So I've been researching rust clean up and coating and converters for about 2 weeks now. I just got my jeep back from getting gears done and now I really want to get to get under it and clean up the rust on the frame and my axles and the underbody. I've seen a ton of different options my question is for guys with pretty heavy surface rust what did you use for a converter/ what did you use on it period and then what did you coat it with if anything. I've heard anything from WD40 or fluid film to Eastwood-POR15-Evapo-rust- muriatic acid and a few more. I want to hear for guys who had some heavy surface rust on it already how did you go about cleaning it up/converting and then what did you do for coating if any.
Side note how much of whatever stuff you used like POR15 did it take to do the underbody/axles and/or whatever you did?

 

POR works well, but is expensive and not uv stable.

Rustoleam products and the like are shit, do not use for anything other than a top coat.

Other products may work well.

Navel Jelly and a slight amount of elbow grease will net you clean metal to finish as you wish.

I really like Rust Destroyer, that I get at Home Depot. It's pricey at about 11 bucks a can, but it works well and you can shoot it over rust to convert while painting. You must prep or it will not work well. I only wish it were available in black. Red Oxide is the active ingredient that you are after in this, so if you can find a cheaper alternative, post it up.

 

The hardest part is preventing rust. All the paint in the world in northeast does northing to stop road salt. So this year im going to do the used oil mixed with diesel method in a pump spray.

 

ABENDX I took a look at rust destroyer I'm slightly lost though. Are you saying prep with something like naval jelly and then use rust destroyer? Or use rust destroyer as a top coat in place of something like POR?

 

I used the por on my xj, the floor pan had small rust holes and starting to rust. I bought the more $$ por 15 with sliver . But it works very well. Highly recommend

 

muriatic acid will eat the metal.

 

Yea I definitely don't want to use muriatic acid. For a number of reasons just seems more trouble than good. Even though some say it's great I just don't want to go that route

 

I think the POR is probably the better product, but I have seen it rust through in an application I used it on in the past. This was in an extreme environment, constant marine air and occasional ocean spray. It did well, but did not live up to the marketing hype. It has been the best product I have used, but it is expensive and inconvenient (unless they started putting it in a rattle can?).

The Rust Destroyer would be used in place of the POR. Expensive as well, but easy to apply and works well enough that if prepped correctly, you will not need to worry again for some time (years). Rust Destroyer requires less prep than POR.

The Naval Jelly is not necessary as a prep, but why not use it? It is cheap and easy to apply/clean up. You could instead hit the rust with a wire wheel and strip it down that way.

These products will attack and convert rust, but you have to do some of the leg work... the bigger stuff needs to be taken off manually. The smaller, hard to get stuff can be left to the conversion... then the product will bond to the metal and further protect it from new rust formation.

Surely there are other products that work well and I too would love to hear about them.... but these are the ones that I have found to work and I live in a fairly rough environment to metal.

 

well for surface rust you cant beat a wire wheel on a power tool, take it rightoff, almost as good as sandblasting. while youre at it take off the rest of the pain down there, then prep and bed line it. bedliner will hold up much better then other paints/undercoats to prevent future rust. it can also take alot of abuse (think the metal tearing before the bed liner will come off) if its done right.

 

Yea it's definitely going to be a good amount of wire wheel prep work probably a project for this weekend if the weather is good. Power wash it a couple times then I'll get on it. If I were to use POR15 or a bedliner depends what I find for prices. How much of it would it take to do the frame underbody and axles like half a gallon? Less/more