Rustoring, need help! (off topic)

[tk421]

Couldn’t look at that rusted DrawTite hitch any longer. Unbolted it from the truck (3 out 6 bolts twisted in half) now I’m ready to clean it up and re-coat it. This is the second time I’ve had it off to repaint it. Looking for suggestions on how to prep and paint rusted metal.

[Hick]

I'd just get after it with a steel wire wheel, preferrably with an angle grinder. Using a drill would be kinda tedious.

In a perfect world I'd just throw it in my bead blast cabinet. ?

One day I'll get one of those. Bet I could take the paint right off my scratched up swingarm with something like that!

I also have a friend who runs a good sized manufacturing facility, he will powdercoat stuff for me (almost) free of charge, but he doesn't have anything to take the paint off with. What was your question again?

Oh yeah, your receiver hitch. If you have access to one, a good sandblaster would also work well.

[jmiakaike]

i used some aircraft coating remover and a wire brush.. but the sand blaster is much better.. has power.. ?

[starttman]

take a wire wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder and work down all the rust.

get a can of derusto flat grey primer. apply . let sit 2 hours then apply a generous coat of derusto semi gloss black spray. wait 2 more hours and apply a 2nd coat of the black...you shouldn't have to repaint for 3 years...unless you wrap a chain around the painted surfaces or you bury the hitch in deep sand or something....if all you have to worry about is your rusty hitch, then you gotta really easy life dude....jeeesh...

c

[Chaindrive]

My fellow Iowegian ?

I have had good luck with a special coating used extensively for auto restoration called POR-15 by a company with the same name. It loves rusty surfaces and is not a paint, though you apply it like one.

It is UV sensitive, so paint over it with a good epoxy (my choice). This company offers several good products. I have used their stuff for years, but have never looked for their web-site. If you can't find it, shoot me a pm and I'll go out to the shop and find their phone# for you.

Another good coating is Marhyde paintable undercoating. Mean stuff!! Don't get it on you: like the POR-15, you will have to wear it off. The Marhyde is available at Auto Zone or PartsAmerica and does have a texture when dry. You need a hammer and chisel to remove it!

I guess the ultimate, short of Line-X or Rhino liner, would be Marhyde over POR-15? Since the POR is expensive and you don't really have to worry about rust-through on steel that heavy, I would just use the Marhyde and maybe some satin black epoxy over it. Use some good Rustoleum rusty-metal primer first if you like. If you don't want a texture, just use the primer and paint and touch it up every year or so. Way cheaper than powder coat, which is probably what your hitch had in the first place.

Just remember: our gravel roads are really hard on anything. When I get my truck repainted, I plan to Line-X the bottom 12" or so of the body along with my bumpers and hitch. There is a Line-X dealer right there in the south side industrial park in Cedar Falls. Good luck!

[tk421]

Thanks guys for the ideas! ? Since I don’t have a lot of free time to sand and wire brush, I’ll go the sandblast route for prep. I can hire that job out locally, someday I'll have a bead blaster LOL.

Haven’t had much luck finding aircraft stripper (in small amounts) or Derusto. I’ve seen a lot on the Internet about POR-15, but it’s costly.

Chaindrive, I’m going to see if I can just get the Parts America Marhyde to paint over the sandblasted metal and see how that does. I don’t mind the rough texture look, just want a durable black coating. Thanks for the heads up on the Line-X dealer in CF, I may stop by there first just to see what they would offer.

[Chaindrive]

Hey tk,

I wouldn't go to the expense of having it blasted if you are going to do the Marhyde. Just wire brush the loose stuff and powerwash it then give it a couple coats of Rustoleum rusty-metal primer.

I hope I got my brand names straight on the Line-X...there are several different bed-liner brands and I delivered to the one in CF a couple of times...but that was a couple years ago. Look in the yellow pages under truck accessories, but I'm pretty sure it is called Line-X. I KNOW I can drive right to it ?. Go west on the road at Blaines F&F, then immediately north at the 1st right where the c-store is. They are on the right a couple blocks? up.

BTW, the boys and I love that jet with the twin water roosts!!!! F-15 Eagle or F-14 Tomcat? My guess is F-14; only those Navy guys are nuts enough to do mach one at 10' elevation!!! Great shot for a poster!

[yamaha.dude]

For a quick and quality job, then take it to the local zinc plating place, they will acid dip it to clean it up, then zinc plate it, for years of protection... probably cheaper than you think... look in the yellopw pages, and give a few a call...

Good luck,

David