With the possible exception of
people who lease cars, rust is every car enthusiast's worst nightmare. Having invested
time and money in an exotic car does not make rust any less nightmarish to say the least.
Rust is inevitable. Nature eventually reclaims everything. However rust can be postponed
for a long time with a little TLC.
Rust damage can be remedied...
The thing to remember about rust on a car is that serious rust starts on the inside. Don't
worry too much about paint chips. Chips don't look good, but the surface rust that
develops there often never amounts to much because it's usually dry. The nasty stuff grows
on the bottoms of your doors, in the rocker panels, wheel wells, under windshield gaskets,
etc. By the time most owners see that kind of rust, serious, expensive damage has already
been done. That kind of rust is like the proverbial iceberg; there is much more below the
surface.
When washing your car, equal attention should be paid to the underside and the exterior.
Make sure there are no piles of dust and road debris inside the wheel wells that can get
wet and stay wet for weeks. Make sure that all splash aprons are in place but occasionally
remove them to inspect and clean behind. Remove interior panels and clean out debris that
tends to collect in door bottoms. Make sure all drain holes are free and that everything
is dry, particularly the crevice formed by the outer door skin and the door frame coming
together. It's a good idea to blow this crevice (called a 'pinchweld') out with compressed
air and squirt some penetrating oil down there and up the sides to displace any water deep
inside. Follow that a few days later with an oil pump can filled with motor oil. Some
people like to use wax-oil or similar products which are thicker than motor oil and stick
to vertical surfaces. The problem with those products is that if they are not used
properly they plug up drain holes and make the situation worse by trapping water and they
just can't penetrate into trouble spots like pinchwelds.
A hand pumped garden sprayer can be filled with oil and the spray wand poked inside areas
otherwise inaccessible. You may have to drill some holes under sill plates and other
hidden areas to gain access to rust-prone regions of your car. Don't forget to clean and
spray around the gas tank and in the bottoms of the rear fenders - any place where dirt
and water can hide and wreak havoc.
Do the job on a large, heavy duty plastic sheet and let your car sit and finish dripping
for a few days with the doors open. Most of the oil that falls to the floor can then be
squeegeed and reclaimed.
A word about undercoating: this product is often mistaken for rust proofing material.
Actually, it's used more to deaden road noise and can actually promote rust when it dries
and cracks to form water-trapping pockets. It's a good practice to inspect every inch of
the bottom and remove any cracked or loose undercoating with a heat gun and a scraper. A
propane torch will work also. Make sure you have good ventilation and safety equipment
such as a hat, goggles, gloves, and long sleeves.
Spraying oil on old undercoating that is not loose will help rejuvenate it, if you don't
want to redo all the undercoating. Don't spray the exhaust system or rubber parts.
Check under the carpeting and see that it's dry under there. Water leaking in from rain or
car washing is not uncommon and wet carpets can cause serious floor rot.
If rust is starting to grow along the windshield or rear window gasket, the best cure is
to cut the gasket with a razor knife and carefully take the windshield out. You can now
sand, prime, and paint the offending area and have the windshield installed with a new
gasket. Left alone, this kind of rust will eventually turn into a hole.
