I will second and third some of the suggestions. If it is going to be a driver, you could waste a lot of time and money putting in new metal, especially if you are not experienced. I have become a big fan of two methods. For larger areas like a floor I have had good results with rust converters. Remove loose rust the best you can and make sure to get in seams good. Like Kevinski said, remove the transmission cover so you can get the in-between places. If the part is small or manageable enough I like the soak method. There are several options. Citric acid is good. I personally use vinegar. Go to the bulk store and get it by the gallon or larger. White or cider either one work. Get the cheapest. Let the parts soak for 3-4 days. When you take them out of the vinegar your first reaction will be it has done nothing. Be patient, don't panic. Rinse and wash the piece(s) under running water with a brush or sponge. The rust will rinse away revealing clean grey metal ready for prep and paint. Part of the prep is to make sure you wash all the vinegar or whatever solution you use completely off. It will flash rust on the surface if you don't do something to protect it the same day. This is a lot cleaner and more efficient than the wire wheel. Sometimes the wire wheel is your only choice but I avoid it anytime I can. For containers to soak in I went to the home store and bought the cheapest various size plastic containers I could get that would allow the items to lay flat and require the least amount of vinegar to cover them. I saw a neat trick where a guy used a piece of PVC conduit with a cap on one end to soak a hood prop. Long piece but using the conduit just big enough to slide the piece in saved him a lot of vinegar. Also, I poor the vinegar back into the plastic jug and use it for the next rusty piece. I have not figured out how many times I can use it before it looses its acidity and becomes ineffective.
Last edited by dgrinnan; 02/21/2023 3:34 PM.
