Restoration
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Just as Lex Luthor was Superman's archrival, rust is the main thorn-in-the-side to anyone who owns an older vehicle. As Neil Young reminded us, once rust starts, it never sleeps.

Assessment As Neil Young reminded us, once rust starts, it never sleeps.
Fortunately, better-living-through-chemistry applies to vehicle restoration. Just as antidepressants have "given millions of people their lives back," a variety of sprays, pastes, and other potions can help stop rust in its tracks. The right product for the job normally depends on where the rust is located. Severity is also a consideration.


Eastwood Co. is a leading source of restoration products for car hobbyists. The company's printed catalog and web site are good starting points for rust-busting. We investigated Eastwood's solutions to rust problems that don't require replacing metal or disassembling the vehicle. (Obviously, a frame-off resto/parts removal allows optimal access to the nooks and crannies.)

Prep
Barry Scheck's "garbage in, garbage out" philosophy can be applied to metal rehabilitation—the finished product is only as good as the surface underneath. Cleanliness is as close as some of us will ever come to godliness, and vehicle metals can never be too sanitary during a restoration.


Depending on the seriousness and location of the rust, different cleaning methods can be used. For starters, the quarter car wash or gas-powered pressure washer will help get mud and dirt off of frames. Steam cleaning can be even more effective because the hot water helps cut through grease and other cesspools of contamination. However, steam cleaners also blast through wiring and other delicate parts, so some skill is required.

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Photo Guide

Eastwood offers a variety of rust solutions in its catalog and on its web site. Other necessary details, such as wheel cleaner and chemical-resistant gloves, are also available.

Begin by hosing or blasting off as much dirt as possible. Then attempt to burn through the rust and down to bare metal. This Eastwood 5-inch Cleaning Wheel mounts to a drill with a special mandrel and helps clean irregular surfaces.

OxiSolv dissolves iron oxide in hard-to-scrape areas and dries to a protective zinc-phosphate coating. The afflicted area is kept wet with OxiSolv for 30 minutes.

The gray patches on this air-cleaner lid are rust that OxiSolv has converted to zinc phosphate.

After using OxiSolv, Eastwood recommends wiping down the area with its PRE Painting Prep to remove any sticky or greasy crud. In general, PRE cuts through silicone, wax, polish, grease and dirt to help paint adhesion.

Metal Wash is a powder that mixes with warm water to cut through grease and other contaminants. Its residue has corrosion inhibitors that can prevent flash rust for up to three weeks.

Surfaces treated with OxiSolv and PRE need to be primed. Eastwood offers a self-etching primer that's formulated to bond well to bare metals and also be a base for high-build primers. (It isn't compatible with Eastwood Chassis Black paint.) This area is now ready for paint.

Corroless is a combo rust-neutralizer and primer. It can be sprayed or painted directly over rust. Corroless doesn't need to be top-coated, although it's compatible with most automotive enamels and urethanes. Ruddy-brown color helps reveal complete coverage over dark surfaces.

Eastwood's Chassis Black is an epoxy-based paint formulated for durability. It comes in either OEM sheen or glossy and is also package with Corroless in varying amounts as Eastwood's Chassis Restoration Kit. Both Chassis Black and Corroless are also available in sprayable quarts.

This before-and-after comparison of the hitch hints at how a completed frame would look using Eastwood's Chassis Restoration Kit. (We sanded out the run near the bumper after the photo was taken.)


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