Rust is undoubtedly the number one enemy of the old car. Restaurateurs, collectors, or even simple amateurs, all fear the appearance of corrosion on their old vehicles. It is really important to find a solution to eliminating rust when it has already settled! What are the best products and techniques to stop oxidation or prevent it from reappearing? How to prevent and limit the development of corrosion on our vintage cars? We are trying to answer all these questions here!
However, if you don’t really want to spend a lot of time and effort to save your old car, you can just sell junk car in Memphis! Today there are enough professional services like JunkCarsUS, which can offer you money and the best customer experience.
Anyway, in case of rust, you need to remember that stripping with a disc and metal brush can help a lot! It is a technique that is often used because the work is fast and efficient. We can indeed strip large areas even very corroded, all fairly quickly.
This technique is particularly suitable for large flat surfaces (more delicate on the other hand in hard-to-reach areas). Pay attention, the usage of a disc machine with a metal brush requires complete protective equipment such as:
- gloves;
- eye mask (glasses do not protect enough; believe my experience);
- respiratory mask (for dust);
- earplugs (or noise-canceling headphones).
There is no doubt that speed and efficiency are the greatest advantages of this way. Although don’t forget that it is noisy work and generates a lot of dust, not very suitable for small rooms or corners.
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What are other ways to keep your old car in a good condition?
You can try decapping with the metal brush mounted on a turret. It is an excellent technique for stripping moveable parts (small parts or screws for example).
The turret is essential in the workshop of any vintage car lover, it is powerful and stable so very practical. For those who do not have a turret, you can also mount a metal brush on a drill that you get stuck in the bites of a vice. It’s less effective than a turret, but it can do the trick very well.
This way is safe, efficient, and fast for automobile parts, but it requires being able to disassemble the parts.
One more way is sandblasting techniques. Sandblasting is the fastest, most efficient technique and provides the best finish of all pickling techniques. On the other hand, it requires important equipment (sandblasting cabin, large compressor) that is often reserved for professionals. It is nevertheless possible for amateurs to have this equipment in their workshop if the budget and space allow it.
These techniques consist of projecting sand (or other abrasive, such as glass beads) under pressure on the parts to completely strip them. This technique is used both to strip a complete bodywork and for small engine parts, for example.
Sometimes it can be quite expensive and bulky equipment, rarely within the reach of individuals.
All these mechanical techniques are helpful, each in their own way are able to remove maximum corrosion on metal parts. Be careful most of these techniques (except sandblasting of course) do not make it possible to obtain a 100% healthy metal if it has been attacked in depth. Therefore a good first approach to obtaining a healthy metal, but you will still have to protect them with paints and other chemicals that will stabilize corrosion before applying your finish.
What are chemical solutions against rust?
In general, it is better to completely strip the rust to get back on a healthy metal. But as we know, sometimes it is difficult to reach a 100% healthy metal by mechanical stripping processes. In addition, in some cases it is better not to use mechanical tools at all, for example:
- When there is not enough material left and the metal is likely to be drilled by stripping.
- When the areas are inaccessible (including hollow bodies) or when the parts have a particular shape and the metal brush or sandpaper cannot be passed.
This is why there are chemical solutions that will either stabilize the rust and stop its spread, or remove it to find a healthy metal.
Some tips to prevent the appearance of rust on your old vehicle
You are now armed with tips of best protection for all parts of your favorite old car. Despite all your goodwill, it is possible that corrosion will still reappear after some time, if the conditions are conducive to the development of corrosion. Here are some recommendations to delay the appearance of rust as much as possible.
Leaking the snow removal salt could be dangerous. Snow removal salt is the sworn enemy of our cars. For my part, I have the “chance” to live in a region where snow and ice are quite rare, so roads are rarely salty. But in regions where it is colder and in the mountains, the salting of roads is a common or even daily practice.
The salt thus deposited on the road is found on your chassis and bodywork and attacks paints and metal much faster than we think. The best thing to do is to rinse your car and in particular the foundations with clear water after any exposure to snow removal salts.
Similarly, it’s better for you to avoid parking your old one for a long time because the sea salt sprays cause damage very quickly!
You have to control water infiltration and avoid stagnant water. If you own an old car, you know it as well: at the time, waterproofing was far from being the priority of the designers of our cars!
In the end, when it rains, water infiltrates the car and the floor turns into a huge basin: stagnant water, ideal conditions for the appearance of corrosion. As you can see it is important to remember to check regularly that your floor is not wet and try to detect water infiltration areas.
