Re: Repairing and repainting small amounts of rust in engine bay
jwyfk- Before I forget it again...note that many Rust Converters don`t *really* leave a "nicely primed surface that any paint will stick to". They say that, but it doesn`t always work out that way (again, not slamming any particular product).
I`d *absolutely* get underneath and spray some Eastwood stuff under there to keep it from coming back even worse (as in, rust-out). Can`t say whether I`d use their BHDAR or their Frame Coater stuff, but I`d sure do *something* from that side after addressing the top part.
I`d also do the same to the gaps around the plates, which I`m guessing don`t show.
I`d be all about not letting this "minor surface rust" turn into a complete weld-in-new-steel rust problem.
So...[repeat previous product recommendations and] give some more thought to whether you could live with some satin-black sealer (the BHDAR) if it`s a choice between that and ongoing rust concerns. The way that bearing plate (thanks, EXPDetailing...the term was eluding me) is always gonna move about a little makes me think that just painting it won`t work any better for you than it did for the factory`s work.
Re: Repairing and repainting small amounts of rust in engine bay
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stokdgs
Have you noticed the top side being wet all the time from rain, etc.. ??
Thanks Dan, I`m not going to cut any corners on this. I`ve got too much time and money invested to let it rust in some hidden area. I paid a local guy a lot of money to do engine work and fabrication. I paid him cash any time he wanted money and he never finished the car. After 3 years, I spent over $3000 in legal fees and it took an additional year or so to get him to finish. During the time it was at his shop, there was a flood. I stopped down there and every other customer`s car was up on the lift or concrete blocks, except for mine. I think he was hoping it would be ruined, so he wouldn`t have to work on it anymore. He lied about being able to do fabrication and I think that`s why the car sat for so long. His garage was elevated, so not much water came in there. There were some Porsches and other race cars that were ruined in a trailer next to the shop. I saw the line of mud from the flood only went as high as the sidewall of my tires and didn`t touch the rim, so I`m lucky. I don`t know if the humidity in the shop, or splashing from the clean-up could have caused this, but it`s possible. He did put $2600 worth of scratches on my car, but the magistrate only gave me $400. I called the magistrates office and was told there`s no way to find out how she came to this judgement. Maybe it`s because the car is 17 years old, I don`t know. I appealed and will go back to court next month.
Other than that, I don`t know. I live in the northeast and drove the car in the winter. I also wash my engine bay, and it`s possible that water got trapped underneath the strut tower brace plate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
EXPDetailing
There`s a bearing_plate that sits between the strut tower brace and the strut itself. Maybe, you could replace those, the struts and address things with sandpaper and a sealant.
So, you`re saying that the studs are just a plate that`s underneath and goes through those oval holes? I hope no cutting is involved up top, if that`s the case. The struts are good. Why would I replace them?
Here is a picture of the OEM strut tower brace. (Not my picture)http://www.autopia.org/forums/attach...id=31713&stc=1
Re: Repairing and repainting small amounts of rust in engine bay
jwyfk- IMO your first order of business is to get a good look-see on the underside to figure out what you`re really dealing with.
How big/tough of a job is it to take the struts off the car? Some are stupid-simple, others are big deal-hard. If you could get everything out of the way so you`re just dealing with the panel and the holes in it/the plates/the rest individually it`d be a lot easier to get a good repair. Otherwise, the holes/slots/etc. that are the groundfloor of the rust problem are all filled up with the threaded bits (are they studs? bolts? I know *nothing* about this car..) to where you can`t really get in there to do a proper repair. Not that a "proper" repair is always what you have to do to solve the problem ;)
If nothing else, this thread has prompted me to go about my Crown Vic the right way...sigh, more $ for products. Nobody else cares about my undercarriage, but I do and I`d rather not do it again in the foreseeable future.
Hey, something else I`m gonna forget if I don`t post it now- if/when you soak the rusty area with some Rust Killing Product via the "wet a paper towel with Product and keep it pressed against the rust somehow for a long time"- method, I`d use *VIVA* paper towels. Yeah, I know that specifying the brand of paper towel sounds nutty, but seriously...They`re very "cloth-like" compared to regular paper towels and while that makes them a little harder to satuate with Product, it also keeps them from disintegrating so much and IME they really do work considerably better for stuff like this.
Re: Repairing and repainting small amounts of rust in engine bay
Accumulator, I`m sorry, I didn`t mean to ignore your post above mine. I didn`t realize there was a second page. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, there`s not a whole lot of space in my townhouse garage to start removing struts and grinding away underneath. At this point, after I get my fuel injectors back from flow testing, I`m going to take the car to a body shop, so they can check it out. I`ll ask them about the products you mentioned to make sure they don`t cut any corners. I`ll post back when I find out. By the way, thank you for the Viva recommendation! :)
Re: Repairing and repainting small amounts of rust in engine bay
jwyfk- OK, glad to be helpful. See what the bodyshop says. BE SUSPICIOUS! This is the kind of thing that so many shops will say "no problem buddy!", do a fix, take your $, and then a few years later you`re *right back where you started*, maybe even with even worse rust. (I worked in a bodyshop, I patronize a few *good* bodyshops. I know how this stuff goes and that`s one reason why I DIY this sort of stuff if at all possible. In ~40 years of having rust fixed, in cases like this I can honestly say that it often/usually came back to some extent unless they completely replaced the panels.) Eh, don`t mean to make you paranoid, but this is just one of those things where it`s *really* hard to get a permanent fix and really *easy* to get one that only lasts a short time.
I hear you on not being able to remove the strut, IMO that just means you`d have to rely on products that`ll creep into the tight spots and stay there to arrest the rust you can`t really get to.
Again, see what the shop says, post back if you like and I`ll be happy to give you my 2¢ I`d be all about avoiding paying for a temporary fix that ends up being wasted money.
¢
Re: Repairing and repainting small amounts of rust in engine bay
Accumulator, I appreciate that, thank you! I`ll post back when I get a chance.
Re: Repairing and repainting small amounts of rust in engine bay
These can be great for getting product into tight spots- https://www.griotsgarage.com/product...e=&from=Search