Rust treatments?

[Oldyellertruck]

Hello All,

This is my first post.  So let me explain a little about my project.  At the beginning of August my Dad gave/returned my truck.  It is a 78 C20.   He helped me buy the Truck in 1996, and it was my daily driver for a few years before I bought my sisters car that got better mileage.   With the exception of a 6 month period around Y2Kwhen I had to replace/rebuild the engine in the car I have only occasionally driven the truck since early 1998.  Starting in 2002 my Dad started to drive the truck daily to work--about a five mile round trip.   Last fall he bought my grandparents 98 chev truck, and so I was able to bring it home with me after visiting them this summer.

The truck has gotten really rough looking over the last ten years.   My original intention was just some quick fixes to improve the looks--along the lines of a rattle can repaint.  After reading many, many posts on this site and doing a fair bit of internet research, I am taken with the idea of doing more.   Like many on the list, time and money will prevent a frame up restoration.  I am not after a show truck.  This will remain a truck for occasional driving and work (moving and hauling).   I have already bought two replacement front quarter panels from a scrap yard.  I also bought a light bezel and dumbo mirrors.   I have also started to do some sanding on some of the rust to see how bad the worst spots are on the cab and bed.   So far, with the exception of the visible holes behind the rear wheel, most of it appears to be surface rust.

This bring me to my question.  I have read posts here that suggest that if I sand to bear metal that I can just prime and go from there.   While I could do some more sanding, I am wondering what to do about these small "pits" left by the original rust spot (circled in red in the image).  In an ideal world I know that media blasting would be my first choice.   That is not in the budget, so should I keep sanding until they are shinny? Or, should I treat the spots with a rust converter?   I originally thought that something like Chassis Saver would be the way to treat these spots, then use filler or spot putty to level the surface, then use a primer sealer before moving to the final finish.   

What about on the rocker panel where the pitting is much deeper?  I have tapped on it, and the metal still seems to be solid.  I am sure there is rust on the inside, but can I get away with spraying a rust treatment into the space.   It probably won't last, but my thought/hope is that I could keep the rust at bay for several years until I have the skill, time, and money to properly replace the rocker panels.   Though I am planning on having a cab corner, and batches on the rear quarters welded in now to fix those problems.

So, which option would your recommend for the spot rust and for the rockers?

Thanks in advance,
Adam

[81_Chevy]

well since i already had a sandblaster laying around in my garage, i spot blasted the areas of rust on my truck, that way there was no rust left, although there was still the pits. i used just some standard body filler and filled them in and sanded them down so it was all flush. then i used some self etching primer. then i used standard primer. worked great.

for the rockers if the pitting is as bad as you say it is, you might be better off to weld in patches.

-Nic

[Elpresidente]

I've been there man, and if theres one rule I can tell you it's this: if theres rust, or even pitting, remove all metal within at least 2" of the edge of said damaged spot and replace it. It's best not to mess around and get the job done right, or else you'll find yourself doing the same area again 2 years down the road. Remember cleanliness is key, paint the backside of all welded sections (if you can) and when all said and done, coat the back of the weld with some kind of oil guard. It's almost always the case of rust starting from the back of a panel and moving forward.