Rust killer

No. If there were, it would be available on the shelves in places like Halfords.

In about 1965 over the school summer holidays I worked for an uncle who ran a car repair shop. He had a Rolls in for remedial work - a small rust spot on the wing. He cut out the damaged metal - a piece about the size of a saucer - and welded in new. Then re-sprayed the whole car.

Best way is to use a small diamond burr in a drill to grind out those pits. And likely go through the panel in places forcing a proper repair.

All those fancy rust cure paints etc simply treat the top of the rust. They don't get behind it to stop even more forming.

Seems that if there ever is an oil leak under the car, such areas never rusts..

I used to get my Ford Cortina oil sprayed underneath. It still rotted.

That's not what he said, though, Mr Pounder Esquire. Oil leaks are on- going; getting your car undersprayed with oil is a one-off event as it were. The constant oil mist from a leak is a very effective rust-preventer indeed.

You should have used proper cavity wax. Doesn't run off like oil. No point in protecting the outside of something when it is rusting from the inside.

It was done three times per year and the Cortina still rotted.

Hey! The oil spray used to cost me two quid! Two quid was two quid in those days. A pint of lager in the rough end was

30p.

Al submitted this idea :

I have had good success in the past with phosphoric acid. It turns the existing rust/iron oxide into ferric phosphate, which hard and black. It cannot prevent more rust developing beyond the area converted to ferric phosphate.

+1

100%, not that I've found.

I've used Kurust to good effect in the past when we had an old Fiat Panda. (Mrs loved it.*) I seemed to work for a number of years- probably

4 + but there were signs it was failing. The panel wasn't that bad- not rusted though etc., some pitting which I filled etc. and painted. The area was 'cosmetic' - not a sill etc.

*Sadly, a 'boy racer' ploughed into it and it was written off. Great little car. Great to work on.

Waxoyl is good stuff, if you get it on early in the car's life. I had an Escort which was in good condition, I had it steam cleaned and Waxoyled it.

Our first new car was Ziebarted. It seemed to work well, until some scrot stole it. ;-(

Ziebart went under but the product itself seemed good enough. Our car was 'like new' when it was stolen, it was about 7 years old. At the time that was good for an Escort.

Brian Reay formulated on Sunday :

Cars are very much better nowadays, the steel is, or the protection. No rust at all on my Rover at 14 years next month. Like new underneath still, even on its original brake pipes and original exhaust.

My rule was to keep them until the first serious rust appeared.

I've had some serious rust-buckets in my time - so I've has some experience (and occasionally a fair degree of success) in fighting rust.

If the underside already has a thin-ish layer of mud - or it's pretty clean, but has some mud lodged in the nooks and crannies - it's probably best to first spray with some oil that's going penetrate and soak into the mud. When the mud is saturated with oil, finish off with something thicker and more robust. A suitable combination might be a coat or two of Waxoyl thinned with turps or paraffin, and then a coat of neat Waxoyl.

I suspect that is what Kurust is based on.

Brian Reay explained :

Correct!

I used it a few years ago on an enamelled bath I had managed to chip, which was developing quite severe bubbling rust. Scrapped back, then well soaked in phosphoric acid, with several coatings, then painted - it is good as new and no sign at all of the rust returning.

I think the secret is to ensure the entire area is well soaked, front and back, with any bubbling paint removed to let it get into the pores of the metal.

Out of interest, what did you use to touch up the paint?

Years ago, I had a similar problem. The rust aspect was fine- I used kurust- but struggled to get the finish right.

on 21/05/2018, Brian Reay supposed :

I keep any car touch ups I buy. One of them was a Ford Granada white, it was a very bright white and a reasonable match. The chipping was on an horizontal surface, so formed a dimple around 1" diameter. I just touched it in with a series of coats until it was built up to level.