Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

So, I got the window frame out in the end and there is some flaking of the chrome and superficial rust on the lower parts, which are out of sight deep inside the door.

Don't care what the frame looks like down there, but I would like to prevent any more corrosion.

I'm inclined to wire brush, then sand with coarse wet'n'dry, then hit it with a coat of Hammerite.

Sound like plan?

Best
Steve

Hi,
I favour a Phosphoric Acid dip for rusty parts, it?s cheap and fairly harmless (used in Coca-cola).
Stand in a Ploythane bag or the like to accommodate the awkward shape, soak for 24 hrs.
FWIW
Ron.

Thanks Ron. And then what coating would you apply to the bare metal?

Hi,
I like Red Oxide or a Zinc rich primer, and have used one of the water based top coats that are around these days,
Ron.

Assuming i couldn't get it shot blasted..... I was always told there are only two ways to grantee rust won't come back, cut out and replace or Shot blast....... With that said we have had a few things that it wasn't possible to do either and For me, i'd attack it with a wire brush on an Angle grinder then use FE-123 and over paint it with Por15.

On some thing like a window frame bottom i'd batter it in quality Cavity wax once fitted just to be sure also make sure your drain and top brushes are in place.

Don't forget allot of these brush on rust converters only treat the surface of the corrosion not the Pits so it needs to be prepared appropriately.

I've bought stuff from these guys at Car shows in the past and tbh they know their stuff even if they are a bit expensive http://www.rust.co.uk/

Phosphoric acid is not harmless, treat it with extreme care.

I would use a Zinc based paint rather than Hammerite. I've been rather dissapointed with the anti-rust capabilities of Hammerite.

Zinc works electro-chemically to protect steel, moisture causes an electric circuit, the presence of zinc causes the zinc to be eaten away instead of the steel. It's an electrolysis effect.

Remove the corrosion with Evap o Rust https://www.evaporust.com/

Immediately dry the part and warm it with a heat gun or torch to remove any remaining moisture.

Prime with a zinc rich primer or Rustoleum
Paint with desired color.

I recommend dismantling everything and give it a good soaking in molasses for a couple of days (available from any stockfeed outlet). The molasses strips the rust. I'd consider also having it replated in zinc afterward. The cost of zinc plating versus painting isn't too bad - at least at the place where I have it done. I have zinc plating done at a company that specializes in commercial building plating. They do bits and bobs for hobbyists at a song for cash on the side and the quality is really good. Far better and cheaper than most small run plating specialists in my experience.

I tried Evaporust on my Issue 18 struts, to remove rust from the od of the steel tube, before trying to separate it from the bearing carrier. I feared the rusty od, inside the hollow bearing carrier, would damage the aluminum bearing carrier upon extraction.

The parts were soaked in Evaporust for a couple of days and the steel tube was rust free and no damage to the tube or bearing carrier. Also, no residue was left, just dull but clean steel, even in the pits.

I like this stuff and would recommend it for safe rust removal. I bought a 3.5 gallon bucket and used about a gallon of it. Afterwards, the liquid was dirty but still reusable according to the manufacturer. I bought it on line from Walmart and had it shipped (free) to my house.

Bill

I am a fan of "Naval Jelly" (not navel jelly) But I ignore the directions and let it sit for up to 24 hours before washing it off. It has worked very well for me on everything from small parts to entire car chassis. Paint with a good zinc based primer-if you can find one...