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Hi! I have seen a few topics about the rust that exists underneath some of the vans, but I was wondering, does anyone have any experience with any sort of product to strengthen these rusted areas or in general, any sort of way to deal with the rust? :)
Any insight is greatly appreciated! Thank you SO much!
There is only one way to deal with rust, Cut it out and replace with new metal.
There is however a myriad of products on the market that purport to "encapsulate" rust, POR 15 comes to mind but the reviews on real life experience are mixed, from what I have read the results are mixed at best. supposedly the instructions need to be followed to a Tee but even then, "failures" are very common, not too mention the fact that the material costs are exorbitant, it is likely cheaper just to do it right in the first place.
Anytime you cover up rust, it will continue to fester. Anything designed to cover it up is doing just that, there is nothing you can do, at least in the easy realm that is truly effective.
Worst part is that anything you can see, will be a lot worse in behind, once you get into it.
What appears as a small hole on an outside panel the size of a silver dollar is really the size of a basketball, once you dig into it.
If you have rust, take it to a professional, preferably a shop that specializes in rust repair (as opposed to a collision shop) and have it dealt with before it becomes too much of a problem, or do it yourself, those are the only real options.
BB
Actually, that needs to be tempered a little.
It all depends on the current condition of the van and what your expectations are (short vs longterm ownership)
Lots of things can be done to at least slow rust down.
I live in the rust belt and have learned to loathe rust, it has taken many fine vehicles long before their time.
Your climate is a lot different and I suspect there are lots of things one could do, to at least slow things down, economically.
Perhaps get an estimate from a body shop or 2, or post some pictures of the areas that concern you and your questions can be better answered.
BB
TVN - Speaking of rust, I decided to tackle the "little" hole on the drivers side rocker panel, I also have a little surface rust on the leading edge and I thought it would be a quick job to get out of the way before winter.
Here's a shot of the areas that are in question
Attachment 1152Attachment 1153
Doesn't look too bad, eh?
at least until I ran a wire brush over the "surface rust"
Attachment 1154
By the time I was done "exploring" this is where I ended up.
Attachment 1155
I was most amazed at the degree of rust on the inside of the panel, WAY worse than it appeared on the "good" side.
Bottom line is what I thought would be a 2-3 day repair has now stretched into 3 weeks and I am still taking things apart.
I don't think the pic really shows the extent of the rust but in case the pic isn't clear, the lower 3in of the inner rocker is toast, as are the body support members that attach to the bottom of the inner rocker.
All that said, if what you have REALLY is just a little surface rust, there are a few options.
The one i like is called OSPHO, it's a phosphoric acid solution that will attack the rust and convert it to iron oxide.
Some years ago I picked up an aftermarket LS rocker panel, while it was far from pristine at the time, 3 years in my shed hasn't helped much.
.Attachment 1156
I forgot to take a "before" pic on the "outside" but I think you can get the idea from the portion I have started on, on the backside of the panel.
Basically it is a matter of wire wheeling the surface to remove as much rust as possible.
Then spray down with the ospho and scrub (I used steel wool but scotch pads are recommended) scrub till the rust dissolves and just keep going.
Once your happy, wipe off the excess and let dry for 24 hrs. Next day, any remaining rust will appear black.
I am not content to assume that the converted rust is sufficiently dealt with so I keep repeating the process until no more black appears, then I know I have truly eliminated the rust and I can apply epoxy primer to seal the panel.
BB