sandblaster or wire brush + rust neutralizer?

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Ken71Twister

Ken71Twister

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I plan to clean up my floor pans and the floor of my trunk which have suffered from water leaks and I don't have access to the tools necessary to remove and replace the metal. I'm looking for a fix that will last a few years - at which time I'll find a way to put in new metal. I'd like to remove the rust and then repair the floor pans and trunk with fiberglass mat and an epoxy resin that I've purchased from a local marine supply store.

My question is- what's an acceptable way to prepare the metal for the repair? Would a sand-blaster do a good job or should I use a combination of a wire brush and a rust neutralizer? After removing loose rust, I intend to apply POR 15 to the metal before applying the epoxy resin.

I don't own a sand blaster but have been told I can purchase an inexpensive sandblaster that would work for the floors and trunk. I already have a 4 1/2 HP air compressor.

Am I wasting money with the sandblaster?

I'm totally open to suggestions.
 
I'm a fan of Por15 over sandblasted metal.
but... the problem you might run into is that Por15 is so hard and shiny when it dries that there won't be much "tooth" for the fiberglass to bond to. I found it difficult to sand it was so hard.
After the body flexes a few times I would expect the glass to start popping loose from the floor plans.
I believe Por has their own "Rust Patch kit" that you might check into.
 
Do you have bad through rust holes? Sandblasting can work and warp sheet metal if done incorrectly plus the sand/media gets everywhere and you need a large air compressor to use one. POR-15 is great, but fixing the holes would be paramount. Depending on what you have planed for the car and how much you intend to do, you can just patch in pieces of metal to fill the holes. Eastwood sells an epoxy kit that requires no welding. Post some pics, folks might have some better ideas if they can see your specific issues.
 
I will take some pictures this weekend. There are definitely some holes in the floor - but I can't tell how large they are without taking a second look. A friend at work told me about the amount of dust created by a sand blaster - so that plus dano's comment above have convinced me that I should forget about sandblasting inside the car. The holes are pretty bad - the floor was wet for months while I let the car sit in the yard while water sat under the vinyl floor mats. I definitely need to replace the metal sometime - I just know know how much $$ to spend on that vs getting the exterior in good shape first.
 
The floor is part of the structure. So I would do that prior to or at the same time as body work. Floor boards are not hard to replace, you just need the right tools. Sometimes you don't need to replace the whole panel, just scab in patches to replace the rusted metal. If you choose to do it all, then stripping the car to the unibody then having it soda blasted becomes a more viable option. If you have a collage or high school with a n auto shop class, you might get the work gone for cheap. My local community collage has a class specifically for working on your project car and have access to tools and know how, you supply the parts, labor and act under tutelage.
 
I love the One Step rust ender. It's pricey at 40 per gallon but... It can be applied with a brush, a mop, a sponge, a pump spray bottle, lawn and garden sprayer, whatever. Eco-friendly product made from acorns. Completely harmless and cleans up with warm soapy water. Not many products can make these claims.
For areas like inside the cowl, between the rear quarters and trunk floor extensions, I have a little 'Y' shaped tube that siphons the stuff out of the jug and dispenses with compressed air nozzle. I blow in one opening until the stuff drips out the other.
 
your going to end up with quite a large battle hole if you sand blast it and can't weld new metal in, better to just wire wheel it with a drill and fix it the best you can, or have a shop weld a small patch in if thats an option
 
Floor pan sections are about 75 each and would be best. A quick temporary patch to keep your foot out of the hole can be done with an old license plate and pop rivets or sheet metal screws.
The water leak is the root cause so you'll need to find and fix it before spending money in the floor.
 
RedFish - Thanks for reminding me that I need to fix the leak. That raises a comment and another question. It is possible that I have some leakage around the windshield that should be taken care of when the car is painted (windshield will be pulled and new gaskets used when put back). However, my bet is that the leak is coming from the air vent passage where leaves collected and possibly corroded the metal. This is probably a common experience - but the car has vents just in front of the windshield that allow leaves to pass thru and there's no way for them to get out. I've cut some ugly holes in the firewall to remove the leaves, but I'm thinking that I need to cut some larger and uglier holes to gain access to the surface around the circular vents so I can repair any rust damage.

Any experience to share on doing this?
 
There are openings on each end of the cowl for drainage. The water and debris is supposed to go out and down inside the lower rear of the front fender.Then if that gets stopped up you may have to remove 2 body bolts under there and pull out on the fender a little. Rocker moldings prevent this action.
I haven't had to deal with severe rust. I have had small water leaks.
I replaced the wiper pivot seals and vent box seals when I had the dash out.
 
RedFish said:
I love the One Step rust ender. It's pricey at 40 per gallon but... It can be applied with a brush, a mop, a sponge, a pump spray bottle, lawn and garden sprayer, whatever. Eco-friendly product made from acorns. Completely harmless and cleans up with warm soapy water. Not many products can make these claims.
For areas like inside the cowl, between the rear quarters and trunk floor extensions, I have a little 'Y' shaped tube that siphons the stuff out of the jug and dispenses with compressed air nozzle. I blow in one opening until the stuff drips out the other.
Click to expand...

would like to hear more about this product.
 
Ospho by skyco available at ace hardware......sand,grind,wirewheel everything in site (wear safety glasses) and a mask.....then vacume it then blow it out with lots of air and vacume again...take tin snips and cut out the thin stuff.....repeat above process.......the spray,brush,mop on some ospho(use gloves,eye protection,and some serious ventilation in unison with a mask) That stuff stink's bad!!! then after it sets for a while mop up the excess and throw the rags away or burn them!!!! then let set for 24 hours.....scuff with a scotchbrite and repeat the cleaning process followed with wax and grease remover or ya can just use laquer thinner.... then brush on a coat of rustoleum with a touch of acrylic enamel hardner and let dry......after that pop rivet a piece of metal that has been thru the process to the fred flintstone area seam seal it then after the seam sealer is dry slap another coat of rustoleum over the whole floorpan.....after that has dried.......install carpeting.........call me in thirty years if that fails.....really your floorpans dont look all that bad.......I made mine from a camaro hood and I mean a whole friggin hood...carpet hides a multitude of sin............Wagg's
 
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