Rust treatment - any recommendations?

[Simon Jones]

I have a few patches of rust under the floor which I want to treat prior to applying fresh underseal. Has anyone got any recommedations on products they have sucessfully used in the past? I was thinking of using Hammerite Kurust - what do you suggest? Thanks in advance.

[dandywarhol]

I (and by father before me) swear by Jenolite

[Vanmanerik]

Over the past 45 years I have used most of the so called rust removers/preventers and they all have benefits but my advice would be to use some elbow grease and physically remove as much rust as you can, preferably back to shiny metal and then prime it with red oxide and then whatever you use to paint your vehicle with and then after a week or two go back and apply Waxoyl to the area you repaired.

It would be a very good idea to apply Waxoyl to the whole of the underneath if it is clean and sound, hard work but necessary and you do get a sense of achievement when you have a look in 12 months and it is all OK.

[andyfb78]

Try frost.co.uk for the some good products.
try 'chassis clean' for underseal treatment, or my earlier thread recommendign them.

Get ALL the rust removed, once metal worm is in it is virtually impossible to kill it. paint what is left with POR15 and then seal over it.

Good luck

[johnzbenson]

Hi, I believe we have covered most of these points before, copy link into browser
http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... sc&start=0

essentially remove all oxidisation if practible, coat with propietry rust inhibitor KU rust, Galvafroid or any other other good zinc based rustproofer. paint with a good primer then add finishing coat for protection and cover with Waxoyl to make certain that there are no bits of bare metal. the most important bit of advice is regular inspection once every few months. it will cost you nothing to do but may save you a fortune. its easier to repaint over good metal than to replace parts and then repaint. I know, I found out to my cost on Land rovers and UMM Alters!

[Simon Jones]

Thanks for the pointers chaps. I'm half way thru doing the rear half of the van. Found a few patches of rust that were starting to take a hold, mainly inside the wheelarches. Also had some bubbling of paint at the bottom of the sill. I removed a rubber plug just inside the front of the rear wheelarch & from there you can see inside the sill. There is signs of some minor rust inside, so will inject Waxoyl liberaly in there (will post a picture soon, but recommend others have a look too).

Generally looking quite good for vehicle of it's age, but if left untreated I reckon I would have rust showing within a year. Also found a few nasty water traps where panels join up which are likely to be problematic.

So far, I've scraped off loose rust using a wire brush to remove the worst. Then KuRust brushed over to stablise it. Now applying Hammerite Anti-Rust primer. Next step is to brush on underseal & finally, finish off with a spray on underseal to build up some thickness. That should get me back on the road for Xmas, & then start from the middle forwards in the New Year.

[mikeonb4c]

Woa there Simon - did you say underseal? All the advie I've been getting is not to use underseal as it tends to crack and let moisture creep in underneath and the rusting carries on out of sight. Use waxoil, I've been told, ideally clear waxoil so you can still see what is going on.

But I'm no expert. Anyone care to comment?

Mike

[Simon Jones]

Fair comment Mike.

The problem I have is that the underneath has already been undersealed by a previous owner, so short of stripping it all off, I will have to carry on with this plan. However, I am using Waxoyl in the sills & all box sections that aren't already undersealed.

There is nothing wrong with the areas that have already been undersealed - no sign of damage or rust bubbling, the problem is with the bits that have been missed.

[Chris P]

In the case of BessieBongo we went to'before'n'after' at Greenham Common. Although pricey, the job is brilliant and saved a lot of time and effort, and nause.

I haven't done mine yet, but am planning along the same lines. Our Bongo is booked in to ChassisClean in Cheshire for the 4th Jan.

I decided that the cost was well worth it if it gave me a few more years of Bongoing.

Cheers

Chris

[mikeonb4c]

I'm thinking of biting the bullet and going to Chassis Clean too. At least the cost of Diesel getting there wont be much - they are 5 mins drive from us! £387 for a Bongo from memory? Very interested to hear how you get on Chris P - post a report when done eh? Before 'n' After sound like a similar quality outfit. These kinds of outfit must have seen it all and will be able to assess things and propose the best, quality remedy (not cheap but I think this is an area worth spending on if the rest of the vehicle is a good un).

Good luck with it Simon

Mike

PS - I know naff all about any of this except what I've soaked up through learning all about Bongos - mainly through this Forum and all over the last 2-3 months!! Bongo Fury is simply the best. Never mind the AA being the 4th emergency service, for Bongo Owners its.....

[andyfb78]

They did ours proud...
Smells of shoe polish now... and has a black pool look to the underside.

I guess only time will tell but, it feels like a job well done. Richard was very helpful and did our MX5 at the same time.

takes three days.

[Chris P]

[quote="mikeonb4c"]I'm thinking of biting the bullet and going to Chassis Clean too. At least the cost of Diesel getting there wont be much - they are 5 mins drive from us! £387 for a Bongo from memory? Very interested to hear how you get on Chris P - post a report when done eh? "

Just got back from Altrincham with the Bongo last night, and have had a good look underneath it this morning.

All nicely cleaned off and coated - Andy from Leamington was right about shoe polish! The Bongo smells like it has been coated with Kiwi Cherry Black - must have taken a lot of pots!

It was indeed 387-75, and Richard of Chassis Clean was very friendly and very professional. He had another Bongo in yesterday - that wasn't yours, was it, Mikeonb4c?

Obviously the real test for it comes over time, but my feeling at the moment is that I've done the right thing to preserve our precious Bongo in the long run.

Cheers

Chris

[mikeonb4c]

It was indeed dude, so yours was the black Montague? Very smart. I'm absolutely comfortable with Chassis Clean from all I hear, see and feel about them. They dont pretend to cheap prices and they dont pretend to a cheap job. But as ever, you can never be sure how long/well it will all last (they suggest check / touch up every 3 years or so). I like their operation though don't you?

I think a good operator like Andy in Bury (recommended Bongo mechanic from previous threads) will probably do a fine job of just waxoiling , but you'd need to go back every year (and I wouldnt get around to that). Some of the other stories I've heard suggest that 'waxoiled' is a device used to help sell a Bongo, but not necessarily a job undertaken with proper care. I'd rather have mine as bare metal and get it done well.

Hope the shoe polish wears off before the camping season.

Mike

[cezeta]

I have a few patches of rust under the floor which I want to treat prior to applying fresh underseal. Has anyone got any recommedations on products they have sucessfully used in the past? I was thinking of using Hammerite Kurust - what do you suggest? Thanks in advance.

I have used the stuff that turns rust into a black matter and the stuff that destroys the rust and gives you clean metal. the latter is better followed by a rust preventative paint.

waxoil is a misery to do yourself, i would pay just not to have to go near it again.

the best treatment is where they put hoses inside the box section and spay these bits too. its actually here where the proper problems start as these are often bare metal or just etch primed prior to spot welding but none the less its the thinnest coat of paint and where water struggles to get out of.

the bongo rusts from inside the rear wheel arch due to condensation running down and finding the spot welds. spray these ans let the liquid wax find the same place and the van will last forever.

once done that should be it. I found that in hot weather it would soften and scratches underneath would recover on their own. if not you can get it in a can which is easy to spray on.

I restored a mini once and did my own waxoil in winter, it went solid in the spray gun so get it done in summer. my driveway never rusted either

[Simon Jones]

Thanks for all the suggestions. This is what I have done so far at the rear of the vehicle:

1) Jetwash the crud off using a right-angled lance
2) Remove any loose underseal
3) Sand & treat any rust patches with Kurust
4) Prime the patches with 2 coats of Kurust grey primer
5) Spray underseal (that contains Waxoyl) under wheelarches & the rear floor, trying to fill in any gaps that may trap water
6) Spray Waxoyl into a few box sections around the spare wheel & rear cross member
7) Inject Waxoyl into the rear section of the sill via the rubber bung inside wheelarch

The next job is to do the same to the middle & front sections. The front wheelarches may or may not be easier as their is some form of plastic trim which protects the rear of the wheelarches. I suspect it will be un-treated behind these.

I agree that winter is the worst time to do it. I know Ithis as I was working on it Xmas eve & only got the wheels back on during Boxing Day. Trouble is that if I leave some areas untreated, it will be in a worse state in summer.

I would strongly recommend other folk check the condition of the inside of their sills by removing the rubber bung from the front of the rear wheelarch & inspecting with a torch. The bungs will then need to be re-fitted with a drop of waterproof glue/sealant to prevent water getting in.