The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop slow paint removal

hey guys,
I'm wanting to get my cab ready for the body guy, and I'd like to save some cash by stripping it to bare metal myself. What I'm wondering about is, it's going to be a very slow project since I can only work on it seriously once a week (I can piddle with it some evenings). I'm worried about half to three-quarters of it rusting again by the time I finish! I'm guessing two to three (to four, to five, etc...) months to do in and out? Anyway, is there something I can do to keep what I've done good while I work on another part? It is in a garage, But its detached and is not climate controlled (and I'm in Nebraska). I don't have any real paint experience or equipment so I'm hoping someone has a trick. thanks

If you can keep it dry and hold the humidity at bay you will be all right. If you can't control the humidity, I would recommend shake can primer.

I stripped the inside of mine to bare metal this summer. I found it flash rusted only where I touched the bare metal with my hands or exposed skin (like arms or legs). I was very careful and re-sanded those areas just before it was primed for painting. As far as time needed to do the job... that depends on your perseverance and detail.

There have been several good discussions on flash rusting over the past several years on this forum.

You can protect the bare areas by treating them with a phosphoric acid solution. There are several preparations made for this purpose. In my area of California I cannot find it at Home Depot or Lowes but the automotive paint shops have some. I use Jasco. Do not rinse it off with water afterwards as some people recommend- it will rust. I used this method on all my parts and several pieces have been this way for over a year (stored inside) without any signs of rust.

When I first started I used a heavy coating and let it dry overnight. The next day I hit it again loosening the previous day's dried material and then wiped it fairly clean leaving just a thin film. I did this with all the major body parts and it was probably overkill. Since then I have just used 1 coating, left it on for about 30 minutes, then wiped it off. The results seem the same either way.

Chuck

Thanks for the replys so far! the phos. acid sounds easiest so far because i'm just not much of a "paint" guy. I can keep the cab inside, but the humidity is up to mother nature.

can the body guy paint the metal after i treat it or will the whole thing need to be cleaned with something beforehand?

If you use the phosphoric acid treatment it will need to be lightly scuffed or sanded before paint or primer. I think that will probably be the case no matter what you use.

Chuck

I was in the same boat as you. I would strip an area to bare metal, then rattle can spray it with 'wet sandable' primer.

On a safety note, make sure you wear goggles. I had rust dust in my eyes twice and had to get them drilled from my eyes. The thing is, I was wearing goggles...but it was the floating dust in the garage that got me.