Has anyone used a rust converter?

[Virtuoso]

So both of our cars have a little bit of rust, the van more than the car, and I've been thinking of doing what I can to slow that down this spring.
Most of the rust on the car is surface, but there is a very small area where a hole has formed. The van, as I said is a different story.. there's already a little metal around the wheel well that's gone.

At the local stores I've found a couple different brands of rust converters or rust-stop paints and primers. Does anyone have any experience with this stuff?? Even if it help's me get another year or two out of our cars, that's great! Any tips, tricks? Lost cause?

 

[Trav]

It may help only if you can get behind it as well.
If you can great,wire brush it then brush/spray it on,let it sit overnight then use Duplicolor self etching green primer over it.
After a couple of hrs top coat it.

Its important to get the rust from behind also as it will just continue to rot from inside out.
If you are only looking for another year or so just fill the holes with bondo after the primer and sand it,prime again and top coat.

This is a real low rent fix but it will last a year maybe 2.
Here is the primer,its also available at Advance for about $6.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SHW-DAP1690

 

[eljefino]

The "Rustoleum" rust convertor is junk. Followed instructions last November, sanded down, sprayed, rust coming through already. Says it can be a top coat as well.

They say good things about POR-15, this rustoleum seems like a different, and lacking, chemistry. Don't know what it bought me vs just sanding the rust off and spraying with walmart spraypaint.

 

[John_K]

Nah...my vehicles convert to rust all by themselves!

John

 

[Bluestream]

They don't work at all... Save your money

 

[river_rat]

I use Permatex Rust convertor, but all rust convertors NEED to be top coated with something. I use a compressed air gun to blow it into drain holes, etc., then follow with 3M Rustfighter 1, or Waxoil type stuff (being careful not to block drainage with gobs of it). For outside work, I paint (even clearcoat if fine) and rubberized undercoating. Works great for me. Been holding off rust from a 42 year old Volkswagen pretty darn well.

 

[sciphi]

POR-15 is about the cat's meow for dealing with rust. I put new rockers onto my Buick last summer, and used POR-15 on the rusty areas underneath the car. Looking under there the other day showed no new rust forming on the POR-15'ed areas.

I did buy the cleaner and phosphating solution they sell to use before POR-15, however. Maybe that's why it turned out so well.

All that was easily over $150 after buying a respirator, face shield, gloves, and an angle grinder/media. The good news is there's still a ton of POR-15 and prep chemicals left.

 

[Errtt]

I have found the best converter is to cut it out, grind it out etc. But I did have some limited success on the front security door where I applied some kind of rust converter. It turned the rusted areas flat black, then I repainted the door. So far, from about 5-6 years ago, I don't see any rust taking over the paint job, yet.

I knocked all easy to get rust spots off, but used the rust converter to get into the hard-to-get-at spots. I don't recall what rust converter I used back then. It was in a bottle. I didn't feel like dragging the sand blasting gear around to the front door.

I now have a spray can of Loctite "Extend" Rust Neutralizer, which I haven't tried on anything yet.

 

[LargeCarManX2]

Neil Young once said....

Rust never dies!

The only way to eliminate the rust is to sand down to fresh metal, use rust neutralizer, prime, seal, and paint.

 

[OriginalRocket]

My first car was a beater, had holes in the rear quarter panels, the side bump stops anchor points where rusting all around the car.

My fathers classic car restorer friend told me about Eastwood rust prevention line. I can't remember the name but it was an aerosol can and the fluid was black.

I sprayed my car inside and out. 5 years later almost all the rust spots had not advanced. I re coated right before winter.


This year I coated my new car with boeshield T-9. Spots that would contact road spray. Worked great, coated bolts and exposed metal in the engine bay too. And around the wheels. Paint looks great, will do this every winter with all my cars.


Wash away with hot soapy water in the spring

 

[hate2work]

I've used a product called Derusto on barbeques and other outside projects with good luck over the years. They say the rust is the primer, but I still used a wire brush first.

 

[Torino]

Most of the converters do just that. Thry convert iron oxide to a ferrite. Stops the rust but not too structurally sound. MgO2 comes to mind as one of the early ones. John--Las Vegas.

 

[doitmyself]

I have tried several rust converters over the years on some ag equipment and other applications. I have also accumulated about 2 dozen bookmarked sites on the subject. My opinion and experience is that rust converters in general are not the silver bullet they proclaim.

Both Rust Check and Krown claim their products will retard existing rust growth. That's one option, an oily substance that creeps into the rust and seams and blocks corrosives out.

The "systems" like Eastwood and Por-15 seem to involve multiple steps that include preparation (physical and/or chemical) and then encapsulation (H20/02 exclusion).

Rustoleum still markets an old school rusty metal primer with fish oil that penetrates the rust and provides a base for a top coat.

If you can encapsulate the area after the rust converter, which one do you credit for working?

Maybe not a lost cause, but probably a losing battle. Depends how much time and money you have. Sorry that I can't be more upbeat about rust converters....I tried.

 

[sciphi]

Fluid Film does seem to slow rust growth. I sprayed the rusty seams on the Buick's doors before winter set in, along with spraying the rest of the car's underside. Those doors don't look any worse than in the fall, FWIW.

 

[jcwit]

Plus 1 on Fluid Film.

 

[mechtech2]

The stuff that converts rust will leave a heavy coat. The final finish will not be smooth if you put auto body paint over it.
but it is useful for behind holes and things.

Remember plain old naval Jelly? Brush on the pink gel, and wash it off with water 10 minutes later. Repeat as necessary. it eats rust and leaves whatever metal is left behind nice and shiny.

 

[Kestas]

Originally Posted By: Torino
Most of the converters do just that. They convert iron oxide to a ferrite.

I find that hard to believe. Converting iron oxide to ferrite requires a reducing agent and high temperatures to accomplish.

 

[cchase]

I've tried various rust converters... Eastwood, Permatex, X-Rusto... they're all useless.

 

[Kestas]

If rust converters are so great at stemming rust, why aren't there shops all over the place that offer this service to keep cars from rusting?

I thank Bluestream and cchase for having the guts to say that it's basically useless to think you can keep a car from rusting in the salt belt. There is no permanent way to keep a car from rusting.

I have a 20 year old car that has been cared for by me from Day 1. Rustproofing was always kept up to date. It was given regular washings every time the salt was gone. Yet there's nothing I can do about rust that starts from the corners where rustproofing ends. I tried sandblasting and repainting, but the rust comes back as bad as ever. Some of my friends have the same experience. Unless the car will be retired from salt duty, it's just not worth the effort. It's a real shame. My car is perfect in every other way, except for the rust spots peppered everywhere.

 

[CharBaby]

I have used rust converters with limited succuss. Some spots came back every year and others lasted longer. Preperation is the key to a better end result.

1)Clean out as much rust as possible including behind the surface that your working.
2)Clean the debris from the serface where the rust converter will be applied.
3)More applications may help including behind the surface as well!
4)Sand/Clean again for proper primer/paint adhesion.
5)Prime/Paint

Clean is the key. But, salt is the real culprit where I live and nothin' is gona save ya!