Are these seats worth saving

[Big Dan]

Putting new upholstery on rusty seat springs and using them in a car seems like a bad idea.

But you can send them to this place and they’ll use them as patterns to make you some new ones.

https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/s....htm?cat=41947

There has to be some facility or process whereby you can just "dip" them and it eats the rust off! That's usually the first step in plating!

[Steve Winzar]

There has to be some facility or process whereby you can just "dip" them and it eats the rust off! That's usually the first step in plating!

Hi Big Dan
You have very little to lose by trying this method- but you are going to need an old pallecon tank with the top cut off, or trough. Two ways you can do it on the cheap.... and neither method removes any metal- like acid dipping.


Sink the seat in a solution of cheap laundry powder detergent and use a battery charger to elctrolytically clean the whole thing. I have used this method on lots of rusty Avanti Salt corroded parts and bits of a 51 champ left outside on a farm for 50 years and it works incredibly well. It's not recommended for high stress parts like front end parts and springs but this is only a seat frame so go for it. This is my favoured method BTW and it costs almost nothing. The first picture shows what rust, paint and crud came off the bullet nose-panel in about 6 hours.
The second picture shows the Bonnet latch panel from the '51 Champ after a light wire brushing and wash to remove the black amorphous iron after electrolysis.
The last two photos shows my Avanti II jack after prolonged submersion in a water filled trunk- 'toast' I thought... and I probably ought not have electrolysed it.... but It came up so well that all I had to do was oil the thread a bit and it is fully operational again .

The other method involves a Molasses bath- sink it in there for a month and it comes out beautifully clean ( albeit sticky !)
If you check the internet on this topic you will find a wealth of information- especially on mixture concentrations etc or your battery charger will not start. My take on this - give electrolysis a go- you will be amazed.... Just ensure you get the polarities correct !

[Big Dan]

Outstanding post! It's a KEEPER, THANKS!

[Daan]

There has to be some facility or process whereby you can just "dip" them and it eats the rust off! That's usually the first step in plating!

I thought about getting a giant bin and soaking the frames in vinegar to dissolve the rust. Not until it warms up again though. I cleaned off a bunch of parts that way before.