Cleaning rust off a frame

[Studebaker1965]

Hey guys,

I have my original paint 65 Studebaker. I’m not wanting to repaint the car; however the frame has surface rust on it. I already had sandblasted and epoxy primered/ painted the front clip of the frame when I had the engine out. I have the gas tank and rear out of the car. Is it possible to blast the frame without removing the body? I know it won’t get the top of the frame rails, but I’m afraid if I just wire wheel and sand it, the rust will come back sooner than blasting. Another thought is to remove the body, but is it possible to lift the body and roll the frame out with the glass in and doors on etc? Again, since it’s original paint, I don’t want to take the doors off and scratch the paint on the screw heads, etc. thanks!

Nate

[TWChamp]

Tough call on what to do. You could spot blast a little at a time and paint it.
Use a hand held spot blaster, or a syphon type that pulls the media from a bucket.
If I don't blast and paint the bottom, then I spray it with oil.

[Pancho]

Clean the frame the best you can and apply POR15 is a rust encapsulator. It can be applied with a brush. Not the perfect solution but given you’d rather not remove the body, this type of paint is a good option for you.

[jackb]

When you change out the $30+ worth of expensive oil every year.....recycle it by brushing on the frame...

[T.J lavallee]

When I lived briefly in New Hampshire there were shops that would spray used motor oil on the entire bottom of the car: frame, floors, rockers and inner fenders and dog legs. This was in the early 70's when this was legal of course. You were then instructed to drive the treated car on dirt roads for a few miles to allow dirt to collect on the oiled areas. Locals said it protected their cars from rust. Saw a few older daily drivers (50's-40's) cars that appeared free of rust. Guess it worked pretty good for a lot less than a Rusty Jones treatment. You might try spraying the oil on the frame. It might manage to seep into areas that a brush can't reach. A hand pump pressure tank might do the trick.

[TWChamp]

An air compressor and syphon sprayer does a good job of spraying drain oil on the bottom.
Actually even new oil is only a few dollars a quart, and that will coat the whole bottom.

[truckguy]

A needle scaler is an inexpensive tool to use for rust removal. It won't remove the full thickness of the rust but it does a good job. Follow up by a little wire brushing where ever you can and then clean with lacquer thinner. Brush on a rust primer and then brush on a topcoat. That's what I did on my 55 pickup. The needle scaler was also useful in removing old undercoat.

[Hallabutt]

Resist all temptation to remove the body from the frame. The positive results are negligible on an original car, but the added work is immense. Since you have an original car, I think that you want to keep it that way. The less chance of screwing up the original paint the better. Any intrusive activity like removing the body is going to do damage to the body! If I were doing it I would clean the frame with wire wheel and a rotary Tuffy wheel, clean the dust off with alcohol and prep with Ospho, wipe it down again with alcohol and paint it the same as you painted the engine bay portion. Rust will not come back. I have been doing this for over forty years and no reoccurring rust, but I guess it depends on how you are planning to use the car.

[Studebaker1965]

Thanks guys. I agree that removing the body on this car is not warranted and will do only result in a complete paint job. I like the last option posted. I have not used ospho yet, but may give it a go.

[56GH]

Hey guys,

I have my original paint 65 Studebaker. I’m not wanting to repaint the car; however the frame has surface rust on it. I already had sandblasted and epoxy primered/ painted the front clip of the frame when I had the engine out. I have the gas tank and rear out of the car. Is it possible to blast the frame without removing the body? I know it won’t get the top of the frame rails, but I’m afraid if I just wire wheel and sand it, the rust will come back sooner than blasting. Another thought is to remove the body, but is it possible to lift the body and roll the frame out with the glass in and doors on etc? Again, since it’s original paint, I don’t want to take the doors off and scratch the paint on the screw heads, etc. thanks!

Nate

Is the new dry ice blasting effective on surface rust? The company comes to you. I like the idea of no residue being left behind like soda or sand abrasives.

[Coupe Express]

I second the recommendation for a needle scaler. It does an excellent job for initial cleanup, then follow with a quick wire brushing and you're ready for rust primer.