Technical I know this has been covered 100 times, but I'm still not sure what to use

I just bought my great-great uncle's 1956 F-100 from a family member. He purchased it in 1957 and it is in need of a total restoration. I am trying to figure out what exact process I need to do to stop the rust on the body panels and seal it from rusting in the future.

I don't know if I should wire wheel as much rust off as I can and then hit the pits with some naval jelly then use Gibbs oil on it until it's ready to have bodywork done.

Or knock the loose rust off and brush on POR-15.

Or...?

Sandblasting isn't an option for me right now.

I want to remove/kill the rust and protect the metal from rusting any further.

Any suggestions? I'm young and this is my first go at something like this, so I'm all ears and eager to learn.

Thank you for any and all help.





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In the condition the truck is in sandblasting is what it needs,by a cheap sandblaster and use a small one horse compressor,you will have to stop a lot but if time is easier to come by than money it will work. HRP

 

Some people use linseed oil. Or you could rub her down with fluid-film. That'll slow it down.


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You could also use POR 15 to prevent further rust


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Jasco Prep and Primer will kill the rust and neutralize it so you can top coat, found at Lowes and other stores

 

get a piece of sandpaper, put it in your hand and go back and forth, slow but effective.

 

Paint it with a brush and house paint till your ready to do something with it. Lippy

 

That actually is solid advise, many an old car survived because somebody did this.

 

Before you paint it with the house paint, you should probably at least sand the heavy rust off to smooth it down.
Sand off the heavy rust until the car is pretty smooth, wash it and dry it, then paint it with an oil base paint. In 3-5 years you may have to repeat the process, but at around $30 a gallon, its a pretty cheap body saving process.

When your ready to do real body work, the oil base paint will have to come off, but it will protect the body until then. Gene

 

Thanks for the replies. It won't be sitting for years. I'm about to sell my 81 Vette to fund the build on this truck, but in the meantime thought I could get the metal prepped to be ready for bodywork in the next 6-8 months.


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Look up Rusticide, it's cheap and works great.

 

If I was you I would pick up an electric dual action sander, [ Milwaukee, DeWalt, PortaCabel all make them now] and a good 4 inch grinder. Take one panel at a time with 80 grit DA paper and sand as much of the surface rust and paint down to bare metal as you can. Follow up with the grinder with a coarse wire brush to clean the pitted areas. get each panel as clean as possible. then get actual automotive 2 part epoxy primer. If you have access to compressor and a spray gun great, otherwise brush it on . This is the most economic way to strip and properly seal the metal and when you are ready to start body work the epoxy will be a solid base to start with. Aside from hotrodprimers sand blasting suggestion everything else is a band aid cure and will just cause you more problems down the road. Good luck and have fun Larry

 

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Thank you for the suggestion. I will get a DA sander and do this. Is using the naval jelly a bad idea to chemically strip the metal? I only ask because I've seen a lot of people using it. I was unsure of the effects and effectiveness of it though.


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I'd go get one of those Eastwood contour tools. You tube it. $200 and a weekend and that thing would be bare metal

 

Naval jelly was an old school trick back in 1970 when I started messing with this stuff when I was 15! All the so called quick fix rust converters and such are no substatute for clean metal. Nothing sucks more than a finish paint job taking a shit because of a less than steller surface prep. Sanding this truck down by hand is going to be a dirty and drawn out process. But nobody said car building was easy Larry

 

Very much this. I have used that (until it disappeared from CA), and Ospho extensively.

Get some really cheap towels from Wally World, lay them out on the rust, soak them evenly, and put some household plastic wrap over the wet towels.

Come back tomorrow and let us know what you see. Repeat as necessary. Steel wool and elbow grease will help with the stubborn spots.

I had to replace the tail light surrounds on my Falcon, due to an accident. I bought a pair that nobody wanted. Within 24-hours, they looked like factory new metal.

I would not sand any of it until you have had at it with the chemicals. Sanding removes otherwise good metal. You may still have to sand some, but if all of the easy to moderate stuff is already gone, you will not have much left to do.

 

Dang....a good old Texas farm truck....and a 56 at that....good suggestions by all....just be mindful if you sand it - blast it - or get down to metal....you need to put some kind of paint on it....lots of guys get started and stop. PM me later - I have a few 56 parts if your in need I'll throw in free to get the girl back on the road again.....oh and welcome to the HAMB......

 

The abrasive wheels for the Eastwood tool are very expensive and do not last that long and to the best of my knowledge are only available from Eastwood. Next thing you know they are discontinued and you have a fancy worthless tool. Do not ask me how after 47 years in the trades I know about such things! Da paper and grinding disc and wire brusch are available every where.

 

If you can't park it inside, then just leave it alone. It won't deteriorate very fast, it took it 60 years to get like it is now, and it looks like it's still very solid.

When you get the means to park it inside, then you can either leave it as it is, and it'll look like that forever, or you can go ahead and do what everyone suggested to get started on the restoration process. But once you start, it won't ever be original again...it'll be just another restored (or started to be restored) old truck.

 

I have two one car garages and two car ports at my house. For right now, it's going in the driveway under the carport. I have a 1980 Trans Am project car that I bought a couple years ago, but stopped messing with because I bought a nice 1981 Corvette. The TA and Vette will be sold to help fund building this truck and it will also free up a garage for it to go in.


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Make sure you have what it takes to complete the restoration process, before you start.

I'd be wanting to get the brakes, fuel system, etc working and drive it around. Cosmetics can wait. (yes, this is the voice of experience...I had my 57 suburban apart for 15 years, because I wanted it to look good)

 

I completely understand. Other than stopping the spread of rust, the plan I've got in mind is to rebuild the frame (suspension, brakes, steering components) first and get a good drivetrain for it. Then when all that is done, start on the body work and interior. That's my idea anyway.


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The neat thing about rust, is that it mostly stops itself, if you remove the source of moisture. So, park it under cover, or indoors if it's really soggy outside. (shouldn't be too bad in Ft Worth). That is all you need to do. Really.

 

Yeah, chassis, suspension, steering, and brakes are of the first-order. You could put in a fresh seat, and drive it like that for 20-years in a dry climate if the rest of what is underneath is done.

 

Squirrel is dead on. It took 60+ years to get where it is now while sitting outside. Another year isn't going to change a thing. I say clean all the Trash out of it and leave it alone. Once you start and get clean bare steel you must do something with that. If your not a body/paint guy go find one. Listen to them and stay with them till the paint is done. I have learned you can't mix all kinds of products and not expect them to react to each other. Meaning your final paint is going to have issues if you do. Paint products today are not home user friendly. I have seen nightmares with many customer cars as well as my own when to many people and products end up on one car. Even in the best of shops you can have issues and they will tell you from bare metal to top coat one brand of product. I am now a believer. I have a personal project that was in Body Shop Prison for 9 years and 4 complete paints to get it right. It has now become a rather Large investment. With all the grief, time and $$$ I have now totally lost interest in building it. Don't let that happen to you. The Buddy deal is seldom your best choice and by all means Never tell a Body Shop no rush. Beyond that primer with a clear coat is just fine.
The Wizzard

 

I've always loved working on cars and learning new skills. I'd like to try doing as much as I can myself other than actually spraying paint. I know it will take longer that way and I'll probably mess up a few times on the way, but when it's done I can say I did it myself.


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That's a tough lesson to learn...

lately, I've been doing all of my own painting, and I only start on the process if I'm sure it really needs to be painted. There are lot of cars and trucks that can give you a lot of fun driving around, without needing to do anything to the body. I just got a Corvair, it's not getting anything done to the paint at all. But I did go through all the stuff that makes it go and stop, to make it so I can drive it without having things go wrong. Pack wheel bearings, replace rubber parts in the brake system, clean the fuel system, get the electrics all working, etc.

 

There are a couple spots that will need attention sooner rather than later. There are a couple 3" spots where it's rusted through on the roof just above the drip rail, but all the surrounding metal seems solid and isn't soft. Kinda strange. These will need to be patched, but other than that, there doesn't seem to be any other spots on the cab where it's rusted through or where the metal is compromised other than some pitting on the roof.


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