Rattle can'ing a M923

[manders]

Hello to all!

Leave it to me to get a big truck right before the rainy season starts. (Honest! We do have Sun in the PNW!!! Just not in November. )

I've read through a bunch of the threads so I kinda sorta have a feel for the various general options, but I'm looking for some specific guidance about my rig.

I ***think*** at least some of the truck has been painted with CARC, but one thread I read mentioned that if a vehicle had CARC, there would be some sort of tag or marking on the driver door or pedestal area. I can't find it.

Here's a picture of the left front fender.





I'm going to try to strip all of that as much as possible and apply some kind of rust stopper.

One thread I read recommended POR15, another talked about KleanStrip RustConverter, a third talked about KleanStrip Phosphoric Prep & Etch, another talked about Rustoleum ... you get the idea. ;-}

Ignoring the fender, here's a few pictures of the other rot I'm dealing with.



The wheels and lug nuts have the same kind of rust as well.

In a perfect world, endless free time, proper facility, deep wallet, etc. , I'd take the time to strip the thing to the bare metal and "do it right". That aint' gonna happen anytime soon!

I'm storing the truck outside, so my thought is to treat the obvious spots as quick as possible and then apply some Rapco Tan rattle can and stop the spread ASAP!

If someone can confirm just by sight that the peeling on the fender is indicative of CARC pulling up the original paint, I'll take all appropriate caution as if the whole truck was dipped in CARC. (Probably a good idea anyway ... ).

Any other prep advice and/or opinions/experience with any of the above products is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

MAnders.

 

[gungearz]

Spray down all the rust spots with vinegar to neutralize the rust, rinse after 30 minutes then just primer it.... paint whatever color you want after the primer..

 

[gungearz]

The vinegar won't remove the rust stains but will neutralize the rust and it's area of infection... if you want the rust removed, use tons of elbow grease cause there's no other way....

 

[Suprman]

Have your local sandblaster hit the bad spots. Bring a few cans of rust primer so after it's clean and dusted off you can spot prime. Drive it home and rattle can away.

 

[RustyM923]

This thread is right up my alley!

I heard of a product that converts and removes rust but doesn't hurt the metal or primer. Does anyone know what that is?

 

[gungearz]

This thread is right up my alley!

I heard of a product that converts and removes rust but doesn't hurt the metal or primer. Does anyone know what that is?

Vinegar, and it doesn't hurt the environment....

 

[Jeepsinker]

Or you can order a product called steel white from Brownells.com. Literally removes everything and leaves just clean new looking bare metal. It's about $26 a gallon though. It's also reusable if you can dip parts in it or re- bottle it.

 

[wsucougarx]

I use a wire brush and Rusty Metal Primer from Walmart. I too store my trucks outside under the element. Not sure what kind of look you're after, but the Rapco paint is pretty glossy. I do all my trucks with Home Depot Behr Exterior Flat Latex. The paint is really good. I wouldn't go with anything else. It is inexpensive, flat almost like CARC, tough once cured, and found it is resistant to NAPA brake cleaner fluid.
Home Depot can match the paint exact! Just bring in a small patch of paint (just peel it off your fender). You'll want to wait until the weather gets a bit better though. Here's my latest Behr Paint truck

 

[frank8003]

stop the corrosion with Ospho. wire bruch and paint it.

 

[Blk97f150]

That truck looks great! Nice job.

Did you spray it, or roll/brush it? Do you have the Behr paint code numbers you used?

I use a wire brush and Rusty Metal Primer from Walmart. I too store my trucks outside under the element. Not sure what kind of look you're after, but the Rapco paint is pretty glossy. I do all my trucks with Home Depot Behr Exterior Flat Latex. The paint is really good. I wouldn't go with anything else. It is inexpensive, flat almost like CARC, tough once cured, and found it is resistant to NAPA brake cleaner fluid.
Home Depot can match the paint exact! Just bring in a small patch of paint (just peel it off your fender). You'll want to wait until the weather gets a bit better though. Here's my latest Behr Paint truck

 

[BKubu]

That looks like CARC to me. In fact, I have never heard of a military truck coming out without CARC in recent years (at least trucks that were in recent service...I suppose there could be some exceptions). I would figure it is CARC and take the appropriate protections.

 

[smoothoperator]

Great thread - haven't heard of using vinegar before to prep

 

[Neophyte]

Ospho is fantastic!! I used it on a rusty Galion crane.....and it neutralized the rust like nothing I've seen. It leaves a slight film, though easily brushed off prior to priming.

 

[Ray70]

Looks like CARC to me too. I've used several of the "Rust converters" in the past. They work a little, but there's no substitute for sandblasting. I've used POR-15 and Chassis Saver paints too, but it only lasted a couple years before the rust started coming through again and I needle scaled it, wire brushed and acid washed first. I'm doing the frame, suspension and floors on my plow truck as we speak ( for the 3rd time) this time I needlescaled it, sandblasted it, epoxy primer then 3 coats of SEM Rust Shield going on tonight. If rust is there it will come back. You can try to seal it up, "encapsulate" it all you want, but if there is an edge, or a pore or a tiny spot that air or moisture can get in.... the rust will eventually come back. Might be a week, maybe a year, maybe 3 years. It all depends how bad the rust is now and how well you can seal out the oxygen and moisture. Get all that brown iron oxide out that you can for the longest lasting result , sandblasting is the most effective way.

 

[manders]

Looks like CARC to me too. I've used several of the "Rust converters" in the past. They work a little, but there's no substitute for sandblasting. I've used POR-15 and Chassis Saver paints too, but it only lasted a couple years before the rust started coming through again and I needle scaled it, wire brushed and acid washed first. I'm doing the frame, suspension and floors on my plow truck as we speak ( for the 3rd time) this time I needlescaled it, sandblasted it, epoxy primer then 3 coats of SEM Rust Shield going on tonight. If rust is there it will come back. You can try to seal it up, "encapsulate" it all you want, but if there is an edge, or a pore or a tiny spot that air or moisture can get in.... the rust will eventually come back. Might be a week, maybe a year, maybe 3 years. It all depends how bad the rust is now and how well you can seal out the oxygen and moisture. Get all that brown iron oxide out that you can for the longest lasting result , sandblasting is the most effective way.

I'm also inclined to blast it, but there's not a place close by to pay to do it, and if I want to rent the gear and try it myself, I've got to find some place indoors to store it and work on it! ;-}

 

[Ray70]

If you can get access to a decent air compressor they make small hand sandblasters that are pretty much fertilizer sprayers with a different tip on them. They're great for doing small areas. Maybe you could grind/wire brush an area at a time, then blast off the remaining rust pits and spot prime at the end of each day? Although by the looks of your location you probably won't be doing much paint work outdoors until spring...
Blasting everything would be ideal, but if its impractical, just try to get rid of as much brown as you can, then try a rust converter. That will still be better than putting paint right over the rust. Try to get chromated primer too, it will help slow the rust from returning.

 

[manders]

If you can get access to a decent air compressor they make small hand sandblasters that are pretty much fertilizer sprayers with a different tip on them. They're great for doing small areas. Maybe you could grind/wire brush an area at a time, then blast off the remaining rust pits and spot prime at the end of each day? Although by the looks of your location you probably won't be doing much paint work outdoors until spring...
Blasting everything would be ideal, but if its impractical, just try to get rid of as much brown as you can, then try a rust converter. That will still be better than putting paint right over the rust. Try to get chromated primer too, it will help slow the rust from returning.

This is great info, thank you!!! I just bought a big ol' compressor thinking that I'd be either blasting or painting with it ... now I can do both. ;-}

 

[Ray70]

Awesome! If you plan to do a lot of blasting, get yourself a pressure tank style blaster, way better than the siphon type for anything bigger than a football.
Whatever you decide to use for media, always sift it through a window screen so you don't get anything clogging your tip. I use a cheap tank from Harbor Freight.
Works good but definitely not a real heavy duty unit, but good for the price. Throw away the hood it comes with and get a better one and plenty of spare lenses.
If just doing a small spot at a time the siphon blasters and "fertilizer" sprayers are easier to set up and work with than the pressure tank. Either way, a compressor is key, now you can blast, grind, sand and paint! Just keep adding to your arsenal of tools!

 

[Stoner63]

Why not sand it down to bare metal? Seems to me that would be easy and less expensive than sand blasting. Is sanding a no no?

 

[manders]

Why not sand it down to bare metal? Seems to me that would be easy and less expensive than sand blasting. Is sanding a no no?

It's a question of time. I might be a bit naive, but I ***thought*** blasting would be faster than sanding down to bare metal, especially since I'm going to be able to put in a half day here and there over a bunch of months getting it all ship-shape.