My rust looked exactly like yours.

To remove the window you go on the inside and slowly lift using flat screwdrivers the rubber up and over lip. Once it's started (rubber over the lip) it goes a tad easier. But you have to pry it almost 80% off.

DO NOT take the chrome trim lock off. It's not needed to be removed and make the job so much harder.

To reinstall it takes to people. Get some dish soap and put some on the rubber seal. I'd avoid vaseline, as it breaks down rubber. Put a string all the way around the window, push the window against the lip and slowly pull the string to lift the rubber on the right side.

The rust is probably holes. But wire wheel it off. Then treat it with rust remover and rust converter. Prime, fill with filler as needed. Paint.

DO not use POR-15. Its good at hiding rust that keeps on spreading, before you know it the problem is 100X worse. I used POR-15 all over my truck and it is a nightmare.