Horatio Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Hey ya'll, I'll be cleaning up my battery tray area shortly and need some advice. I've done a rough cleaning/stripping of the area and have found a considerable amount of pitting but otherwise things look really solid (See photo). I'd like to treat the areas I can't get to with some rust converter (pits and the junction where the firewall meets the battery area). I'd then like to touch up the area with some bondo to smooth things out. I'll be welding up the holes where the spot welds were removed from the battery tray. Any other suggestions/ideas? Any problems with applying bondo over a rust converter? Any suggested rust converters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigblock96 Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Rust Converter is compatible with most polyester body fillers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palosfv3 Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Sandblast the area. ( I'm willing to bet you will find more perforations when your start your cleaning /removal process) This will then give you a good clean surface to start your repair. I'm not a fan of rust convertors for the long haul. Best way of keeping metal from rusting again is blasting and coating the cleaned metal with an epoxy/zinc based primer. If you have pitting , fill the pits with a polyesther putty after you have epoxy primed the area. Larry www.wgmauto.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horatio Posted July 2, 2008 Author Share Posted July 2, 2008 Sandblast the area. ( I'm willing to bet you will find more perforations when your start your cleaning /removal process) This will then give you a good clean surface to start your repair. I'm not a fan of rust convertors for the long haul. Best way of keeping metal from rusting again is blasting and coating the cleaned metal with an epoxy/zinc based primer. If you have pitting , fill the pits with a polyesther putty after you have epoxy primed the area. Larry www.wgmauto.com Yeah, i've considered sand blasting it. Don't know if that's neccessary though. The photo I posted is prior to a more aggressive surface prep. Everythings really in pretty decent condition (with the exception of the holes/mess I made while removing the battery tray). The area i'm mostly concerned about is the junction of the firewall and the inner fender. Doesn't appear to be anything more than surface rust there. No rust thru on the inside of the firewall either. I think i'd prefer to clean up the area as best as possible and hit it with some rust converter. Any suggestions on a good brand or are they all pretty much the same (something I could get from Autozone/Advanced is preferable). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeatrpi Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 If you can't / don't want to cut and replace the area, you could use a paint like rust bullet or por-15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 wire wheel the area with a corded drill and get put a lot of force into it and whipe that area 99.9% of rust, and then use the rust converter of any kind. Prime with a good etching primer THEN bondo. the whisk with primer again. all in thin coats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zcarmark Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 done the rust conversion coating in the past with marginal results. the rust will eventually reappear (usually 3-6 years). if you want a long term repair, i'd recommend some type of media blast. most importantly be sure to use a catalyzed primer. valspar and/or morton has a product called direct to metal (dtm). if your set on the conversion coating, i'd primer and then fill the pits with a 2 part (catalyzed) spot putty that can be used over primer. the product i use is called half-time. good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horatio Posted July 3, 2008 Author Share Posted July 3, 2008 Thanks ya'll... i'll keep you posted! Got myself some wire wheels and cup brushes. I'll be getting everything cleaned up and covered in converter/primer this weekend. Got a bit of practicing to do with the welder before I swiss cheese the inner fender!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK-Z Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Even blasting can't be garrenteed get a 100% of the rust out, but its the best method. I would do that and use Rust zero over it just to be sure. You have to dilute to thin it out. So if you put it on a little thick, you probably won't need bondo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horatio Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Well, I was cleaning everything up, got most of the rust out and thought I should test the area to see how thin it was. I put a putty knife right through it! Sooo, area has been completely cut out and is currently being preped for replacement/welding. I did end up shooting some rust converter into the junction of the firewall and innner fender though. i figured that sand blasting may not even get in there and that a liquid seeping in there may do a better job. Only time will tell! Thanks all! I'll post some pics soon. Also, I made a home made spindle pin puller with galvanized pipe parts from home depot. Cost me about twenty bucks. Worked pretty well on one of the pins but I can't get the other one out. I'll try and post plans for the puller some time soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrariferg Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I had to pull mine out today due to a big hole under it. Its amazing how much damage a simple thing like a battery tray drain tube falling off can do. Hope all goes well with your repairs. BTW. Thanks for posting the pic. Helped me to find an invisible spot weld in the tray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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