How to Repair Rust on Vehicles

Rust is the end-result of iron being exposed to moisture in the air. The process takes time and ends up eating away Vehicles the metal over time. Protecting your Vehicles from rust means maintaining the paint and trim properly and keeping a good coat of wax on the body of the Vehicles. The Vehicles however, is often overlooked. On Vehicles like the various models of Vehicles where the Vehicles may be exposed to extreme elements from road-use, the Vehicles can become rusted and unsightly.

Under The Hood:

• How to Repair Rust on a Jeep Wrangler
• How to Repair Rust on a Jeep Frame
• How to Repair Rust on a C3 Corvette Birdcage

 How to Repair Rust on a Jeep Wrangler

Cut out the rust with a metal-cutting wheel or, for small patches of rust, sand the area with fine-grit sandpaper. Wet sandpapers or even an orbital, electric machine can be used.

Coat the remaining rust particles with oxide converter to neutralize them.

Apply a fiberglass based body filler. Automotive Touch Up has a range of example body fillers that can be used in rust-free conditions, when you have cleared a patch for repair. They are fast curing, durable, reliable and permanent and sand down in 20 minutes. Their Premium Filler offers superior adhesion to sanded paint and primer surfaces and costs about $30.

Prime and paint over the area with, for example, a POR-15 (Paint Over Rust) paint. POR-15 is a specially-designed rust prevention paint which can be applied on top of rusted surfaces to stop future rust. Automotive Touch Up supplies the paint codes for all Jeep models, so make sure the paint you select is identical to the paint color of your Jeep to create a professional finish. Their list of paints is ordered by the year each car was manufactured. They supply the paint in ½-ounce or 2-ounce bottles. They also stock paint pens for smaller repairs, aerosols for increased spraying speed and spray gun auto paints.

Add a protective, clear coat to prevent future rusting and weather or salt damage. Rust Master, a UK-based company, offers a bespoke Waxoyl corrosion protection solution that you can purchase at a local repair shop. This works particularly well at preventing rust from returning to older vehicles by soaking into rust and stopping its spread to other areas.

In extreme cases, replace the entire panel. Although costly, this will eliminate the rust completely and return the Jeep to its original state if carried out professionally and to a high standard. There are several companies that offer repair panels at a reasonable cost, such as C2C Fabrications and JC Whitney, whose front panels cost about $65 each.

 How to Repair Rust on a Jeep Frame

Remove and Repair the Rust

Locate the rusted aspect of your Jeep frame. Using screwdrivers or ratchets as needed, remove any body panels to get full access to the damaged area.

Inspect the rusty area on the surface and on the opposite side of the damage. Some frames will not allow you to view within a frame so just be cautious while repairing. Verify there are no holes through the frame due to the rust. If any holes exist, the integrity of the frame may have been sacrificed. You may want to contact a specialist to repair the frame before attempting any further restoration.

Scrape the rust off of the surface. Using a hand-held scraper, scrape off as much rust as possible. Once as much rust as can be is removed, use 50-grit metal sandpaper to remove any remaining evidence of rust.

Smooth the area using first 100-grit metal sandpaper and then 150-grit metal sandpaper.

Spray the impacted area with a high-temperature primer and then high-temperature paint.

 How to Repair Rust on a C3 Corvette Birdcage

Scrape off the surface rust on the birdcage with a steel wool pad.

Pour naval jelly onto the steel wool pad. Apply enough jelly to completely cover the rusted areas.

Leave the naval jelly on for five to 10 minutes or according to the instructions on the label. The phosphoric acid in naval jelly quickly dissolves the rust on the cylinder.

Clean away all traces of naval jelly and rust with rags or paper towels.

Apply an automotive rust-proof primer to the birdcage with a paintbrush. The primer acts as a barrier to moisture and prevents rust from forming. Allow the primer to dry.