Wheel arch corrosion solution ..... Possibly

[glenn.1]

I've got the usual bubbling wheel arches and I was telling a pal of mine who refurbishes vans , and he says he uses a products called plasti dip. It's a sort of rubberised flexible paint that supposed to look like black plastic wheel arches. It's available from Frost. ( www.frost.co.uk). Just wondering if anyone has used it or what you all think.....seems like an elegant solution to me cheap and easy to apply

[mikeonb4c]

I've got the usual bubbling wheel arches and I was telling a pal of mine who refurbishes vans , and he says he uses a products called plasti dip. It's a sort of rubberised flexible paint that supposed to look like black plastic wheel arches. It's available from Frost. ( http://www.frost.co.uk). Just wondering if anyone has used it or what you all think.....seems like an elegant solution to me cheap and easy to apply

Interesting product but can't see how it will arrest established corrosion that is coming from inside the wheel arches, sadly (i'm battling the same problem)

[glenn.1]

I don't think it's ment to cure the rusting, more of a disguise. My van is white and I've rubbed down, rust prevented, primed and reprinted about 6 times now but the rust just keeps coming back. The annoying thing is that the arch it's self isn't really rusty, it just seems to be a few pin holes that cause the paint to blister and then stain, which looks a lot worse than it is. Painting a thick layer of this after you've ground off all of the blistering paint, I would have thought would disguise for problem for quite a while. I wouldn't have thought the rust pin holes would cause this to blister....just wondering if anyone has tried it and with what results

[mikeonb4c]

I don't think it's ment to cure the rusting, more of a disguise. My van is white and I've rubbed down, rust prevented, primed and reprinted about 6 times now but the rust just keeps coming back. The annoying thing is that the arch it's self isn't really rusty, it just seems to be a few pin holes that cause the paint to blister and then stain, which looks a lot worse than it is. Painting a thick layer of this after you've ground off all of the blistering paint, I would have thought would disguise for problem for quite a while. I wouldn't have thought the rust pin holes would cause this to blister....just wondering if anyone has tried it and with what results

I found a similar but cheaper solution. My Bongo is dark green, so I bought smooth green hammerite, darkened it by mixing with some black smooth hammerite I already had, masked off the wheel arch flare line and, having done my grinding and a little filling, stippled the hammerite on with a brush. I've ended up with a very acceptable result, with am interesting surface texture that looks much classier than brush strokes. Tough old finish too including in the wheel arch reveals. Rust appears stopped......for now. The bubbling has since reappeared, but it's a simple matter to repeat the treatment using my supply of custom colour hammerite. I'll lose in the end though ad the rusting accelerates.

[steamysteve]

Hi. Glen. i used plasti dip. on a camper shower . the company told me it will be fine. it seemed to take lots of coats to cover and was water proof but if rubbed in anyway at the edges it simply rolls off. and as you will have a raw edge at the top of your arch it will be easy to start lifting when cleaning, it is a bit like silicone when you smooth it out ,in time the edge will lift.

But good luck with the rust spot. i have had the same on mine, about 18 months ago i drilled the rust spots out and tapped a thread in for copper threaded bar flushed off and filled the top and sprayed. so far so good.

ps after drilling and tapping i painted the thread with Galvafriod paint before the thread was screwed in.

[mikeonb4c]

Hi. Glen. i used plasti dip. on a camper shower . the company told me it will be fine. it seemed to take lots of coats to cover and was water proof but if rubbed in anyway at the edges it simply rolls off. and as you will have a raw edge at the top of your arch it will be easy to start lifting when cleaning, it is a bit like silicone when you smooth it out ,in time the edge will lift.

But good luck with the rust spot. i have had the same on mine, about 18 months ago i drilled the rust spots out and tapped a thread in for copper threaded bar flushed off and filled the top and sprayed. so far so good.

ps after drilling and tapping i painted the thread with Galvafriod paint before the thread was screwed in.

Sounds interesting. What's the copper threaded bar for - is it a corrosion inhibitor device?

[steamysteve]

Hi. the copper was a filler which will not rust in that same spot.but in time i assume will rust around it. time will tell.
i did try a countersunk stainless steel pop rivet that seems to work also, again time will tell. as to being a sacrificial annode to be a corrosion inhibitor device. not sure ???? . still i am trying easy options until i have to do the full job.

[stuc]

Plasti-dip would be no good for this situation. It will not cover any imperfections as it is quite thin and needs about 4-5 coats to cover, and as said before is easily peeled off. If you can imagine a spray on vinyl thats what it's like.
The only way to get rid of rust is to cut it out. There are products and means of slowing it down, but its still there.

[winchman]

The only way to get rid of rust is to cut it out. There are products and means of slowing it down, but its still there.

I agree
I looked at having my wheel arch dent done they told me it would rust through in 6 months so next year I will cut it out and replace it.
The rust treatments work for a bit but it will come through again

[steamysteve]

Hi All .all of the above comments are correct, you will never stop the rust. even replacing the arches will at some time come back at the joint between the old and new. as they say in the trade you are only chasing RUST.