How can I seal the metal after cleaning the rust off with CLR? Will a good coat of wax take care of it or are we going to have to put a clear coat over the metal? As you can see my son Chevy has plenty of bare metal to deal with
As mentioned here in the past, you may want to consider using wood bleach. It can be found at the hardware store and has the same chemical make up as CLR but a higher concentration (and it costs less). It's dry, so you have to mix it with water. I wouldn't be surprised if you found some color under that surface rust. Although it wouldn't be shiny type good condition paint. I don't have any answers about what would put some protection after you CLR/wood bleach it since I am in the same camp as prep/paint rather than leaving it.
My 16 year old son has no money for prep/paint nor any shop space, air compressor etc etc so paint is not an option just trying to get clean up the old paint as best we can.
You can often get mis mixed paint for next to nothing at a paint store. Where is Sebastopol, maybe a local H.A.M.B.er can help out with a compressor for a weekend, in exchange for a bit of labor? I would, just to help out a kid who's into old USA iron and not the Jap ****. Probably even donate some paint.
We will paint it down the road but first he needs to do a master cylinder, new brake lines, floors and a wiring harness so it is going to be some time. Or we might find a better car to paint, hard to spend all that time and money on a $150 4 door He already changed the brakes and steering box over to 1953 style. Put in a new gas tank and a 235 and made it run. We are also signed up for a welding cl*** at the local Juinor Collage so he can get a welding certificate. Sounds like he might grow up to be a car guy
Just like hot rodding was back in the old days! Not letting that stop him is the best part. Wish more of today's kids would get involved like that.
Use "Gibbs Product". It will seal bare metal and can be painted over later. Google it and find out brilliant the product is.
Go to Home Depot or Lowes and in the paint section they have a metal prep which is green in color and all you do is brush it on the bare metal. When you are ready to primer just give it a lite sand.
.........Good to see a kid do something postive for a change....keep up the encouragement for him......
Clean it with the CLR or what ever and have him dry it off real good, tape it off and paper it like a paint job, pick up a couple of cans of enamel clear and put a coat on it. Granted, this is not going to be a show car or permanent solution, it may only hold rust back a year or so before the UV breaks it down but it will buy the kid some time and let him take a bit of pride in his car.
We use Ankor wax in the UK, it's primary use is cavity protection and protection of shipping parts that are bare steel. it seals and if put on correctly it doesn't remaim sticky and can be wiped off with a solvent at anytime if you wish to paint it in the future. don't you guys have cavity protecting wax oils in the US?
The old school way is called paint. It comes in rattle cans for those who don't own equipment some guys used to brush it on also. Bare metal is cool but it is a kind of a 21st Century way to show off your metal finishing skills.
I can't speak for painting over gibbs later but, I've used it on a bare metal motorcycle fender and tank for two straight years. I had to re-apply it every month but, had no rust. Honestly, I ended up wiping down the whole bike it worked so well. A home built chopper is a little different than a car though..
Good point, let him learn and have fun on this one, you can swap all the good parts onto a 2 door later. Welding cl*** is a good idea as well. I wish my dad would have still had an interest in cars when I was a teenage, may have kept me from getting into all the trouble I suffered.
It really depends on what you want it to look like in the future. If you like the current patina (rusty look), you will need to do something different than if you want to paint it in the future. If you want to paint it, you will need to smooth it through sanding (or bondo if the pits are too deep). then you will need a metal etching primer to adhere. The metal etching primer will then need to be coated by either a primer/sealer or paint, since the etching primer will not keep moisture out. You can use spray cans to do this. If you want to keep the rust look, you will need to stop at a professional auto paint store, since coating the metal (rust) will be difficult to find something that will adhere and stay in place for the long haul.
Epoxy prime it. It will adhere to a bare ferrous metal and will stand up to the elements for a while. Its not a pretty finish but it will do the job I believe you can get epoxy in a rattle can now. Worst case scenario just have him go down to the local auto body paint supplier and talk to the guy behind the counter. 9 times out of 10 theyll point you in the right direction Dont use any silicone based products(wax) on it before you paint because youll have a heck of a time getting the paint to lay down without fish eyes popping up everywhere.
The stuff they put in soda cans to keep it from rusting. Phosphate or something? They sell bottles of it over the counter. It's a rust inhibitor, SOS pad and that stuff will keep metal from rusting period.
Well here is a cheap method all around $50 rustoleum paint job. Paint by roller. http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/body/hrdp_0707_1962_ford_falcon_budget_paint_job/index.html http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html
for coveage on a HS kid budget I'd spring for a can/bottle of rust converter ($10 or so)--comes by several names at your local parts house. extend,right stuff and ?????. after that scuff the scale with a fine ish paper (or scotchbrite) and blow a rattle can coat of or the afore mentioned roll on rustoleum. if nothing else it's an easy way to two tone the car with white top and maybe some rattle can flames to cover most of the hood issues. keep him at it. kids are the future of this hobby.
Tractor Supply is your friend. Buy a the kid a gallon of their Valspar tractor paint for $32.99 and some paint rollers. That paint definitely keeps the rust down, and it'll last a long time. I have a farm trailer that was painted with it almost 15 years ago, and it's still keeping it from rusting just fine. It's not very pretty, because prep consisted of wire-brushing off the loose paint. I've seen a few cars that were sprayed with the stuff in the driveway. You'd be surprised. This truck was painted with it:
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