TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Mar 09, 2010 12:10 pm

I'm about to install insulation and a headliner, and I need some advice. I'm having trouble finding good, solid, experienced advice on the best and most economical way to restore parts like headliner bows and smaller metal parts with surface rust.
I'm going to put pics of the bows up later, but in a nutshell, they're not brittle or out of shape, but have a good bit of surface rust. They're very narrow, and kind of hard to work with.

From what I've gathered, there's a few ways to deal with it, and here's my pros and cons of those methods:

1 - sand/media blasting - the most permanent solution, but costly, could make the metal brittle, and they'd have to painted else rust again. Not sure if I should paint or powder coat due to the temperatures that can be reached in an interior.
2 - sandpaper - cleans the rust, won't degrade the metal, and cheap, but a lot of effort, really easy to bend the bows, and the painting issue remains
3 - rust converter and paint - just painting will obsure the rust and treating prior to with some rust coverter should stop it from coming back. But not really "fixing" the problem.
4 - SOS pad/emery board - best on the metal, but takes the most work. Cheap, and would still require paint.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. I have a lot of small parts like bolts and metal housings (for voltage regulator, wiper motor, etc.) that all need a good cleanup, and if there's a better way than blasting, I'd like to know. Basically, I can work on a car, but actual restoration work, I lack knowledge.

Tue Mar 09, 2010 1:20 pm

I got some 1000 grit sandpaper and hand sanded the bows in my 74 coupe. I did each one at a time sow I could put a coat of sealer on each and label which way they were removed from the car. Didn't bend the bows at all. At least not noticeably.

Sun Mar 21, 2010 12:13 am

Wound up using my dremel and some 400 grit sanding bits, going lightly. Got all the surface rust off, then sprayed sealant. They look great, pics soon.

Sun Mar 28, 2010 9:44 am

I've also heard to thin down your sealant so when it's applied it soaks into the wood more. This will improve the solidness of the wood for when you re-staple the top back on.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 10:20 am

Scooter,

I was referring to the steel bows for the headliner, not the wooden bows for the vert top, I've got a coupe. I used metal sealer on the bows after they were cleaned. I should have been more clear, sorry!