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Car Forum / Antique and Collectibles / Antique Cars / March 2005Engine Rust
I just picked up a 1969 Firebird convertible and I have some rust questions. All of the components in the engine compartment have surface rust (alternator, starter, master cylinder...). What is the best way to remove it and then what do you do? Paint? Thanks, Neil > I just picked up a 1969 Firebird convertible and I have some rust > questions. All of the components in the engine compartment have > surface rust (alternator, starter, master cylinder...). What is the > best way to remove it and then what do you do? Paint? Depends on the severity of the rust. If it's just a light layer, spray them with Rustoleum (the old-fashioned stuff, not the designer colors). Deeper rust can be removed with Naval Jelly (a muriatic acid solution) and then painted. Again, I would use Rustoleum. When I'm dealing with pitted surfaces, I apply red Rustoleum primer with a brush and sand down. It may take four or five layers before the pits are filled. Then I shift to spray paint. The brushable primer is thick and takes days to dry. Back in the early 60s, my father bought an old trailer. The bed was junk and the frame was badly rusted. We wirebrushed that down and painted it with silver Rustoleum paint. I junked that trailer 35 years later, and the paint was still good. George Patterson Drink up, Socrates -- it's all-natural. The rust is only surface rust, should I sand it off before painting it? Also, things like the alternator what color should they normally be? Thanks, Neil > The rust is only surface rust, should I sand it off before painting it? Your choice. The red Rustoleum primer can be sprayed directly over light rust. Sanding will give you a smoother surface. I'm lazy and tend to not sand. > Also, things like the alternator what color should they normally be? Alternators are usually silver. Starters and generators are usually black. Stuff small pieces of newspaper in the holes to keep paint off the coils. George Patterson Whosoever bloweth not his own horn, the same shall remain unblown. Well, first you need to decide whether you are doing a fix-up with the goal of a nice driver, or the car is worth a quality restoration. In the former case, try not to do anything that will make eventual restoration (by you or a future owner) significantly harder. In the latter case you'll want to refer to books and websites about the make, model, and year to make everything look like it's sposeta. If you want points, learn to think like a judge. Checking out similar vehicles at some car shows, and maybe joining a club, are good ways to get yourself calibrated on this. Something tells me you'll end up with a rebuilt or reproduction master cylinder and (if applicable) booster anyway. The brake systems on old cars, especially neglected old cars, are often an iffy item -- as in "do the brakes first or do the bumpers twice." You'll probably be taking a lot of things apart anyway, and really should start by putting it safely on nice solid jackstands and taking multiple leisurely, well-lit looks at the underneath to see what kind of shape both the running gear and the unibody itself are in. Good luck with it -- sounds like a really great project! --Joe Good point, I would like to fix it up to be a nice driver first (so the wife does not mind the car in the garage) then do a full quality restoration at a later point. So to this end I what to use as much of the original car as I can. My question is more to the point should I/ could I clean up the original parts so a later restoration will be as original as possible, or just use replacement parts now and worry about getting originals later. Does this make sense? Thanks, Neil > Could I clean up the original parts so a later restoration will be > as original as possible, or just use replacement parts now and > worry about getting originals later. One good question is whether they *are* original or at least correct parts. The more you know about what's supposed to be in a '69 Camaro and what that should look like, the better you can make those judgements. If something does prove to have been on the car in the first place, or a correct replacement, and it is in good working condition, clean it up in as non-marring a way as you can, is what I'd say. If it's busted, see if some convenient local place can fix it (often true of alternators and starters and seat motors and the like), and if not, consider eating the core charge and keeping the dead unit in a box somewhere. Again, there's no telling what's been put on there over the years -- the possibilities range from an excruciatingly correct "survivor" serviced only with genuine GM parts, to judicious upgrades, to injudicious supposed upgrades, to a beater that was put together with duct tape and coathangers, to performance modifications... you get the idea. Even engines and trannies might have been swapped out (thus the GM connoisseur's fetish for "matching numbers" cars). You can see that at several places you come to a decision point. You might at some point conclude that the car is hopelessly non original (truck 350 and a 700R4 or whatever) and probably will never be worth anywhere near what a high-point restoration would cost... and yet that it's a sound basis for a lot of fun in the garage and then even more on the street. Or you might discover that you have a treasure on your hands and both pride and money could be at stake as you decide how to proceed. Only way to know for sure is to learn and look, learn and look... Cheers, --Joe I have been able to verify, as best I can, that things like the master cylinder, starter and alternator are either correct or correct replacements. Now my main question is how to "clean it up in as non-marring a way", it all has light surface rust. Then once cleaned how do you paint something like the master cylinder and booster so they look original (gold anodized finish)? Where is the best place to get paint? Thanks, Neil Eastwood has a complete line of restoration paint products - www.eastwoodco.com > I have been able to verify, as best I can, that things like the master > cylinder, starter and alternator are either correct or correct [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Thanks, > Neil Also found http://www.brakeboosters.com/index.htm anyone use them? Thanks, Neil > Good point, I would like to fix it up to be a nice driver first (so the > wife does not mind the car in the garage) then do a full quality [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Thanks, > Neil Do not replace anything with new and throw away the original parts. Replacement master cylinders etc. are often functionally the same but noticeably different, and if someone picky about such things notices they will be disappointed. nate  Signaturereplace "fly" with "com" to reply. http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel |
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