[Tennesseestorm]

My 73' Pontiac is a solid southern car- with no rust holes or scale underneath, but it does have several areas of surface rust on the frame, underside trunk floor and gas tank. Floor pans are perfect.

It is not a show car, but more less in "daily driver" condition. I do not want to spend a lot of time or money, but want to be sure my undercarriage is protected from rusting further. The floor pans do not have any rust at all, but parts of the trunk pan and frame have surface rust. Can I just simply paint these areas with some black rust proof paint, or will that make it worse? I really do not want to do any sandblasting or sanding on this car to stop the rust, because like I mentioned, it is not a show car, but I do not want it to rust any more. Would I be better off leaving it alone and not painting?

I never drive it in the rain and it has not been in any salt- at least not for many years. When I wash it, I always spray real good under the undercarriage and wheelwells, so it is clean under there, as far as dirt goes. Being a southern car- it is not undercoated either. Suprisingly, not even any oil or grease under it.

Any advice appreciated.

[Tennesseestorm]

My 73' Pontiac is a solid southern car- with no rust holes or scale underneath, but it does have several areas of surface rust on the frame, underside trunk floor and gas tank. Floor pans are perfect.

It is not a show car, but more less in "daily driver" condition. I do not want to spend a lot of time or money, but want to be sure my undercarriage is protected from rusting further. The floor pans do not have any rust at all, but parts of the trunk pan and frame have surface rust. Can I just simply paint these areas with some black rust proof paint, or will that make it worse? I really do not want to do any sandblasting or sanding on this car to stop the rust, because like I mentioned, it is not a show car, but I do not want it to rust any more. Would I be better off leaving it alone and not painting?

I never drive it in the rain and it has not been in any salt- at least not for many years. When I wash it, I always spray real good under the undercarriage and wheelwells, so it is clean under there, as far as dirt goes. Being a southern car- it is not undercoated either. Suprisingly, not even any oil or grease under it.

Any advice appreciated.

[frog]

I've been using a product called Eastwoods Rust Encapsulator that works great on lightly rusted metal, no rust creep or bubbling on things that were done 3 years ago, its a primer that can be top coated and comes in black, red, or silver

[Tennesseestorm]

here is another

[Judas]

Just want to mention that spraying on POR-15 (as someone asked) without a full body suit and ventialtion system is Lethal. Creates IsoCyanide fumes...

[mddog]

If I went to trouble of removing all previous undercoating and grime I would use por-15 ... It will cost less than $100 and can be brushed on and painted over to almost any color and if done right you will never have to worry about rust again.

Check out following site http://www.por15.com/

[Ron Landis]

Do the bottom side just as you would the top. Clean, sand, take care of ANY rust issues and paint. Sweat the details!

[quicksilver97ta]

Shaffer, in this situation for your daily driver heres what I'd do. They sell sheets of 3M pads at autobody stores that would work great to clean those areas up. Scrub things down well, use soapy water, rinse well, let dry, and follow with some POR 15 or something similar.

[Tennesseestorm]

last one

[Junkyard Dog]

yveyant: Do you spray or brush on the POR 15, and does this looklike the factory finish?

Sixty7Goat: Do the plastic goggles from Home Depot suffice? I could not find anything at any hardware store that said it protects against exploding grinding wheels. Any suggestions?

[Tennesseestorm]

another

[Junkyard Dog]

Would that be like my shooting glasses?

[Tennesseestorm]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I will have to get some goggles and a mask and start sanding the surface rust. I crawled under there today and took some photos. The floors are very solid- just the surface rust as mentioned on parts of the frame. Not bad for a 33 year old car I suppose.

Here are some photos of my undercarriage.

[Sixty7Goat]

I would also advise wearing goggles not just regular safety glasses if you are going to be using a 4 1/2" grinder with a wire wheel under the car. I went to the doctor twice to have metal removed from my eye while doing this, it's not fun.

[Tennesseestorm]

and another

[Junkyard Dog]

Is Eastwood's rust encapsulator still a good product to use as a primer if you are going to get under there and grind/wirebrush all the rust off down to (mostly) bare metal, then paint with Eastwood chassis black?

[WWWYNN40]

I use Polycaebonate lenses in safety glasses plus goggles. Rusty steel in the eye may impair your vision for a long time. If your hurts at 1:00 am get up and go to the ER. The metal will rust more overnight.

[Tennesseestorm]

yet another

[Tennesseestorm]

Here is one of the rear suspension area- you can see the surface rust I want to eliminate.

[YVEYANT]

If you can afford to powder coat the frame it is the best way, usually about 600 bucks. If not, judging by the pics, I would use a 4 1/2" angle grinder, Ryobi 40 bucks, Home Depot,also from Home Depot in the tool section, a wire brush cup by Dewalt, about 14 bucks. Make sure you get one for a 4 1/2" grinder as they also come in 4" and won't screw on. They sell two kinds the thick wire and the fine, use the fine, one should be enough for the car as they do fade and be aware the little metal wires do fly so wear eye protection and a dust mask. This works very well.I can't stress enough how you can make a part look new by this method.Also works great for small parts with just as good results as sandblasting if you get a feel for it.
When done clean off with laquer thinner, prime with por 15, then paint with por 15. You have to prime first, this is where many people go wrong and tell me por 15 failed and flaked in 3 to 6 months. priming can never hurt and helps to add a strong foundation for paint. Anthony