Hey there everybody. I'm looking for a moderately easy solution to some surface rust that is starting on the lower door seams of my truck. I have no problem sanding and grinding is out, but I'm wondering if there is a good solution to preventing it from returning.

Anybody know of a good sealer and or primer that will seal this up for good? I don't even care if the only color it comes in is black as I can then top coat it and or just leave it as it's never visible unless you're squatting down beside the open door.

Also, what do you think about professional rustproofing? There is a local guy that for about $400 will do some sort of an acid treatment to the undercarriage and the insides of the doors and then wash, allow to dry for 24 hours and then apply some sort of rust proofing solution. In fact he says he offers a lifetime warranty if the stuff ever fails. You take it back once a year for inspection and all you pay for is any product that he uses to touch it up. Sounds like a decent deal to me, but what do you all think? TIA--DIY

 

As I mentioned in the other thread that you posted this in, this has been discussed several times. Do a search on it and you should find a plethora of information.

 

Sand it down and put some POR-15 on it.

 

I would take the door panel off, and see what you can attack from the inside too then get a good seal on that plastic water barrier. Make sure your weep holes at the bottom arent clogged

 

The rust forms on the outside of the door... Those of us who get more than 6" of rain a year know this...

ETA: Well, not on the outside of the door. Where the door seam is folded under...

 

we get more rain then that, we just dont have to salt our roads every morning for 5 month straight

I know what you are talking about, but if you look there are little black plastic rectangle weep hole inserts.....

 

Holy Shnikies! I just searched for POR-15 and found that you can buy it online from the manufacturer. $44 a quart!! Better be good stuff for that much. I wouldn't mind doing the rear end of the truck in that as well. Am I thinking correctly that it finishes something like an undercoat paint?--DIY

 

There is a sample size. I beleive it's a half pint. It would be more than enough to do your doors on the inside and outside. The silver por has the the most solids and will fill pits the best. It's a runny paint, so be carful painting it on. POR works much better on preped metal so you'll need to buy their prep (acid) to etch the metal for adheasion. Regular paint won't stick to it, so you'll need to mist primer on the tacky POR or buy their inter-coat primer. It will stick to your skin like no paint you've ever deal with. It takes a couple of weeks to sluff off. You can't scrub it off. Use proper PPE( personal protective equipment) to prevent getting it on you.

I'm not sure POR is the best long term solution, though lots of people love the stuff. When I fix mine, I'm going to get some type of etching/cold galvanizing paint to perform the repair then topcoat.

After the repair, liberally spray a light oil (WD-40...) into the drain holes every few weeks to help keep the water out of the seam.