Imperial Home Page -> Repair ->Body -> Paint -> Pinstripes
Question from Clay (1967):
The painfully slow process of preparing my 67 Crown for an eventual repaint has left me with a surprising amount of hardware that could use a little help. Miscellaneous bumper brackets, nuts, bolts, inner fender wells, etc are in need of some type of refinishing. What type of paint should be used on these parts? They all seem to have been painted in a flat black originally, so I am wondering what product would work best to duplicate the original color and flatness of sheen? Mind you I don't think I have to worry about losing points at a car show, but I figure if I am going through all of this work I would like to paint these parts something close to the original black finish.
Also, many of these pieces though mostly rust free (at least by Minnesota standards) could use something to take off what looks to be minor rust. Would something like Naval jelly work?
Replies:
From Brad:
Paint any bare metal areas, rusted or not, with POR-15 or Corroless before top coating.
From Dave:
If you can find it there use to be, and still might be, a product called OSFO, this stuff turns the rust into somewhat of a protective coating after it is applied. When you look for it it usually comes in a quart plastic bottle and it's green. As I recall back in Florida you could find this in any ACE hardware store.
Follow-up from Bob:
This is Ospho (mfg by Skyco) and is the first "acid treatment" I ever used for rust. Very similar to OxiSolv.
From Arran:
I have no recommendations on paint other then maybe an industrial grade enamel because its cheap, easy to use, and tough. In terms of rust removal there are two effective methods to use, one is sandblasting, the other is acid dipping. Rather then use the services of a dipping tank, which is damaging to aluminum or brass, I would use a hot vinegar bath. Vinegar is strong enough to dissolve rust but not so strong as to eat brass or aluminum. The greatest problem would be to find a tank big enough to fit your parts and to heat that tank up to get the vinegar to work. It will take a few hours but most of the rust should then come off with steel wool and a wire brush. If they are really large pieces I would sand blast or clean them off with a sander if they aren't too bad.
From John:
I have done several cars in the past and usually prep rusty parts by using a wire brush attachment on the drill. Several sizes and types are available at any Home Depot or similar store. You may use the spray cans of rust-converting primer, though I usually just do several coats of Rustoleum and have had pretty good luck. A MN car probably would be a more likely candidate for the rust converting primer. I have bought it at auto parts stores, though I believe it is also at hardware or Home Depot stores. On areas with serious rust getting started, I would use the POR-15. It is more expensive than the spray rust converter, but it does a great job stopping the rust. As far as color, I usually by Rustoleum's semi-flat or satin finish black and have been very pleased with the sheen it gives.
Follow-up from John:
Eastwood sells a product called "OxiSolv" that soaks rust off. Its slower then sandblasting but doesn't damage the parts either. It works great on smaller items & is best used on a nice warm sunny day as the warmth speeds up the process.
From John:
Plasti-Kote makes a semi flat black paint. Also Eastwood has one that is called underhood black that also has a soft sheen to it. I used the Eastwood product on my 60 's & it holds up extremely well.
From Bob:
The previous posts about OxiSolv for rust removal are good, but it is only available from Eastwoods. I have used other "rust converting" products and all the one which use acid seem pretty much the same. Most auto paint shops will have a metal prep/acid etch that is essentially the same.
Also, the paint products from Eastwood's are generally good - they have several flat and satin black paints (for chassis & brackets) which are OK, except they must be mail-ordered.
However, my experience with other "rust" paints, such as Rustoleum, has been very poor. The journal "Skinned Knuckles" tested many rust-preventing products a few years ago and they only ones that "worked" were POR-15 and Corroless (also only available from Eastwoods, which I'm now using).
For the past few years, I've been using a wire brush or sandpaper to get off as much rust as possible (sand or bead-blasting is better), then an acid treatment like OxiSolv, then a rust-preventing paint (like Corroless), then a finish coat.
So far, so good. But this is only Southern California...
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