Treating the Rust Worm

[Woodman]

Its been a year since I bought the Hilux and after a few building projects (from the boss) at home during lockdown last summer I ran out of time and was told to go back to work. This summer is finally approaching and I am wondering what's the best treatment for the frame? I am hearing good things about Dinitrol but I have no experience with it so I thought I would ask the community and see if there is a better option or if anyone has any recommendations?

 

[grubworm]

i deal with rust a lot and there are a few ways to handle it yourself...

use a rust remover which is probably a phosphoric acid in a liquid or gel form that you paint on and let it dissolve the rust then wash it off really well and immediately apply a good primer which is high in zinc...primer used in marine applications usually have a very high zinc content

or, you can use a rust converter. wire brush all the heavy rust and hit with a light sanding then apply the converter (brush on liquid) and it reacts with the rust and neutralizes the rust and has a bit of a protective seal when it dries. the converted rust needs paint to protect it and the dried converter acts as a primer, but i would use a zinc primer over it and then paint it afterward for best protection

use a coating like POR15 which kills rust and dries to a very durable finish. you can get it in black so it would be perfect for a vehicle frame

not sure what you have in the UK, but here are samples of what we have in the US
i have all three of these that i use depending on the application. the POR15 is probably your best bet for a vehicle frame

 

[Woodman]

Thanks for the tips.

So could I use a rust converter then use the POR prep which gives a good surface to paint and then go over with the POR 15 ?

The interior of the box section will be coated in rust converter and then waxed.

 

[grubworm]

So could I use a rust converter then use the POR prep which gives a good surface to paint and then go over with the POR 15 ?

i wouldn't do that. the rust converter creates a chemical reaction that converts the iron oxide to something else and the POR15 is designed to work with the rust, so if you convert the rust, the POR15 will not work as intended. good thinking and it is logical that using the two together would be good, but the way these coatings work, you can only use one since those two products rely on having the rust present in order for the chemical reaction to work

 

[Woodman]

I did cross my mind but thought I’d ask to be sure, so paint the rust and the jobs done. Sounds easy enough