The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Repair Upper/Lower cab seam rust

I'm seeking ideas for taken care of rust stains and a couple of bubbles that are appearing at the outside (across the back of the cab) seam where the upper & lower cab panels meet. This is a '54 3100 that lived most of it's life in New Mexico, so the body panels are very sound.

Thanks

The only real and correct way to get ride of rust, is to sand it off. Of course that means a paint job. I am not sure what you are thinking of in terms of the project.

Perhaps seam is the wrong word, although it's the area in question. The problem is where the two metal panels overlap. I think the cab would have to be taken apart if one was to sand in there.

I was thinking someone might suggest some type of welding technique to close the bottom of the seam to seal it. I would think body filler would crack in short time.

Thanks

I can see you've never tried to weld rust Don't waste your time.

You must either remove the rust or stop it from spreading. Period.

Overlapping panels are rust's best friend because I don't know of any product that can get in there and stop it. Eastwood sells their RUST CONVERTER in an aerosol and it's as thin as brake cleaner. They claim it can seep into seams so it may be your only non-surgical option. I've used it and feel that it does an excellent job but time is the test and I've only used it within the last year so I can't vouch for it's long term effectiveness.

Have you had a look at both sides of the area? A BB-sized hole on the outside usually means a square foot of rusted area on the inside.

Thanks for the tip. I was also considering sanding the immediate area, treating it with some rust inhibor/convertor, then pinstripping the area.