Oiling the tub?

[Ryan_M]

My 3A was painted roughly 2 years ago. The "work" was performed by a complete maniac and leaves a lot to be desired but the coverage at least seems pretty thorough.

Recently, I have noticed traces of rust creeping out of a few cracks and crevices - mainly along a couple spot welded seams (inner windshield frame, tailgate surround, etc) plus some moving parts like the windshield pivot bolt and the hood hinge.

This body will be redone again at some point anyways so if the current rust intrusion runs wild it'll just motivate me to move it up the project list. Not a huge deal but no sense in making matters any worse. If this was the "perfect" tub I'd be a little more alarmed. It seems that even with the most thorough body work there's still no way to really sandblast or get paint to cover 100% of those hard to reach spaces.

A friend suggested oiling all of the potential problem areas as the oil will seep into any cracks and prevent further rust. He says he does it fairly regularly on all his vintage vehicles. Sounds pretty reasonable.

Anyone else do this? If not, any other solutions?

[Bob W]

I like the oiling idea - except it may cause problems later when you try to paint it again.

[1955CJ-5]

I would second Bob's concern with the oil causing problems later when you try to paint.

You might try some sort of rust converter. SEM makes one and I'm sure Eastwood has several products. Even if you have to re-apply the converter it would probably be better than oil in the seams...

[athawk11]

Ryan,
I think I would be cautious about oiling the seams.  If you weren't planing on a repaint at some point, it's probably an okay idea.

As Randy mentioned, there are a number of products that can be used to stem a repeat of the minor rust you see, but most are more effective prior to the paint finish.

I used a rust encapsulation paint, Master Series Silver.  I used extra coats in the seam areas.  I'm not experiencing any return of rust, but I do live in an arid climate.

Tim

[Tumbleweed]

Ryan,

I too used the Master Series silver primer. I had my complete body chemical dipped. I guess I will not know if the seams etch for a few more years but the oiling thing process seems like it just delays the inevitable.

[macrisel]

Ryan,
If you are planning on a repaint someday, I would avoid the oil in the seams.  That is going to be tough to get out and prep the metal for new paint when the time comes.  On the moving parts you described, you will probably always have an issue with rust due to the simply fact of metal-on-metal contact.  My hood hinge is already beginning to wear through the paint and primer.  I still have my extra paint and touch up this spot whenever it wears down to the metal.  It is never perfect, but it keeps it from rusting.

[Ryan_M]

As always, I appreciate the feedback.

[Oilleaker1]

3M makes a phosphoric acid treatment that hardens and stops the oxidation reduction or rusting action until it gets wet again. If you can apply it, let it dry, and then cover the area with a sealer like touch up paint , that would help it. The product is called Rust Mort. You are not supposed to use it on a sandblasted surface as it bridges the pits and doesn't stick well. Applied thinly, it will remove the rust from a chemically stripped surface that had water used to kill the stripper. With a wire brush and rubber gloves and eye protection, it will dissolve and work rust up out of pits. A terrible job though. If you weld two pieces of metal with a overlap, there is a high zinc metal primer called weld through primer that really helps stop those areas from rusting and producing that red stuff you talk about. Seam sealer can be used to seal up cracks where metal is joined. It accepts paint well. The English make stuff called Waxoll that coats the insides of channels to stop corrosion, but I think it's a problem when you re-paint. Fish eyes etc.  John