Removing rust on bonnet lip

[Captain Jack]

Now that my car is more or less mechanically sound, I want to try and make it look nicer. I have some bubbling and very minor rust on the bonnet lip due to stone chips.

Is there a DIY method of cleaning it up and respraying it or would I be better off with getting it done by someone who knows what they are doing?

[GingerMagic]

Hi CJ, I would definitely recommend getting some quote to have it done properly. Maybe you could do the donkey work rubbing down etc to keep costs down but there are a few ' cosmetic touch-up ' places springing up all the time.
Failing that, try this;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150967660465? ... 1438.l2649

Kelv.

[Captain Jack]

Er... not sure I like those bra things. I haven't seen a single one yet!

Will see if I can get a quote!

[TheSongRemainsTheSame]

I just did mine and it looks awesomely good. Kinda proud of myself.

Things you need:
- Sanding paper. 320, 600, 1000 wet. Maybe some rough stuff for the rust removal.
- Rust Guard - we call it rust milk.
- A paint kit from the dealer. These are about £8 here, small can with paint and small can with clear.
- Primer or spray filler
- Some kind of filler.
- Rubbing compound. Either some mcquires heavy cut or autosol chrome. Its basicly the same stuff.
- Masking tape and something as mask. I use some plastic bags.

So, here's the steps:
0. Mask. The trick is to spray towards the edge for best result. I like to paint to a turn, on the bonnet you should aim for new paint from the downturn about 4-5 cm from edge. Mask here. **
1. Get the bad stuff. Sand down, make sure to get all the rust.
2. Get the Rust Guard on there
3. Use the filler if needed.
4. Sand down, fill, sand down untill happy.
5. Now primer or spray filler, then probably some more sanding.
6. Paint. The pug dealer spray paint is kind of runny, so about 10 very thin layers is best. Then do the same with clear. Remember, towards the edge is your friend.
7. Leave it overnight, preferably somewhat warm. Note it looks kinda bad still.
8. Now do the rubbing. If you have access to machine polish that works best, if not it is a lot of work. Anyway, with a machine rub for 2-3 minutes, low rpm, about 2kg pressure so the paint get a bit hot. Medium pad, 4 small drops of compound.
9. Enjoy your impressive new finish, get some pure wax on there for protection.
10. Be bothered by the fact that your bonnet lip looks a million times better than the rest of the car and get working

**the reason being that the new paint might be a very slight missmatch, and if you get it right at an angle then the difference is impossible to spot.

I have some more stuff to do on mine, will get some pictures and a guide in here next week.

[teamster1975]

Very good post TSRST! I've got a bit of rust on the volvo's bonnet lip; it's not very conspicuous so I'm tempted to have a go myself; looking forward to seeing your pics!

[FarmerPug]

Good advice on the bonnet repair, i have a bit of rust underneath the bonnet in the box sections, but ive pumped in grease every year to keep it from getting worse.

I have to say, them bonnet bras look like shite id rather rust on the front of my bonnet than one of those eyesores

[TheSongRemainsTheSame]

I have unfortunately been too busy this week to get anything done to the car. Being an engineering student and having a full-time job will sometimes do that to you:)

I will get to it as soon as I have the time.

[TheSongRemainsTheSame]

Here's the guide as promised:

You'll need:
- Sanding paper. 320, 600, 1000 wet. Maybe some rough stuff for the rust removal.
- Rust Guard - we call it rust milk.
- A paint kit from the dealer. These are about £8 here, small can with paint and small can with clear.
- Primer or spray filler
- Some kind of filler.
- Rubbing compound. Either some mcquires heavy cut or autosol chrome. Its basicly the same stuff.
- Masking tape and something as mask. I use some plastic bags.

First; my work area. The previous owner had clearly just thrown some paint right on top of the rust. Better get working.


Here we are sanded down with 80 grit paper. Notice I've masked the engine and the front of the car. It might seem boring, but it is quick and very much worth it. The trick here it to sand down the bad spots and leave most of the good stuff. I use 80 grit paper to get the rust and get to the metal quickly and get it ready for the Rust Guard.


This is the rust guard/rust milk at work. This stuff transforms the rust into metal. Leave it on for at least three hours. The metal and rust will turn dark blue.


I did not have time to do anymore, so I threw some primer on the just-milked metal, to protect it. Also the first layer of filler is on.


Between the first layer of filler and this picture, the following has happend:
- I've sanded down the the first filler layer with 320 wet paper.
- I've done another layer of filler.
- I've sanded it down with 320.
- I've done two rounds of spray filler and sanded them down with wet 1000.

You can usually get away with one layer of filler, but I've found that I need two for that perfect result. Also I'm a bit of a perfectionist One will get you by just fine tho.

Regarding the sanding - you sand, then feel with your fingers for inperfections, then sand again untill your fingers can't find any edges. You'll see them once the first layer of paint is on:)


Ok so painting is going on. Painting is simple - primer first (tip!: get a primer that matches you paint color. I'll show you why later) - paint - clear.
A few tips:
- Many layers are easier than few. If you want few do a very light - then a heavy - then light. I do about 10 layers, trying to get the coat nice and thick for the rubbing. I used a whole can on the front lip.
- Then do many layers of clear. Car paint is usually 25% primer, 25% paint and 50% clear.
- Spray towards the edge of the body panel you are working on.
- In the case of a bonnet lip such as this you have to spray the other way to get enough paint on the lip. Don't worry, you'll get it off.


After you are done with the paint it will look like sh*t. Don't worry about it, we'll fix that in 24 hours

So here's my bonnet after all this work. I've just cleaned the car, and it's not looking good. I've clearly spilled paint and done a poor job with the wiping. It also feels very rough to the touch and reflects light very funny. The pain looks decent very close up but horrible at a distance.


Meet my friends!
- I'll do my bonnet two ways here. One half with soft pad+autosol, the other one with hard pad+pure wax. Just as an experiment.
- The idea is to heat up the paint a little to add the wax and clean up the roughtness. Move the machine about 0.5 inches/sek with 2-3pound pressure, at lowest possible rpm. Work for about a minute, be careful not to grind too long. Work a small area, wipe wax, and then start again.
- You can also do this by hand, but tbh it would probably be a lot of work. Borrow a machine from someone. You don't need an expensive machine.


After the rubbing part I added a layer of pure wax.

Finished pics:



Sunlight (There are no spots on my bonnet lip, it's just light playing with me):


Remember what I said about matching primer color? If I'd used black primer this mistake would not have mattered:/:


I'll fix that another day:)

[TheSongRemainsTheSame]

Oh and regarding the difference between autosol/soft pad pure wax/hard pad - not really any. I'd go with the pure wax just because it feels a bit safer.

Did the pictures show for everyone?

[Sonia406]

That's a damn good job TSRTS!
Love the pictures, you did a fantastic job.

[oldcol]

What the guy who gave such a great explanation of procedure did not say is that his rust presumably had not perforated right through the panel metal. It often does, which makes the job a little more complicated. I have a few lightly rusting patches on the front lip of my 03 estate so i am taking the lazy man's way out and handing it over to my son who is a qualified vehicle body repair tech* who now runs his own business, he can sort it out while i sit at home with my feet up . heh heh heh. Pay back time.

** He is also a qualified mechanic. Saves me a fortune. (I do offer him money but he won't take it.)