HOW 2 get RID OF int. FLOORPAN RUST?(pics inside)

[uras]

hey guys, before taking this to the body shop and forking out a couple hundred $$$, i was wondering IF and HOW I can GET RID of the suface RUST, in the best professional-like manner accumulated in these areas.
1.
along the edge of the driver's side floormat

2.
along the wheel wells, very bottom left...same on the other side

the rest of the floorpan is in great condition-

same with the trunk/spare tire area.

ANY HELP/INPUT/SUGGESTIONS OR TIPS FROM EXPERIENCE WILL BE APPRECIATED

I'm thinking of just using a power sander/orbital sander, and spraying it up with some rust-stopping paint.
IS THIS GOOD ENOUGH?

[ek-9]

do you want to cover it up or get it repaired? if you're just looking for a clean up, first get a hammer and tap that shit. It'll break off and tap all around that shit because rust may not show on the suface, but it's there. Then reassess the damage.

[Xenon]

If it's only surface rust... Go and buy a wire brush extension and attach it to your drill:

- Brush these areas until they're back to metal.

- If it a rough surface after the brushing, sand it down with sand paper until it's even.

- Spray some rust check or rust inhibitor, let it sit and dry.

- Use tremclad or undercoating spray to cover it up.

[ToyHondaTuner]

BUMP!

[uras]

Originally posted by ek-9
do you want to cover it up or get it repaired? if you're just looking for a clean up, first get a hammer and tap that shit. It'll break off and tap all around that shit because rust may not show on the suface, but it's there. Then reassess the damage.

I guess i'll try that light hammering idea too to see if any rust under the paint flakes too...but i doubt it. it's an idea though.

[uras]

Originally posted by Xenon
If it's only surface rust... Go and buy a wire brush extension and attach it to your drill:

- Brush these areas until they're back to metal.

- If it a rough surface after the brushing, sand it down with sand paper until it's even.

- Spray some rust check or rust inhibitor, let it sit and dry.

- Use tremclad or undercoating spray to cover it up.

great reply, i guess we're on the same page. but,
have u tried it before? or know anyone that's done it with great results?

i'll probably use the same process, but one question.

after i spray the rust inhibitor and let it dry, will the tremclad or undercoating paint stick on it?

[OSKU_R]

I usually use a Dremel to cut away the rust spots but for the 86 I'm working on right now, its lots of sanding and sand blasting. I'm sure the rust paints should be adhesive enough.

[Don Hansen]

This is a picture of my wife's 1981 Corolla that was taken last week. She's had the car 22 winters and I take care of the body.
If you really want to put in the effort to get rid of surface rust,here are the steps.
1, Sandblast the rust. Easy and best way to get down to bare metal. Cover everything in the car because the sand is going to get everywhere. Wear eye and hearing protection.
2, Treat the bare metal with a rust killer. Not the kind that leaves a thick film like the brand Restore but a thin liquid that just kills any remaining rust. Hint: Rust is not just on the surface but has roots that even sandblasting won't remove.
3, Wire brush the treated area after the rust killer has cured to remove any scale the rust killer has left. Any black areas can be left, it's just converted rust.
4, Coat the area with an inner panel rustproofing, paying particular attention to any seams. If any of the seams have opened up so that you can see thru to the outside, seal it on the outside with strip caulk and fill the seam on the inside with rustproofing. At this time you should cover the area with heavy plastic dropcloth material to keep the rustproofing from soaking into the carpet. DO NOT use any rubberized rustproofing anywhere on a car. The stuff will only lead to headaches in the future.
You should be able to get you supplies at any autobody paint store. Here are the brands I have had good luck with: Rusticide (rust killer), Sealout (rustproofing, both inner and outer panel, 3M strip caulk.
This is getting pretty long so I am going to end it. I have other tips if you would like to hear them.
BTW We also have a 2003 Corolla, bought new last Saturday.

[Mr.AE86]

nice corolla you got Don!

and thanks for the tips for removing rust, that was useful. Not sure if our canadian stores carry those brands tho.

[uras]

Thanks for the info Don Hansen...

I've already done the temporary fix for the floorpan/wheel well edge rust.
It was just surface rust...however, the surface rust on the shock towers, I didn't touch yet, gonna save up some money and get it done right (cut and weld
basically I did it in these following steps.

1. Wire Brush the area w/ a high speed drill, and for the nook and crannies, used a dremel/ "emory cloth" and sand paper.
2. Vaccumed and used "tack cloth" to clean off the rust/dust.
3. Sprayed a thin coat of "Rust Check rust inhibitor/primer".
(bought at Canadian Tire)
4. After the first coating dried, there was some black/brownish gunky on the surface. I think this was the left over surface rust converted...correct me if i'm wrong- so i did steps 1-3 again.
5. after another coating, the primer seemed clean, so waited for it to dry, and then used "Krylon Rust Tough" Greyish/black paint to somewhat match the OEM floorpan colour.

i was satisfied with the results, and will be checking up on it every couple of months or so.

[Don Hansen]

Mr.AE86
Any brand of inner panel rust proofing that leaves a non-hardening wax like film will work. Just be sure you work it into any seams with a brush. Another brand I have had good luck with is Eastwood heavy-duty anti rust. It can be found at www.eastwoodcompany.com. About $10 US for 26 oz. They also have a rust killer, $10 US for 16 oz. When doing touchup work those amounts go a long way.

uras
You were right to redo your steps. If the rust killer has not turned completely black, and there are areas of brown, there is still rust that hasn't been converted. Here's a trick I do with shock towers to keep them from rusting out. If you look in the wheel well at the shock tower, you can see it is made of a heavy gage metal spot-welded to the body. Water loves to get between the layers. Now if you look at the wheel well from the inside you can make out the shape of the shock tower by the pattern of spot-welds. What I do is take a grease fitting with large diameter threads and place a tight fitting piece of vacuum line over the threads. Cut the vacuum line about 1/4 inch longer than the threads. Attach the grease fitting to a small grease gun filled with rust proofing. Now, using the spot-welds to guide you, drill a 1/8 inch hole through the first inside layer near the top of the spot weld pattern. I think you can guess what you do next. Keep checking inside the wheel well for escaping rust proofing at the edges of the shock tower and block it using strip caulk. You may have to drill more than one hole but when you can't pump in rust proofing without pushing off the strip caulk you know any voids are filled. I give all rust proofing at least 3 days, I prefer a week, to setup before exposing it to the weather.