How to remove rust quick and easy!

[AdamDude04]

Well I had a few rust bubbles starting to grow on my rear wheel well..actually on both sides. I did a quick job and it turned out good but not "pro" looking. I didn't invest the time as the Bronco is getting a new paint job in a year, and I have wayyy too much work on this home to do.

Nothing bad, but as I found out for the hood of the truck in one spot, if I let it go, they will crater and grow fast. The one on the hood grew 4 times its size in a year. It was about 3"x2" when I tackled it.

Anyway, so I got these bubbls while they were still small..

Tools:

***** driver

flathead

Dremel tool - and add-ons

Primer

Rust Jelly

Scratch fix-it touch up paint

Steps:

Remove whatever needed in order to gain access to other areas that are possibly affected. My case, the chrome trim on the wheel well. It was held in by 5 screws.. This allowed me to find the bottom portion of the rust bubbles.

I took a flathead and removed the paint in the cancer areas. The paint came off with ease. A couple bubbles had a black oil..quite interesting! lol

After I removed as much paint as I could to find the cancer spots and the point where they stopped growing (so i don't over sand). I used a dremel tool with a sander to remove the paint down to the metal. This was easy and took about 5 minutes to remove and sand every area needed. Came out shinny. I did have a couple crater areas..and just used a stone pointed grinder on the dremel tool to get all the rust out.

Next was the rust jelly. This stuff turns the rust black (stuff you can't get) and kills off any rust. A simple spread, let it sit for 10 minutes, then remove with watery rag.

Next I took the time to prep then primer the metal area. I did two coats. I used a gray rust primer to match the silver paint..but also the gray will make it easy to use black paint incase I need to remove rust spots in the black painted areas.

Next up, touch up paint! My silver isn't quite factory silver..as the Bronco has been painted every 7 years. However the Ford Silver I got is pretty dang close. Better than looking at rust or rust bubbles in my book!

I used the Dremel tool to polish the paint up and make it shinny. Not the best touch up job, but it works. If you take your time, you'll get a better outcome. I however plan on painting the Bronco in about a year and it's good enough to not notice, but not good enough to make my happy. But again, it'll be sand blasted then painted in about a year!

 

[miesk5]

yo!

Thanks!

The Dremel is a great tool; we use it a lot all over the house and bronco and other vehicles.

We've been battling that wheel lip surface rust for a few years now too; You will most lilely have much more rust in the inner fender area - it is spot welded to the outer 1/4 panel and this method causes all the 1/4 panel rust problems;

& also inside the 1/4 in the area where you removed the rust; I plan to use Patch Panels w/body adhesive soon.

I have a bunch of 1/4 & inner repair links in my site; http://www.broncolinks.com/index.php?index=459

 

[AdamDude04]

I''ll have to crawl under there and check it out! My truck is fairly rust free. From my experince the rust bubbles are caused by moisture in the paint when the truck was painted.

My plan is to sandblast everything and repaint it with a few minior touches.

 

[miesk5]

ok, So you have time to inspect it all carefully before you do the SB.

I had one bubble aboove the wheel well (WW) trim moulding last fall. I removed da moulding and sand3d da bubble down, looked ok, was just that moisture;

but, rusted out WW metal lip sections came with the paint. I lost approx. 4 incles of lip metal. I took out all the rust I could see and ended w/clean lip metal at the "edge" of the 1/4 panel; On your WW moulding. imagine all metal gone where it attaches with the screws. It disintegrated in my hands! All due to the assy process where Ford spot welded inner panel to the 1/4 panel.

Here is what I face in the spring; Patch Panel Installation, Jeff's Bronco Graveyard in a 94

Source: by R94BroncoXLT (Ryan)

I'll get the inner panel as well and do it all.

---

Wheel Well Repair pics in an 86

Source: by Xris at http://www.supermotors.net/vehicles/registry/5183/57487

This pic shows the inner rust at lip as well as where it meets the cargo area's floor pan "tub"



1/4 panel Replacement w/adhesive in an 86

Source: by Sixlitre http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/detail.php?id=4970&s=19605#content

 

[95 buckin bronco]

hey adam i have all the tools to do that work but not sure where to find the jelly if u could help that would be sweet.thats a nice ass bronc man u should show that thing off more lol.thanks

 

[AdamDude04]

hey adam i have all the tools to do that work but not sure where to find the jelly if u could help that would be sweet.thats a nice ass bronc man u should show that thing off more lol.thanks

Good! It's really easy to do.. again how quick you go, and the time you spend on painting will show how well your work is done. Depending on the color of your paint, you may be better off with spray paint..this way you get an even spread vs paint brush marks. I did the paint brush as it was the closest to the color I could get. If your bronco is Black/White/Red/ect.. then it'll be easier to find a spray paint in that color.

The "naval jelly" or rust jelly can be found at any local auto part store. Just ask the store guys you're looking for rust remover or rust jelly and they'll know what you're talking about. The company that made my bottle is called "Bondo". I think I paid $6 for the bottle..big bottle and I havn't even used a 1/8 of a bottle yet

I'll try to show it off more lol

 

[AdamDude04]

Miesk5, That's a ton of rust!!

I looked at my wheel well, clearly from what I could see, and there was no rust..but ofcourse I can't see the inner guts lol

Is there anything that would possibly block my view if I stuck a camera up there? I have a bright light, and a small webcam so I can play doctor and such lol

 

[50joe]

I wonder if a brush or spray can would be better for me? Although I have yet to find a parts supplier that has a combo of cat puke and baby **** green....<shrug>

 

[Seabronc]

I hate to burst your bubbles, but there is no way to permanently fix those spots except to remove the rusted area and replace it with new metal. It will look good for a while but next year it will be right back. Meisk5 is right about the cause, it is NOT moisture under the paint. It is, as shown so well in your pictures, caused by the spot welds. The cause by using the body as a ground conductor and running small amounts of current through the weld, commonly known as "Galvanic Action". If you repair the panels by welding in new pieces it will happen again, that is why Meisk5 is using body adhesive. Combine that with a flanged panel and blind rivets in predimpled holes and "WALLAH" nearly permanent fix. Treating the inside of the metal with undercoat will go a long way also. Then go on a yearly rust patrol, because in the words of some real wise person, "Rust NEVER sleeps".

Good luck,

>-

 

[Seabronc]

PS,

AdamDude, use thumb nails, Large pictures are too ******* some of the poor folks that do not have high speed lines. They can even be a little ******* HS lines too at certain times of the day.

Good luck,

>-

 

[AdamDude04]

Yeah my photos used to come out small..I think photobucket upscaled em lol

But as far as the bubbles go.. I have them in the most random spots. I can understand what you're saying about the wheel wells.. but I have them in a few other select areas on the Bronco that dont have any spot welding or anything behind where the bubbes are at..

 

[miesk5]

ok, good luck

btw, the topic was "on my rear wheel well" and all your work, pics, and info was about those bubbles on the rear wheel well.

So, Seabronc & I were yakking about the rear wheel well.