Ask the Expert Question-and-Answer Archive

by Ron Joseph

April, 2008

Q: I am having my classic car dipped in an alkaline solution for rust removal. After the paint is stripped it is dipped in a water soluable rust inhibitor that last 30 days. I have several months of body work left. What can I best wash, coat or whatever to the bare steel to protect it until I am ready for primer and paint?

A: There are temporary rust inhibitors that are similar to oil that can be applied by means of a spray gun. Typical are those from Tectyl Protective Products, http://www.mil-specproducts.com/. The coatings are formulated in a range of viscosities, drying properties, etc., depending on end-use. Some remain tacky indefinitely while others dry to the touch. In the 1970s the South African Army dipped all of its transportation vehicles used in Walvis Bay, Namibia into huge baths filled with Tectyl 506. At that time a vehicle would start to fall apart after 6 months of service due to the extremely harsh marine fog that rolled in every morning from the coast into the small town of Walvis Bay. By coating the vehicles with the temporary corrosion preventive the vehicles could operate effectively for several years.

If you like this approach, go to the web site above and select a temporary protective that will satisfy your needs. You might need to purchase small quantities, or if possible ask for samples so that you can make your selection. I strongly suggest that you research this before making your selection.

When you are ready to paint your classic car, you will need to thoroughly remove all traces of the temporary protective, but if you select appropriately you can find a product that can be removed with a steam cleaning solution.

You might wish to call the companies that sell these products and quiz their technical representatives on the appropriate product for your purposes. Bear in mind that your questions should include methods for removal prior to painting.

Good luck.

Ron Joseph