Another Van Rust Question

[Maine]

There is some seam rust on my 85 Westy (see pics) my questions are:
Would you tackle it now or wait?
How would you go about it?
Some of the rust appears to be along side the seam.
I have a POR kit form Gowesty and some 3M seam sealer.
Thanks
Maine

[jimf909]

What’s on your van to-do list and what’s your tolerance for seam rust?

For the last five years, seam rust repair has always been on the bottom and of my to-do list (after safety maintenance items (always first), engine conversion, high-top, trans rebuild/Peloquin, suspension rebuild, camping/storage solutions, etc.j

But seam rust moves slowly in Seattle and I consider it to be an appearance item at the stage it’s at on my van (it’s worse than yours) so I go camping instead of worrying about it.

If having a pretty van (an absolutely reasonable objective and one I aspire to someday) is important and all the safety items are in good shape then tackle it now this year.

Also consider if you want to do a full-on restoration (windows out, cabinets, etc. out and all rust obliterated), or just a temporary touch-up from the outside (the rust WILL return).
_________________
- Jim

[HackAl]

I have a similar problem, both in severity and location, and I appreciate Jim's answer about where this fits in the long list of things that need doing.

I would have to pull my hatch and passenger side rear windows to get additional rust under the rubber gaskets. It means tools, chemicals and know-how I lack. So I can buy & learn or trust some else to do it. Problem is, few professionals around here have any experience with doing what needs to done for a price that makes sense.

I keep hoping I'll find someone local who I can pay while lending a helping hand and learning in the process. In the meantime, I watch the tiny rust bubbles slowly get bigger and bigger.
_________________
91 Westy.

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[MsTaboo]

The thing about rust is the sooner you tackle the problem the better.
And as for the Por15, I would not use it for this application (in fact I no longer even like the stuff)
Best bet is to clean out the seams (check some of the threads on the subject), use a converter like Ospho, and paint.
Also, remember that the Samba has a great resource right here in the body/paint forum if you need some reading.

Rust never sleeps, it will get worse. Like others have said, safety items are priority, but even a quick repair job is better than nothing when it comes to rust.
Of course it takes a bit of time to do a real quality show room repair, but again, stopping the rust from spreading will help your van last even if the repair spots are noticeable. You can always go back and redo the finish work when you have more time/experience or have a complete respray.
Just don't leave only primer as a finish coat, it's not weather proof, get some enamel over the top.

So, basically, it's tape off the area needing work, sand/scrape, feather the edges, use a rust converter, primer, paint, let the paint cure, seam sealer as needed, and paint again after the sealer cures.
You can buy color matched paint in aerosol cans based on your vans paint code for about $20 a can (but be aware that some of these paints are not high quality and a decent clear coat over the top will help the paint protect the van).
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'90 Syncro Westy 3 knob w/Zetec

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[outcaststudios]

maine is brutal , especially where i live (coastal island) lots of rust...you gotta get on it ! i also have to do this and have been putting it off until the cold breaks. i would definitely sand blast what you can, to truly eliminate the oxidization, however you also have to degrease and wash it down with denatured alcohol and then seal ASAP to even stand a chance to stave it off. seam rust has its own challenges but there are plenty of abrasives for this very purpose, whatever you use be thorough. i am fortunate that i am a metal worker by trade so i have lots of stuff i can use, and honestly im going to just rip out and replace a few panels above the wheels and along the rockers , all those repairs are actually fairly easy these days since the quality of body panels has gotten a bit more consistent. in short its best to just replace the panels and paint from there, that way you know that nothing is hiding beneath the surface or in the cracks to continue.
_________________
'88Doka JX td
'69 westy
(rip)couple bugs
(rip)three type III"s
(rip) '81 vanagon
a bunch of french stuff,and 9 motorcycles.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2573791

[Maine]

Jim good points about safety, as you said those should be the first things on the to do list and I checked those off the first year when I bought the van 4 years ago. I don't think I'm up for a full restoration financially or age wise (not the van but me I am approaching 70). My tolerance for seam rust is pretty high the pictures posted are the only spots of rust that I can see and they haven't changed much in the last 2-3 years.
As others suggested I think when the weather warms up I'll give it a go. In the meantime I'll read some threads on how to do the repair. I'm not particularly good at these types of thing but as HackAl said I would gladly pay some one to do the work good local help is hard to find.

[dobryan]

If it is kept in a garage and not driven in the winter that seam rust could stay like that a long time with no real ill affect. If it is kept outside or driven in the salt then it will get worse soon.
_________________
Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[Maine]

We do keep the van in the garage (while my truck sits outside in the snow) and we never drive the van in the winter.

[outcaststudios]

where ya at? if you need help with anything and im around just let me know.
_________________
'88Doka JX td
'69 westy
(rip)couple bugs
(rip)three type III"s
(rip) '81 vanagon
a bunch of french stuff,and 9 motorcycles.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2573791

[zuhandenheit]

This, here:

[Maine]

[outcaststudios]

ha im out in deer isle hey neighbor! offer stands
_________________
'88Doka JX td
'69 westy
(rip)couple bugs
(rip)three type III"s
(rip) '81 vanagon
a bunch of french stuff,and 9 motorcycles.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2573791

[?Waldo?]

[Bulli Klinik]

There should be a single thread related to long term results when dealing with seam rust. Maybe a sticky? Personally, I cut it out and replace it with good metal, though I understand that is a lot of work and possibly more than some are willing to spend.

The best ideas I've heard on here are scrub it out if it's lightly bubbling, wicking Ospho or some other brand of Phosphoric acid into the seams, then epoxy, though I've yet to see how long term this solution would last. It would be nice to document these type of repairs and have annual updates. It would go a long way in helping folks become more informed prior to spending $$$ on a paint job.

If I had a dollar for every Bus I've seen with recent paint and rust bubbles at the seams...
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[dobryan]

[outcaststudios]

[dobryan]

Ouch. Oceanside is not a friendly bus climate.
_________________
Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[DuncanS]

Same issue for me in NH and previously VT. At our age and climate, i think it's like a slightly raised PSA prostate number. Watchful waiting. I'm a daily driver and when salt is on the roads, I go to the wand washer and pummel the hell out of the underside and especially around the wheel wells and front step foot wells. This seems to keep it at bay, but.............. A time comes when it needs to be addressed. The problem is that these seams are made of two 90º bends and welded together. The water gets into the space between the bends and sits there and the rust migrates to the outside painted surface and then we see the blistering of the paint and sealer. By that time, there is a problem back inside that sandblasting and so on from the outside won't really fully address. I say this is like having prostrate surgery where most of the bad areas are removed, but there is still plenty of tissue/metal issues that can resurface--pun intended here. I've always thought the solution would be to remove the backward bends of metal and weld a strip across the gap. Then treat the bejazus out of the back side in terms of protection and then there is no more seam. Plus you get a cleaner looking vehicle with no panel interruptions. I did that on a 181 I had and it worked really well.

It looks like the shallow groove just forward of your DS wheel well has some body putty with rust underneath pushing it out. I would definitely attack that area and clean it up. The horizontal seams bother me more than the vertical ones as it can happen quicker with those. Do you have a Westy with built-ins on the left side? They are prone to problems behind the cabinet work and would check that out thoroughly as once the lower panel starts going, it can become something pretty nasty.

[Maine]

The three rust spots that I posted are the only ones that are visible and are all on the drivers side which is the same side as the cabinets. There has not been much progression in the last 2-3 years.The van is garaged year round and never driven in the winter which others have mentioned helps slow things down. However, I think its time to address the rust that I can see. My biggest concern is once I start the process who knows where it will lead. I have the same problem as hackAl (only more so I am sure) I lack the tools and knowledge. Once the weather warms up i'll give it a try, in the meantime I'll educate myself as much as possible. Other than the rust the van is in really good shape.

[DuncanS]

Do you have any rust at the edges of the glass where the rubber meets with the tin? You will need to get some stuff from Harbor Freight. I would start with a fine grit disc in an electric drill and just try working around the areas where there seems to be some body putty in front of your rear wheel and see what’s underneath there then you can decide what different tools and so on you may need.