1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Best thing to do is remove the tray. It's held on from beneath the car with three 10mm bolts. Once you have it out it will be easier to clean up and repaint and to deal with whatever else is down there. Depending on how bad it is you may want to sandblast it. You can get a relatively inexpensive setup at Harbour Freight. The problem of course is that the acid from the battery eats through the paint. If you aren't in the habit of cleaning your engine bay, eventually you'll see rust forming on the inner fender near the battery as well. Clean it with some baking soda and water occasionally to neutralize the battery acid. Place four stick-backed rubber feet on the tray before you put the battery in to create an air space between the battery and tray so water won't get trapped there.
As far as the small rust spots, sandblast them or wire-wheel them before painting.
Por-15 is the way to go once you get the rust cleaned off. You can topcoat that with paint that matches your car color.
If you are concerned about rust on other parts of the car you may want to check under the front hood near the back corners. There is a supporting member underneath the hood. There is a 1/8" or so gap between that and the outer skin of the hood. There is no way to paint there so rust forms and eventually you'll see blisters on the exterior of the hood there. If you occasionally spray some white lithium grease (or waxoil) into the space between the supporting member and the hood sheetmetal skin it will keep the area from rusting. It's probably a good idea to blast it with some compressed air first to be sure you're not trapping any debris in there.
Another weak point is the fenders just above the wheel openings. There is a plastic molding there that is held on with a substance like a toilet wax (the wax ring you use to seal a toilet bowl at the floor flange). If you were to take them off the fenders (carefully) and look up underneath, you'll see a seam where the inner fender is spot welded to the outer fender all along the wheel arch. There is no sealer along this seam, just two pieces of sheet metal with spot welds. Water and dirt that seeps into the plastic wheel arch molding can get into this seam and eventually blisters start appearing on the fenders, usually just above the wheel arch. If you caulk the seam well with automotive seam sealer, let that dry, then reinstall the wheel arch moldings, your less likely to get rust in this area. Some people also caulk the seam on the back side accessible from under the hood for extra insurance.
The passenger-side door is another area that sometimes gets rusty. Usually on cars that don't use the passenger door much. Salt, dirt or debris just never gets a chance to get shaken loose or washed off. Just be sure to clean the inner door frame and inside lower door well when you wash the car and you should be OK.
Check your trunk area periodically for wetness. That's usually a telltale sign that something is failing. May be a leaky window seal, clogged drain grommets or an antenna drain that is not evacuating the water beneath the car properly.
posted by 69.204.159...
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