How do I get rid of this rust in the trunk?

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ESP47

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The trunk of this car was covered in POR15. I began removing it and had to do a lot of rust repair to the passenger side of the trunk. The drivers side metal feels solid but I can't seem to get rid of this pitting that was underneath the POR15. The metal is strong so I don't want to go through the process of cutting it out. I've hit it with every type of wire wheel and disc you can imagine and it won't budge. I've also used naval jelly and another rustoleum type rust remover and that won't do it either. Do you guys have any suggestions?

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At some point it would likely just be easier to replace the whole trunk floor with a new panel from AMD. They fit very well, and in the end, could save you a lot of work and may result in a higher quality repair. Just one guys opinion who's BTDT.
 
ESP47 said:
The trunk of this car was covered in POR15. I began removing it and had to do a lot of rust repair to the passenger side of the trunk. The drivers side metal feels solid but I can't seem to get rid of this pitting that was underneath the POR15. The metal is strong so I don't want to go through the process of cutting it out. I've hit it with every type of wire wheel and disc you can imagine and it won't budge. I've also used naval jelly and another rustoleum type rust remover and that won't do it either. Do you guys have any suggestions?

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The only solution to repair it right is to replace the metal with new stuff.
If it's solid other than the pits, why wouldn't you just reapply the POR 15?
I can't understand why you would go to the bother of removing it and trying to treat it with something else.
This is specifically what it was designed for and it appears to have been doing it's job...........
 
Blast it, then treat the metal. If you still see brown in the pits, you did not get it all.
 
If you don't have the option of blasting the metal to get down into the pits, VHT makes a great rust converter.

Wash the area with a good de-greaser or warm soapy water - dry it off - spray on the rust converter nice and thick - wait a few hours - make sure all the rust has turned a dark black - wash with warm soapy water again and then re-apply some Por15 and forget about it.
 
I'd use Ospho on it to neutralize the rust and then prime and paint over it. You can apply it to all the areas that were pitted to make sure the active rust is dealt with. Unlike POR15, the Ospho isn't too picky about being applied to bare metal.
 
Black Star rust converter works well, (rated #1), it will leave a black poly coating ready for paint. I just tried it for the first time and love the stuff. A bit pricey though.
 
You may have thinned it enough that, in combination with the rust, a new pan is due
 
If what your pictured is the extent of the rust then it might be savable. I recently did my trunk and it was in similar shape but only a couple places where it was rusted through, mainly in those ribbed areas. I sand blasted mine then treated it with Ospho. After that you can coat it with whatever you desire.
If your spare tire well is in bad shape you might consider replacing the whole trunk floor. Its not that hard to do and may end up being less work than salvaging what you have.
Pic 1 -After sandblasting
Pic 2 -Primered
Pic 3 -2K tinted bedliner, shouldnt rust again for a while.

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Thanks guys I don't have a blaster and I definitely don't want to put any more of the POR15 down. I'm trying to get rid of it. The stuff is nasty.

I think I'm going to try some of that Evaporust and see what happens. My neighbor said he has some Ospho I can try but I'm kind of worried about the whole neutralizing it so I can safely paint over it deal. Was doing some reading and I guess Naval Jelly has the same chemicals so I guess I'd have to neutralize it anyway.
 
ESP47 said:
Thanks guys I don't have a blaster and I definitely don't want to put any more of the POR15 down. I'm trying to get rid of it. The stuff is nasty.

I think I'm going to try some of that Evaporust and see what happens. My neighbor said he has some Ospho I can try but I'm kind of worried about the whole neutralizing it so I can safely paint over it deal. Was doing some reading and I guess Naval Jelly has the same chemicals so I guess I'd have to neutralize it anyway.
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Here is my $0.02. First of all, IMHO, don't bad mouth POR15. Had it not been applied, you would most likely be replacing the entire, swiss cheese rusty trunk. The POR15 probably stopped the rust dead in its tracks. I didn't get a feel for what your plans and desires were, since it was not mentioned in the original post. You said the metal was good except for the pits, so that means that some form of repair could be done. I don't know how strongly you want to replace it to make it perfect. Personally, I would cut out the whole trunk and replace it. Not bragging, but that would probably take me about the same amount of time as fixing what is there now. Besides, I love to cut and weld. If you can't do that of just don't want to, I would do something similar to what MoparMike1974 did (Which looked AMAZING) without the blasting. Use stiff wire brushes, wire wheels, or whatever, to knock off as much loose rust as possible. Then use SOME type of rust converter. I have used one that is Phosphoric Acid based. DO NOT SLOP IT ON HEAVILY. After it does its thing and turns the rust black, wipe it off with damp rags with warm water. The put a few teaspoons of baking powder in about a quart of war water and wipe it down again (damp rag, not gushing). Let it dry thoroughly. Then you are going to prime the entire trunk. I would use epoxy primer. First, scuff the entire area (treated area and entire trunk with 320 dry sandpaper. Then blow the area out, mask accordingly, use wax and grease remover, and spray the epoxy primer. After waiting the amount of time suggested on the paint can label, scuff the areas that are pitted with 320 grit and apply a skim of body filler. Sand and repeat until pits are gone. Regular filler will work fine. Then scuff the entire area again, prep and mask, and spray with whatever primer you like. Then it will look perfect and be ready for paint. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.BTW, while in the USAF, I was stationed at Mather AFB twice; once as a Nav student, and once as a Nav instructor. We loved Sacramento.
 
Ospho doesn't need to be neutralized. 24 hours after application scuff off any fuzz that developed and you can prime and paint over it. Only downside I've found is it isn't as effective on vertical surfaces because it is thin and drains off and doesn't have enough working time. Sometime two applications are needed for heavier rust if you don't knock all the scale off.

That rust was likely there before the POR was applied. It's job is to stop the reaction and give a stable base to paint over without all the mechanical work required to remove the existing rust. If there isn't any rust, POR doesn't adhere very well.
 
harrisonm said:
Here is my $0.02. First of all, IMHO, don't bad mouth POR15. Had it not been applied, you would most likely be replacing the entire, swiss cheese rusty trunk. The POR15 probably stopped the rust dead in its tracks. I didn't get a feel for what your plans and desires were, since it was not mentioned in the original post. You said the metal was good except for the pits, so that means that some form of repair could be done. I don't know how strongly you want to replace it to make it perfect. Personally, I would cut out the whole trunk and replace it. Not bragging, but that would probably take me about the same amount of time as fixing what is there now. Besides, I love to cut and weld. If you can't do that of just don't want to, I would do something similar to what MoparMike1974 did (Which looked AMAZING) without the blasting. Use stiff wire brushes, wire wheels, or whatever, to knock off as much loose rust as possible. Then use SOME type of rust converter. I have used one that is Phosphoric Acid based. DO NOT SLOP IT ON HEAVILY. After it does its thing and turns the rust black, wipe it off with damp rags with warm water. The put a few teaspoons of baking powder in about a quart of war water and wipe it down again (damp rag, not gushing). Let it dry thoroughly. Then you are going to prime the entire trunk. I would use epoxy primer. First, scuff the entire area (treated area and entire trunk with 320 dry sandpaper. Then blow the area out, mask accordingly, use wax and grease remover, and spray the epoxy primer. After waiting the amount of time suggested on the paint can label, scuff the areas that are pitted with 320 grit and apply a skim of body filler. Sand and repeat until pits are gone. Regular filler will work fine. Then scuff the entire area again, prep and mask, and spray with whatever primer you like. Then it will look perfect and be ready for paint. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.BTW, while in the USAF, I was stationed at Mather AFB twice; once as a Nav student, and once as a Nav instructor. We loved Sacramento.
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Awesome, thanks for the step by step guide. I'll be following this when I'm out there this weekend!

Thanks for saying kind things about Sacramento, don't hear that very often from anyone not currently living in Sacramento :D
 
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