I'm restoring a 1964 Skylark that I bought as a project car a couple weeks ago. I may start a build thread here for it eventually. The car is originally from California and sat outside in the sun for a long time, as well as had a mouse infestation at one time. As a result, there isn't a lot of rot but there is a lot of surface rust inside body cavities and on inner panels. I'm not going to be blasting this car or chemically dipping it but I need to do something with this surface rust. Mechanically removing it by grinding would be nearly impossible and it would unnecessarily remove a lot of good metal. I'm curious if anyone here has any ideas to treat this. I think Ospho might be a good solution, but I've never used it on a large scale. Any other ideas?
Hey Joe, Other than the surface rust it looks like a pretty solid car. I think 64 Skylarks are awesome. What engine did it come with? I know my son works in a paint shop and they sell a lot of Ospho, but I have never personally used it. I’m sure by the end of the day you’ll get plenty of hits and people telling you their experiences with different products. Good luck with your restoration.
A rust converter may be good enough for interior surfaces. It won't remove it, but will make it paintable. Would be quicker than trying to dissolve the rust with Ospho. https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-r...ickedid=629947575520&wickedsource=google&wv=4
Thanks, it is a very solid car. Much better than what I'm used to seeing here in PA. I love the 64-65 body style. I like the 65 taillights a bit more but that's a minor detail. I bought the car as a roller, but according to the VIN it was a V8 car. The cowl tag that is the car doesn't appear to be original to the car so it isn't much help but based on all the other evidence, it looks like it was originally a V8, column shifted automatic, bucket seat car. The paint looks like it was probably Desert Beige. The top inside the halo looks like maybe Claret Mist or that the primer is just showing through. I took some SEM Rust Mort and applied it to some test areas. You can see on the package tray where I was scrubbing. I'll leave it on overnight and see how it looks tomorrow.
I'd never hears of (or forgot about) Ospho. Seems like an interesting solution for a project like this. Short of dipping/e-coat, I always worry on a rust-free shell that there's undoubtedly rust lurking somewhere on the insides of panels or in seams that could rear it's ugly head someday (like right after painting). Ospho seems like it'd be a good product to spray into all those areas as a preventative and inexpensive, albeit maybe not quite as effective alternative to dipping/ecoat which of course is very expensive.
You could try Phosphoric acid too, that's what Ospho is based on. You can get it at Home Depot.... Klean Strip 'Concrete etch and Metal prep', $18 for a gallon. It works well on very light rust, on heavier stuff it works slow and will take several applications. Cover the area with paper towels and a sheet of Saran wrap to keep the surface wet. Scrubbing with a wire brush or Scotch Brite pad will help. Your Rust Mort is far less labor intensive but it leaves the converted rust on the surface instead of removing it like Ospho/Phosphoric would. Personally, I like sandblasting. Can't beat the results. I did the nearly the whole interior on my Silver 66 in a weekend.
I'd love to blast the shell but I don't think I have enough compressor for it. What media did you use? The Rust Mort is phosphoric acid based, and I'm not 100% certain but based on the SDS and TDS. It looks nearly identical to Ospho, just much more expensive. After sitting overnight it did a nice job on the very light surface rust, but not much on the heavier surface rust. I put a second application in a few spots and I'll see how it does after that. I may go any buy a gallon of phosphoric acid over at the Home Depot too just to have it.
I use sand for blasting. I don't blast the exterior panels since they are relatively flat and are more likely to warp (been there, done that!). Sandblaster is a TIP pressure type. When blasting I use a supplied air respirator to I'm not breathing in silica dust, which can be harmful. I just watched this video which shows the use of phosphoric and muriatic acid. Muriatic is much stronger (and more hazardous), you may want to give it a try.... and pick up some baking soda to use as a neutralizer.
