# Removing rust in truck tray



## Glennak (Jan 30, 2010)

I have recently bought a truck that was used to chip branches into unfortunatly it was a council truck so they left chips in the back to compost. I will use it for the same purpose except I will empty it daily.
We got in the back with a shovel, air chisel, and hammers and broke up the rust layered at the front and deep pits at the back (this is caused by something else perhaps fertilizer). We removed about 30 litres of rust but there still seems to be enough floor left to use, no holes.
Well my problem now is what to do there is still rust I have been reading all morning here and elsewhere about rust removal. Electolisis is a bit hard but other methods I have found are:
Deox gel to clean the rust off.
Phosporic acid to convert the rust.
Penetrol with Aluminium.
Fish oil.
In my old truck which had rusted through in places I chipped rust off painted with phosporic acid scrubbed and recoated a few times welded plates over holes and painted but the paint just wears off. This was a short term fix but it lasted till I sold it maybe 4 years. But this rust is more wide spread and not localised. 
I was thinking of chemically cleaning off the rust maybe Deox gel then perhaps a paint with fish oil every year. 
I have never used either of these products and maybe the phosporic acid is best?
I'm open to any ideas


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## Mac_Muz (Jan 31, 2010)

I think your on the right track, beat the metal, power wire brush the metal, treat it with acid, spill new ATF on the metal and swoosh it around, bolt on a top coat metal layer, and check under it once in awhile.

AFT? You ever see rust form after ATF was on the metal? I never have, and use it to clean up metal alot.

I live in Hell's Bump New Hampsire, last night it was -8 degrees below 0 F'

Everything here is ice and snow, that means tons of road salt that eats steel and alloy for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I get atf into every pinch weld there is, and paint it all around where I can't spray it. Then if i can hand paint I use roofing cement mixed with atf or not.

If I want the roofing cement to dry I don't oil it at all. If i want it gooey in rockers, then I mix atf with it.

Always oil with atf first. This is one reason rust proofing dosen't rust roof for every. Most rust proofing fails in less than 20 years, and ends up just holding water on steel, but not if you do it my way.

I spray atf on under bodies twice each year, here that works out to be Spring and Fall. To do a chevy K-10 it takes about 1/2 qt aka 1/2 liter.

For bolts I would use 1/2" 13mm carriage bolts and thru bolt, and roofing cement the nuts and threads under the bed.

Seems like 6 bolts should be plenty.


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## Glennak (Jan 31, 2010)

Thanks for the post but what is ATF? 
-8F that sounds cold where I live just SW of Melbourne city (we have water on 3 sides) on a very cold morning there is dew on my windscreen and sometimes it contains a few ice crystals.


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## Rookie1 (Jan 31, 2010)

Hello Glenn. ATF is automatic trasmission fluid. Im not sure you will ever stop the rust. Why not patch it like you did the last one. Worse comes to worse replace the whole floor with a full sheet of metal.


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## Glennak (Jan 31, 2010)

Rookie The tray doesn't need patching it is stil strong and has no holes in it just a bit pitted and thinnner than it used to be.


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## Mac_Muz (Jan 31, 2010)

Sorry I thought ATF was universal speak for automatic transmission fluid.

-8 below 0 looks something like this LOL 






The idea you are working on if no steel needs to be cut out and new steel welded in, is to clean off what rust you can, then arrest it with acid, then protect what you arrested with ATF.

Maybe go here
http://s290.photobucket.com/albums/ll275/Mac_Muz/

Then select the Volvo, or the Jeep, which were extensive repairs, ot the chevy, which was middling, and or the saab which was minor, other than it was a blown shock body mount.

I do this for a part of my earnings, so it isn't blowing smoke..

Deck right over the ATF. If you don't want to, then clean up the atf and top coat that after it gets weeks to soak in. Paints won't stick very well and the bed coats won't very well either after aft.

Roof cement will and it will dry given time. It takes a long time though.


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## Philbert (Jan 31, 2010)

If you can get the heavy rust off (wire brush, sand/abrasive blast) then etch with acid, you might consider one of the polyurethane bed liners. Over here, we have companies that spray them in ($300 - 600 US for a full sized pickup), or you can buy kits that you roll on in several layers (about $50 US - might need more than one). 

The commercial ones are thicker and better (they have the better chemicals, along with the sprayers), but they guarantee them (at least on newer trucks).

The kits might be a way for you to do less annual painting, but you have to get the rust first.

Philbert


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## foursaps (Jan 31, 2010)

two ways to remove the rust that are both easy and kinda quick:
wire wheel on a grinder, go to town removing as much, or all, of the rust you can.
or sand blaster. hit it up with some crushed walnut or baking soda. (both enviromentally friendly)

after that you can either buy some POR 15 (or equivalent) rust converter and apply it to the tray. after that you prime and paint it for the best protection. 

or skip the por 15 and prime and paint it, might not last as long, but it'll be some form of protection. 

these are the steps i used on the bed and frame of my truck and so far i haven't had any rust pop back up. (only been 1 year though) i used herculiner on both the bed and the frame to keep it looking good. doesn't hold up as well as i thought it would, but it is easy to slap another coat on the parts that peeled/chipped off.

EDIT: i'm gonna leave all this here, but the guy above me said the same thing! we must have been typing at the same time, he seems to be faster than me.... and we have the same name to boot!


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## Glennak (Feb 1, 2010)

Thanks for the comments Philbert x 2 I have now wire brushed it and applied heaps of rust converter (KBS Rust Blast) which smells like phosphoric acid but they say it leaves zinc phosphate behind.
Mac_Muz what is Roof cement? Those cars were in very bad condition my wife told me they stopped salting the roads in Germany because of the rust problems and environmental problems but they still salt some autobarns.


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