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Rust Blotches Under Clearcoat on Hood

3K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  SlickVersa 
#1 ·
I have a number of small rust spots on my hood which I know how to deal with. But I also have areas which look like rust stains on the hood. They appear to be under the clearcoat. Not sure what these are or how to deal with them.
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#6 ·
Absolutely correct, and it still does not guarantee completely removal of rust. Rust can penetrate deep inside between domains/crystals of steel.

What I was using with success (at least rust never came back in the course of a few years) is to sand to the metal, but not very deep, still having some spots of the rust remaining, and then to apply a rust converter. It converts the rust into some chemically inactive material, and this converter follows the rust even if it penetrates inside the steel. After it is applied to the surface, let it work its course before repainting. Follow the instructions for the product to the letter.

The key is to leave some little rust on the surface of the metal to give the converter something to work on.

There are different kind of rust converters, either as a liquid or a jelly. You can get them at home improvement stores (like Home Depot, etc.), or on Amazon. Google is your friend on this matter.
 
#5 ·
Yeah, I figured that out. I did a couple of test spots where I wet sanded and got down to the base metal to clear the rust spot. The good news is that it only took a few minutes. The bad news is that its on a lot of the hood. At least it limited to the hood, which I suspect has been replaced on this vehicle, since the rest of the body is rust free.

Again, thanks for the advice.
 
#7 ·
I have some of the gel rust converter, which I had tried successfully on some of the small spots. It didn't work on the patches under the clear coat though.

So for the patches, I should sand down to the metal but leave some of the rust and then use the gel to get rid of the rust, then paint (base coat, color, clear coat)?
 
#8 · (Edited)
Yes, remove all clear coat/paint and loose rust. I was using a small metal brush and then light sanding before applying rust converter. Paint over after applied rust converter turned the rust into chemically inactive oxide bonded with the surface of the steel.

Again, religiously follow the instruction for the rust converter of your choice. If in doubt, call the toll-free number on the package.
 
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