Blue S2

Ok guys, i was browsing around the engine bay today and noticed something i hadn't seen before.

There are two spots to the left of the battery that appear to be rusting. It looks as if the paint flaked off and it has begun to rust. Not good i imagine. It appears to be minimal still.

What can i do. What are my options here? I can take pictures if necessary to show where and how much.

Anyone have experience with this?

Charlie

Mine was similar. I sanded the rusty spots. Painted the whole battery area and then put a fiberglass coat over the same area and repainted.

TopherDow

i cant help you much but if you want id like to seee the pictures as a form of reference please, thanks.

Blue S2

Charlie, how did you go about painting that area? What did you use? (cans, etc... ?)

Blue S2

First picture is on the passenger fender side of the battery. The second picture is on the cabin side of the battery.

Boricua944

Mine was so bad it had rotted away the whole battery compartment floor but couldn't tell because the PO had fiberglassed the floor but some how it still had a leak. For like 2 years my passenger area would get wet and i finally ripped all the fiberglass out only to have the whole battery floor come out with it a friend came riveted replacement panels, used some JB weld stuff on the seems. then sprayed it with bed liner spray.

RedlineMan

THE BEST fix;

Clean the area of all the loose stuff you can. If you can get a small rotary tool in there with a wire brush, that will get about as much rust off as necessary. I use a die grinder with a wire wheel. Sand the surrounding paint with something like 220-320 grit and make a "water line" at about the height you will paint to.

Then find yourself a pint of POR15. It is literally Paint Over Rust, and that is all you have to do. It is the nastiest, toughest stuff I've ever seen. Seals moisture and air away from the rust permanently, and is hard as nails. The gloss black seems to hold up best. Paint a good layer of it over the entire sanded area. If you do it in a thin coat, feel free to do a second for an added barrier.

Notes: as mentioned, it is nasty stuff. Use rubber gloves and REALLY make every effort to be neat. It has a habit of getting EVERYWHERE, sort of like Never Seize. Problem is, if it dries, it is there for life. Clothing will be ruined and it does not wash off your skin, it WEARS off. Also, before you open it make sure you have a jar with a rubber seal in the lid (pickle, spag sauce, etc.) to transfer it to. It will not keep in the metal can after opening. If you get any on the lip of the can, the lid will NEVER come off again. Same with the jar. Keep it in the fridge.

Blue S2

Ok, so i can sand the rust and it hopefully wont go through metal right? Ive never dealt with rust, so i have horrid images in my mind of poking through the body! I need big time reassurance here.

I have a dremel and some wire brushes. I think i feel more comfortable doing this by hand though. What kind of grit should i use to sand the rusted area.

Also, what should i do about the surrounding area? Should that be painted with the POR15 as well? Just for double reassurance that this wont happen again?

AndyK

Don't worry Tony. Looks to me like surface rust, which should sand off in no time. Keep sanding till you see nice shiney steel. Then, I would put a Rustoleum stop rust primer on there, and paint using touch up. Should be fine...I think!

Chris_924s

#1. scream loudly
#2. Run wildly trhu a crowd screaming "The sky is falling"..Henny Penny...
#3. turn around and laugh..

Dood. It's called POR15.

Blue S2

This has to be new. I inspect every inch of my engine too often. Especially before a show. I touched the spot thinking it was dirt since a leaf had fallen in there. The rust was basically still powder like. So it must really just have begun. I will try and take care of this over the weekend.

Chris_924s

Tony- it looks like surface rust. Really, POR15 is a great inhibitor, paint it right on the oxidation.

FWIW, good luck with touch up paint.. AT least mine is Guards- easy to match in a pinch/

hoffman912

take it from someone who knows rust.

www.por15.com

por 15 is the best fix. fiberglass wont stop it from rusting. it will still rust under the fiberglass. you need somthing that will stop the rust and that will bond to the metal and stop oxidation. por-15 will do that.

CurlyDE

Do you guys have any suggests for patching existing holes caused by rust? My battery box has two small holes in it already that I need to take care of.

Blue S2

Yeah, matching Cobalt with touch up is impossible.

Ok, so with the POR15- I sand down to the metal wherever i want, and then I apply the POR15. Is that it, or are there any other steps/ things i should do?