Roof rail/gutter rust is a B****!

[dibbons]

My '65 Formula S is being painted this month. That narrow gutter above the side windows is rusty and using wire and fiber brushes on a drill seem to be only "polishing" the rust a little. Is there a better remedy? Thank you.

 

[rumblefish360]

Rust converter brushed on over and over. I can not help with a good brand though, sorry. Last one I used was POR-15’s “Metal Ready.”

 

[Demonic]

Remove all glass, trim, and interior. Cover motor and cowl well. Sandblast at appropriate pressure.

 

[Lee Robinson]

Rust converter brushed on over and over. I can not help with a good brand though, sorry. Last one I used was POR-15’s “Metal Ready.”

If you can seal the car up good to keep debris to a minimum, media blasting is the best way. After blasting,
epoxy primer under primer and a catalyzed seam sealer before paint. Usually the primer can go over epoxy primer
after an hour or so, follow directions. Always degrease bare metal before applying any type of paint.

 

[Michael Brisebois]

My '65 Formula S is being painted this month. That narrow gutter above the side windows is rusty and using wire and fiber brushes on a drill seem to be only "polishing" the rust a little. Is there a better remedy? Thank you.

I cheap approach is Lysol toilet bowl cleaner ( not the bleach kind). Clean it, dry it then apply. Let it sit for 10 mins, rinse and repeat. I can't emphasize enough....wash it off with water 3 times minimum. Be careful of what touches that stuff, as it will transfer and keep going for days, have a trash bag handy. Try this on a sample to see how it works...realy wonderful on chrome with bleeding rust. Again, clean, clean, clean then WD40

 

[Pascamp]

3m roloc discs. The cheap ones from harbor freight work too, you'll just use more of them.

 

[dibbons]

I just found a "media blaster" right down the street from my place. He uses sand, but it looks like powder. He said after he sandblasts, he will prime the metal for free (you pay for materials only).

Tomorrow morning I am taking the trunk lid down to his shop, where he said he would do it for free, so I can see the work he does. He uses some kind of off-white color, polyester primer.

If it works out, I might end up removing the motor/transmission and have him do the entire car. The doors, hood, trunk, fenders, glass, and interior are already stripped anyway. There are all kinds of rusty nooks and crannies, inside and out. No time like the present.

P.S. I did not expect to find someone that does this type of work closer than a 1000 miles from here. Reminds me of the abandoned, paved drag strip (1/8 mile) with concrete starting pad, I found here only a mile from my place (in the middle of the Baja Desert, but with a view of the city below). How lucky can an old-school bracket racer get?
video of unofficial drag racing: