I need to remove rust from under the sills, including rusted seams, and to re- coat them in the best way to protect them against future chips and rust. The rust problem is not serious at this stage - it is only on the surface - but a stitch in time saves nine! I am not too bothered about the cosmetics - after all, I don?t intend to spend many hours on my back admiring the underside of my car!
The existing paint is lacquer-coated metallic finish. There are quite a few areas which I repaired last year with standard primer and metallic paint, but this has not lasted well. Also, some seams underneath the car are starting to rust badly. What I now intend to do is:
(i) Wire-brush all rusted areas down to bare metal.
(ii) Treat the exposed areas with a product that makes the rust remaining in pitted areas inert.
(iii) Treat the rusted seams with a similar product to attack the rust within the seams and seal them.
(iv) Paint over the whole area under the sills (including the areas still covered with paint + lacquer.) with some form of chip-resistant paint or underseal.
It is years since I?ve tackled anything like this, and I am not up-to-date regarding materials. I would welcome any advice as to whether my general approach makes sense, and specifically:
1) What is the best product to render the remaining rust on the exposed areas inert?2) What is the best product to apply to the rusted seams?
3) What product(s) should I then apply to the treated exposed surfaces and the surfaces on which there is still paint + lacquer?4) How should I treat the surfaces covered by paint + lacquer prior to applying those products?
Many thanks.