Do You Experience Classic Car Rust?
Okay, we know how much you love your classic car. And you know that your beautiful baby’s number one enemy, by far, is rust. Doesn’t matter what you call it – corrosion, iron oxide, oxidation, or, as many classics are aficionados call it, simply rust, it’s the kiss of death for your classic car. It chews up the undercarriage, and then it gets to work on the body, and then it moves to the interior. And then, your baby is toast.
So, what are you going to do? Well, if your classic car rust is just starting, don’t let it go any longer. There are a few things that you can do.
The first thing you should do is find out just how bad the situation is. If you’re just dealing with surface rust, then you’re lucky. You can probably just sand it away, put on a bit of primer and then paint.
On the other hand, if the rust has munched its evil way through the metal of your car, you’re stuck with having to replace the metal, and this might not be easy. If the damage is minor, you might be able to grind it out, and replace it with a little bit of sheet metal and body fill. If it’s really invasive, then sorry, but you’re probably going to have to replace the panel. And that means either finding a part from a junked classic of the same make and model or having one manufactured.
Prevention?
Okay, so we seem to have deviated somewhat from the original concept here, which was preventing classic car rust. If you live in an area where salt is not used on the streets, then you’re in luck. In hot, dry areas, cars can live a very long time without ever incurring rust. If you’re not so fortunate, then you’re going to have to make sure to wash your car regularly, even in the most miserable weather, and you should also probably apply a good coat of quality wax every few months to protect your car against rust.
And please, don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that you can paint over classic car rust, or seal it in using some other method, because here’s the thing – rust grows underneath anything you put on top of it.
Conclusion
Essentially, make sure that your vehicle is dry, and clean. And if you’re not equipped to look after rust on your own, take your vehicle to a quality shop like D Mac’s Auto Repair in Escondido, CA. You can call us at 760-745-0111 to arrange for rust-proofing or other preventative maintenance and repairs to your vehicle or fill out our online contact form.
