Rust Prevention

I recently lost out on a very valuable project which I was tendering for as I spent too long obsessing over Commers rather than concentrating on my boring job...

Anyway i would like to know about rust prevention measures. I have been told by a variety of sources that this is the craziest idea I've ever had and this is due to the crap build quality of British cars back in the days when the country was brought to its knees by social action...

Anyway i generally don't listen to these negative people (if I did I'd never get anywhere) however it has made me wonder if there is any way you can prevent rust from forming or over time is it impossible? I will be keeping my Commer in a dry garage but I hasten to add it wont be heated (my dream - a heated double garage).

So when i get it, i shall under seal it immediately but other than that what other preventative measures or procedures could any other members offer?
 
Commers are no worse than any other car of the day, and better than some - VW's rot much better (that's the only one up they have on us;)). Scrape off any loose or flakey underseal and scrape as much surface rust of as you can then give it a coat of Aquasteel - it's like a stronger (and cheaper) version of Locktite rust killer. It also acts as a primer so once it's dry give the metalwork a good coat of chassis black[^] Other people swear by other products but I think if you've got a nice painted surface any rust that does start to form will show and not be hiding under a thick coat of bitumous goo[xx(]
Alternatively you could get the whole thing dipped and galvanised:)

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Harvey & Bonnie
 
Yeah dipped is the way to go its just cost and time which will prevent that. So what you're saying is don't bother with the traditional gooey undersealent for the floor pan but instead clean it all up and spray it all with Aquasteel?
 
Or! you could replace all the old steel with stainless steel :D:D

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''COMMER'EnSayThat''
Member of The 6-Speed Club
 
quote:
Originally posted by Hubbell

Yeah dipped is the way to go its just cost and time which will prevent that. So what you're saying is don't bother with the traditional gooey undersealent for the floor pan but instead clean it all up and spray it all with Aquasteel?



That will kill the rust (for a while) then luvverly chassis black to protect it and make it look nice:) It wouldn't do any harm to give it a coat of primer in between - help the paint stick better. Underseal is OK as long as it doesn't crack up or get damaged as it goes hard, then it just lets the water in and hold it there. If there sections of good sound underseal on sound metal daubing wax oil over the top will soften it up a bit and stop it cracking.

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Harvey & Bonnie
 
Or regular doses of used oil painted on ;)

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"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
Founder of the 6 speed club
 
Messy but good[^]
Make sure all the chassis drain holes are clear as well

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Harvey & Bonnie
 
Sadly nothing prevents rust to any material that has iron in it (in any atnosphere with water, which is basically anywhere), which includes steel. Even galvanised metal succombs after 15-20 years.

Cheers
Jules

RatSport: www.ratsport.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RatSport
 
It's true. But as with human life which inevitably ends in death, you can prolong your life by plenty of exercise and a healthy diet, like wise if you keep your commer in a heated garage 80% of the year i would imagine that you would delay the onset of oxidisation as compared to say keeping it in your back garden.
 
Rust can only happen if the surface is exposed to atmosphere, a layer of oil will prevent it. The hard bit is maintaining that layer ;)

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"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
Founder of the 6 speed club
 
quote:
Originally posted by Hubbell

But as with human life which inevitably ends in death.

Hah! Got you there - Coz I'm gonna live for ever!:D

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I am not a person, I am a number, 395 actually......Be seeing you!
If I told you I was a pathological liar, would you believe me?
 
I've got a small amount of rust starting to form on the edge of the roof and at the bottom of the van on one side. It's a minute amount. What can I do to prevent more rust and minimise the rust that has started to appear?
 
If it's only a small area I'd carefully rub it down to bare metal, treat with a little Aquasteel, prime and paint with an artists brush.

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Let it Snow
 
You will always get little bits of rust bleeding through here and there, just keep your eye on it and treat it before it takes hold. A good wax polishing regularly is a good start, sometimes that's all it takes to keep it at bay:)

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Let it Snow
 
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