Rust-Oleum on old car?

Hi,

I have a 1980 Buick with rust problems, principally from two sources:
It was in a rollover awhile back and got scraped up on the roof and
sides, resulting in rust in those places. And the shoddy paint is
flaking off on the sides, causing rust speckling. The rust is bubbling
up in a few places but is mainly thin surface stuff.

The car has high miles and will never win a beauty contest, but I
would like to avoid getting rust holes, especially in the roof. My
idea is to quickly sand off as much rust as possible and then slap on
some rust-oleum paint. The idea is to stop or slow the rust- I don't
care if it looks good.

Do you think rust-oleum would do a good job in this situation? Big
difference between spray-on and brush-on rust-oleum? Also, it says it
has to be 50F to apply. If its slightly colder does it matter very
much?

(My main experience in rustoleum is on an old rusty kid's wagon I
redid 17 years ago. The rust has yet to reappear).

There is a product that is sold mainly by old car restoration shops /
magazines that turns black when it dries on rust. Basically turns to tar
and seals it in good. I restored a 1969 Opel GT (notorious for rust) and
used it in places where the rust could simply be sanded off.

Worked wonders for years! Can be painted over too... So I'd suggest
getting it (sponge or brush on liberally) and then coat it with the
rustoleum or similar paint.

....Also, for a quick fix, you could rub some thick grease or motor oil into
the rust - but don't ever plan on painting the car if you do that. Vasoline
works well, but this is really not a great way to stop it. Just to slow it
down.

Body shops suggest coating bare metal ASAP with oil so they don't rust if
you can't fiux them anytime soon... But they replace whole panels usually
so the oil is not a problem when painting.

Joe - V#8013 - '86 VN750 - joe @ yunx .com
Ask me about "The Ride" on July 31, '04:
http://www.youthelate.com/the_ride.htm

I'm working on a '36 truck restoration and there is plenty of rust
(fortunately they put a lot of metal in trucks then)..

The method, currently used by many, is to treat the rusty surface with a
rust convertor.. As Joe mentioned, it turns the metal black..

This stuff is a solution of Phosphoric Acid (with Tannic Acid) and reacts
with iron oxide to create a barrior. It then necassary to put some paint or
primer over it because it won't survive the sun or weather..

Check with any auto part store or auto paint store and get bottle of it. I
have seen it called Rust Buster or Rust Convertor, etc.

(Sea Story: When I was working in the shipyards I found that the frugal
fishermen would use this stuff by the gallon on their ocean going fishing
vessel.. During the fishing season this stuff was used to 'arrest' the
bleeding rust where the paint system might have become damaged.. No surface
prep, just splash or brush it on.. The Phosphoric Acid needs to rust to
begin it's chemical reation.
When they would come into the yard at the end of the season, they would have
the metal prep'ed and painted..

A final note.. you better wear rubber gloves since this stuff will turn your
finger purple and it don't wash off.

Steve

> A final note.. you better wear rubber gloves since this stuff will turn
your
> finger purple and it don't wash off.

Aow man! Why'dya go and ruin all the fun!?! That's half the experience
with that stuff.

Joe - V#8013 - '86 VN750 - joe @ yunx .com
Ask me about "The Ride" on July 31, '04:
http://www.youthelate.com/the_ride.htm

Yah! I learned my lesson the hard way by grabbing a hand rail the had just
been painted with that stuff.. Then the 1st mate had his laugh when he saw
my hands.

Steve

> Yah! I learned my lesson the hard way by grabbing a hand rail the had just
> been painted with that stuff.. Then the 1st mate had his laugh when he saw
> my hands.

You forgot to mention just how tar-like the stuff is prior to drying too.
Sorta fulfills the tar-baby prophecy in a post-baby way.

Joe - V#8013 - '86 VN750 - joe @ yunx .com
Ask me about "The Ride" on July 31, '04:
http://www.youthelate.com/the_ride.htm

"Joe Dufu" <joe @ yunx . com> wrote in message >...
> > Yah! I learned my lesson the hard way by grabbing a hand rail the had just
> > been painted with that stuff.. Then the 1st mate had his laugh when he saw
> > my hands.
>
> You forgot to mention just how tar-like the stuff is prior to drying too.
> Sorta fulfills the tar-baby prophecy in a post-baby way.
>
> Joe - V#8013 - '86 VN750 - joe @ yunx .com
> Ask me about "The Ride" on July 31, '04:
> http://www.youthelate.com/the_ride.htm

Everybody has a pet solution to the rust problem. When you see rust on
old cars there are usually tiny perferations from the inside and
nothing seems to keep it from bubbling. The OP's rollover is probably
an exception because it's fresh rust. Cleaning, priming, and painting
should work OK. I've been experimenting with a product called Rust NOt
from the Painter's Supply store. I put that right over a rusty panel
where I knew rust was coming from the inside and painted it. It's been
over a year and there is no sign of blistering so I'm going to do lots
more with that product. Grease is OK under the car, but not on the
top.

I had a '72 Datsun that ran great but was rusting away. I finally got
annoyed and hit it with Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer , then brushed on a
nice beige with a good quality brush. I called it a 50 foot paint job. You
could not see the brush strokes from 50 feet away, and it never lost the
gloss finish. Really didn't look too bad. Took about a quart and half to
do the whole car.


Bill Johnston wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I have a 1980 Buick with rust problems, principally from two sources:
> It was in a rollover awhile back and got scraped up on the roof and
> sides, resulting in rust in those places. And the shoddy paint is
> flaking off on the sides, causing rust speckling. The rust is bubbling
> up in a few places but is mainly thin surface stuff.
>
> The car has high miles and will never win a beauty contest, but I
> would like to avoid getting rust holes, especially in the roof. My
> idea is to quickly sand off as much rust as possible and then slap on
> some rust-oleum paint. The idea is to stop or slow the rust- I don't
> care if it looks good.
>
> Do you think rust-oleum would do a good job in this situation? Big
> difference between spray-on and brush-on rust-oleum? Also, it says it
> has to be 50F to apply. If its slightly colder does it matter very
> much?
>
> (My main experience in rustoleum is on an old rusty kid's wagon I
> redid 17 years ago. The rust has yet to reappear).

I use Rust Bullet:
http://www.rustbullet.com/
Works for me.-Jitney

Marty > wrote in message >...
> I had a '72 Datsun that ran great but was rusting away. I finally got
> annoyed and hit it with Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer , then brushed on a
> nice beige with a good quality brush. I called it a 50 foot paint job. You
> could not see the brush strokes from 50 feet away, and it never lost the
> gloss finish. Really didn't look too bad. Took about a quart and half to
> do the whole car.

How long did it last? Did the rust come back much?
>
>
> Bill Johnston wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > I have a 1980 Buick with rust problems, principally from two sources:
> > It was in a rollover awhile back and got scraped up on the roof and
> > sides, resulting in rust in those places. And the shoddy paint is
> > flaking off on the sides, causing rust speckling. The rust is bubbling
> > up in a few places but is mainly thin surface stuff.
> >
> > The car has high miles and will never win a beauty contest, but I
> > would like to avoid getting rust holes, especially in the roof. My
> > idea is to quickly sand off as much rust as possible and then slap on
> > some rust-oleum paint. The idea is to stop or slow the rust- I don't
> > care if it looks good.
> >
> > Do you think rust-oleum would do a good job in this situation? Big
> > difference between spray-on and brush-on rust-oleum? Also, it says it
> > has to be 50F to apply. If its slightly colder does it matter very
> > much?
> >
> > (My main experience in rustoleum is on an old rusty kid's wagon I
> > redid 17 years ago. The rust has yet to reappear).