Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Stevec]

Hi all,

as I am new to the classic restoration scene I wondered if anyone could help. I am now the proud owner of a 1967 MG Midget in need of tlc. tTe outer panels have been replaced previously and now it comes to me to bring the rest of the car back to life. With this in mind I have stripped all of the machanicals out, taking photo's at every stage, and I am now ready for the prep and paint. My question is, how far do I have to get the surface free of the dreaded rust, and if the new rust coverers such as POR15 and Rust Bullet actually keep it at bay.
Also, when I'm ready to paint the underneath, am I best to give it a coat of rust coverer, then underseal, then the top coat of body colour.

thanks

Steve

[richard 2509]

first of all welcome to the forum.....if you have any serious rot then you will have to cut it out and weld in new metal.....surface rust can be ground down to bare clean metal with your grinder refilled and primed....existing sound paint only needs sanding to provide a key for new paint with 500 grit discs....underneath can be rust treated i use jenolite then primed then a couple of coats of stonechip and finally topcoated....what paint are you going to use?

[buzzy bee]

Hi

Welcome from me too!

From my experience, which is limited, mainly due to my age, is that if you want a car to stay sound, remove as much rust of any kind as posible, covering it, with anything just slows it down. Still, restoring cars is the bit I enjoy! Rust allways seems to win!

Cheers

Dave

[Stevec]

Thanks both for the welcome,

I am still deliberating which paint is best, i think i will go with the flame red 2pack. The engine bay will be degreased this weekend and then its ready for the protection layer. Thanks for the recomendation about the jenolite Richard, i will keep an eye out for that.
There dosen't seem to be any severe rust patches anywhere, just the usual surface tan! So hopefully I can get away without dusting off the old welder and cutting new pieces in.

thanks again
Steve

[Uncle Joe]

Hi stevec, welcome to the forum.

Another method that you can use instead of Jenolite, is a metal conditioner such as PPG's DX579. It does require removing all the paint first, but hey, you are going to do that anyway, arent you?

UJ

[richard 2509]

hello...i notice you are going to go down the 2k route....are you painting it at home?...i ask because i just made the mistake of painting a bonnet on a bmw in 2k black...when i came to flat out all the inevitable dust and other surface contamination(with 1200 discs/3000 discs ) it all showed up as white specks....i had to repaint in basecoat and clearcoat.....grrrrr

[pigtin]

Hi, Welcome.
I finished a long restoration on a 69 sprite last year, it was a nightmare of rust and I had to replace about two grands worth of panels. I find that Jenolite is a great treatment for the bare metal and treatment for surface rust, it's been about for a long time and I remember using it when I was an apprentice in the early 50s. I also used it on my Austin 10/4 in 1985 and the main body panels are still free from rust.
Make sure that you check around the rear front spring hangers for rot, this area can be very nasty.
I sprayed mine (the car, not the spring hangers..oops) with cellulose and it has not turned out very good, but I may rub it down and try again this winter.
When you start to drive the car you will find it has all been worthwhile, they are a real joy on the road.
Don.

[Uncle Joe]

Oops! Misread things earlier...the PPG stuff is for bodywork, not chassis.

One thing I have found though, if you are going to respray, remove all the old paint first! Not doing so could possibly cause other problems....

UJ

[Stevec]

Hi all,

good advice from experienced rejuvenators. Just a thought regarding the mechanicals, after removing all of them they are in need of sprucing up. I want to get them powder coated before they get fixed back on. I am atempting to get them all grit blasted, but the process doesn't seem to be getting all of the surfaces down to bright metal. My question is, will this impede the adhesion of the pwder, or will it attatch itself anyway as long as all of the flakey rust is off.

thanks
Steve

[Uncle Joe]

Powder coating is just like any other surface treatment. If the preparation is not correct, then it will fail!

Sandblasting is not sufficient for a lasting surface, especially on something that is going to be used outdoors! Your best bet is to get everything cleaned and pre-treated professionally.

UJ