RUSTastic....not sure which line to take

[TheWhitefox]

@fourtrax @GLTHFJ60... So I have read, if it is not eaten through the body use Ospho, prime and paint. If it has eaten through then cut it out and replace with new metal. Well it has eaten through and I have zero skills with a sheet metal. Proximity to wiring harness above and cats below makes me think this is not the best place on my truck to start learning. Is it completely uselessly to treat it with Ospho to slow the bleeding??

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Not completely useless. You can definitely slow it down with some rust converter.

Was the water coming from the sunroof? Be sure you have the leak fixed to prevent further rust.

 

[TheWhitefox]

Everything up there is sealed with silicone... now .

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Use a hose and really wet down the truck to make sure there's no water coming in from somewhere else. Raingutter, cowl, etc.

 

[fourtrax]

never know, it could be coming in from the windshield gasket.

 

[TheWhitefox]

never know, it could be coming in from the windshield gasket.

 

[jfz80]

Windsheild gasket and sunroof are likely culprits. Check the inside bottom corners of gasket to see if you have any silt or water lines indicating wet corners to follow up on windshield gasket.


While in water diagnostics mode they shouldnt flood floors or affect your situation at hand but check to make sure slit drains in the pinch welds of rockers are free and clear (ziptie reaming) and you can pull 1" plugs in bottom of rocker as well. Check to see if there is rust inside and if so there is a coating available with looooong straw that distributes in 360* pattern to get ahead of there as well.

Agree not useless to slow progress even if just until you attack it in a better manner.

 

[TheWhitefox]

Windsheild gasket and sunroof are likely culprits. Check the inside bottom corners of gasket to see if you have any silt or water lines indicating wet corners to follow up on windshield gasket.


While in water diagnostics they shouldnt flood floors or affect your situation at hand but check to make aure slit drains in the pinch welds of rockers are free and clear (ziptie reaming) and you can pull 1" plugs in bottom of rocker as well. Check to see if rust inside and if so there is a coaing avail with looooong straw that distributes in 360* pattern to get ahead of there as well.

Agree not useless to slow progress even if just untill you attack it in a better manner.

Thanks Jason! Will do a little more investigation tonight

 

[TheWhitefox]

Not completely useless. You can definitely slow it down with some rust converter.

Was the water coming from the sunroof? Be sure you have the leak fixed to prevent further rust.

Not sure what to do about this second layer I just discovered... Should I just pour it down the hatch and hope for the best....

 

[jamesurq]

Wire brush all of that till every red thing is silver.
If you can't get in that hole, cut some of that rusty crap out of the way so you can.
Continue till that part is silver too.
Spray paint lots of coats with something with the words professional and stops rust in the name
Cut out a patch of metal slightly larger than the hole (in my 73 Riviera I didn't have to - the side panel of the oven I used was almost a perfect fit for the gaping hole in the trunk. Use seam sealer/caulk/contact cement/bubblegum whatever and pop rivets to hold it down. Grab a roll of "reflectix" and tape that down under the original jute and carpet and floormats.

If you don't have the jute, carpet, or floormats and you want it to look good, disregard everything except the first line.

 

[weejub]

Naval Jelly first?

 

[TheWhitefox]

Wire brush all of that till every red thing is silver.
If you can't get in that hole, cut some of that rusty crap out of the way so you can.
Continue till that part is silver too.
Spray paint lots of coats with something with the words professional and stops rust in the name
Cut out a patch of metal slightly larger than the hole (in my 73 Riviera I didn't have to - the side panel of the oven I used was almost a perfect fit for the gaping hole in the trunk. Use seam sealer/caulk/contact cement/bubblegum whatever and pop rivets to hold it down. Grab a roll of "reflectix" and tape that down under the original jute and carpet and floormats.

If you don't have the jute, carpet, or floormats and you want it to look good, disregard everything except the first line.

Didn't have any wire brush yet had two hands and highgrit sandpaper sponges! Letting her soak in a bath of Ospho overnight, gotta take a break from the fumes We will see what becomes of the beast. PS, did I mention that the drivers seat is nothing but rust underneath, not touching that one!!

 

[weejub]

Looking good!

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Inside that hole is an internal body cavity that shouldn't be able to see moisture other than from the rust hole you've discovered. I'd pour some naval jelly, rust converter, or even just ATF down the hatch to coat what's on the inside.

Sooner rather than later you'll have to get someone to weld a patch in there.

 

[TheWhitefox]

Inside that hole is an internal body cavity that shouldn't be able to see moisture other than from the rust hole you've discovered. I'd pour some naval jelly, rust converter, or even just ATF down the hatch to coat what's on the inside.

Sooner rather than later you'll have to get someone to weld a patch in there.

Indeed! For now I'm just going to slow the bleeding until I have the dollars do investigate and fix the whole body. Thinking about popping the drivers seat out to see what lies beneath since the whole inside of the seat is rusted....

 

[TheWhitefox]

@fourtrax @jfz80 @GLTHFJ60 So after 12hrs looks about the same, maybe even a little wet still, think it is safe to start spraying primer and paint? Headed out of town and the Mrs wants the phosphoric acid out of the garage so trying to wrap it up. Thanks to @NCFJ for the heads up on the Ospho, headache but I made it work.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I've never used that stuff before. What do the directions on the bottle say?

 

[TheWhitefox]

I've never used that stuff before. What do the directions on the bottle say?

White powder... And more of a dark brown than black. Than again it is very deep rust so

 

[TheWhitefox]

"a dry, powdery, grayish-white surface appears"

 

[TheWhitefox]

Okay, just talked to the man behind the curtain. Sean, Ophso factory rep. states, "even though it is not in the directions, the chemical reaction requires a full 24 to 48 hours to fully finish, depending on how deep the rust. After just 12 hrs the process is not even half done.". No painting for me today. Doubling down and suiting up for second coating!