muscle car repair panels
How To Rust Proof Your Classic - The Steps In The Process
The truth of the matter is that this can be a highly involved process, this is all depending on the state that your car is in when you begin the process, for this article we're going to assume that your car is not in top condition, we'll take it from the start.
To begin with we'll do an inspection of your classic car, this is what I refer to as the walk around, all though you do more then walk around the car, we'll determine what needs to be done to solve the rust problems as we walk around the car, this can take some time, so don't be in a rush.
First we'll roll under the car on a creeper, this will allow us to look at all the usual suspects on a classic car, these are usually the same between all of the manufactures, so let's kick this thing off, first we'll look at the under side of the trunk area, and we'll move forward from there.
In the trunk of the car you'll normally be looking for holes in the main trunk area, and in the side extensions, no manufacture built a one piece trunk floor back in the day, and the side extensions were very prone to rust, these are the pieces that connect to each side of the main trunk floor.
I'm also assuming that you have done this right, and your doing a restore on the car, and it's just back from media blasting, this is the time to do real rust proofing on the car, it's when the factory would have done it, if they had the technology to do it.
You'll need to take a Phillips screw driver under the car to poke around with, or if you have a metal scribe, you can use that also, what you'll bee looking for is any area that you can punch a hole through, if you can punch a hole in the metal, it needs to be replaced.
This is the process we'll follow as we move forward through the rest of the car, after you have finished the trunk area, and you know what need to be done to fix it, you can write on a piece of paper what needs to be fixed, this is what we'll do for the entire process.
Next we'll move to the passenger compartment of the car, here we'll look at the floorboard of the car, now if you just have a small hole your can patch it with a piece of metal the same gauge as the rest of the floorboard of the car, if you have a hole that you can stick your fist through, replace the entire floorboard of the car, take no short cuts is you want to be right.
Next we'll take a look at the rocker panels, and with these I would say you should always replace them, they are the lowest hanging parts of the car, and they take a lot of abuse, so just replace them, you'll be much better off it you do, and in most cases their not expensive.
Now you'll inspect the engine compartment, looking for rust holes, and the same idea applies here, if you have a small hole in some part of the engine compartment you can patch it without a problem, in the firewall you'll have no choice but to patch holes as you find them.
Now that you have completed the inspection and repair process, you can begin the rust proofing of the car, this begins by shooting a couple or three coats of acid etching primer to the car, and then following that with seam sealer, I use 3M fast and firm, but you can use whatever you'd like.
Once you have masked the seems leaving about 1/8 inch on each side of the seam, you can seam seal the entire car, all you have to do is squeeze the seam sealer in to the seam, and then run over it with your finger to push it down in to the seams of the car.
Once you have seam sealed the entire car, you should POR 15 the entire underside of the car, POR 15 is a rust proof, damn near bullet proof paint that will protect your car as long as you drive it, it should never be used on the outside of the car though.
Once you have the underside of the car painted with POR 15, you can shoot primer to the rest of the car, and you should be protected from rust for a lot of years, possibly if you wash your car regularly, it can last the rest of your life, and you can pass it down through the family.
About the Author
I've been in the automotive business for about 20 or 25 years, I have worked in all facets of the industry, from parts to restoration, all different makes and models, I just want to keep people interested in the old cars because it's where my heart is.
How To Rust Proof Your Muscle Car
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