Can you remove rust from a car? Yes, but you must be very careful and take the necessary precautions. It is a fairly involved process and the rust and paint dust can be extremely harmful to your health. Make sure to wear gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask throughout the entire process.
1. Cover up any parts of the car that you don’t want to get dusty. Make sure you use a tarp with painters tape to cover up any areas that you don’t want affected. Don’t use newspaper or anything else that’s easily permeable, as paint spray can leak through it and leave specks on your car.
2. When choosing where to partition your car, do not simply just mask out the area the rust is in, as this will cause sharp lines in the middle of the panel. Instead, mask the car by stopping at panel lines so that the entire panel will be evenly colored.
3. Remove the paint around the rust with a dual-action sander. You should start at approximately 80 grit and then move upwards to 150 grit to take the paint off and smooth off the area. It should feel smooth to the touch afterwards.
4. Use a metal grinding wheel to remove the thick rust and any recessed pits that contain rust. After this entire process, you’ll need to use a rust-removing acid to clean up the microscopic rust particles left on the surface. You can use a body filler to plug up some of the dents or holes, but make sure to finish the entire job off by sanding it with 120 grit sandpaper.
5. Prime the area with a bare metal primer or auto-spray paint that matches your car’s color. Follow the instructions on your primer about what you need to do; usually you’ll need to wipe the area with paint thinner or mineral spirits. You’ll want to spray thin coats of primer evenly (at least 3) and then allow it to dry overnight.
6. Sand the primer with 400 grit wet sandpaper so that the paint and primer coat have areas for the paint to bond. Then spray as many thin coats of paint as necessary to match the color of the rest of the car. Finish the paint job by buffing the edges of the paint job so it blends with the old paint. If necessary, add a clear coat to the paint job.
The paint should be left to cure for 2 days, after which you should wash and polish the car. Warning: Do not wax paint within 30 days of painting, as it may damage the paint job. Removing rust is a fairly involved process and depending on the paint job, it may be necessary to call a professional to redo the paint job. TalkLocal can connect you to a high-quality local auto-repair shop that can help you within minutes. It’s fast, easy, and free.
