I found a cargo van I want to buy. Dodge Ram 2500. Good truck. Good price. Surface rust in patches on the top. I live on the Gulf of Mexico, where rust is King. Those patches of rust can be holes in a year's time. If care is taken, can bare metal be made rust-proof? I am willing to invest money in a paint job, including the prep, but only if I think it will subdue the rust for at least a few years, maybe longer with maintenance. What is your experience?

You really need to get rid of what is there (media blast if it's not too deep), or cut it out and weld in new metal. If the prep is done correctly (DTM primer or epoxy) and the paint is maintained, the surface of the panels should not rust no matter where you live.

chris wrote:You really need to get rid of what is there (media blast if it's not too deep), or cut it out and weld in new metal. If the prep is done correctly (DTM primer or epoxy) and the paint is maintained, the surface of the panels should not rust no matter where you live.

Thanks, Chris. That answers my question. I needed to know if the investment is worth it. I could prep the metal myself and get it right, if I decided to invest the sweat and the painter agrees to top coat over my prep. The metal is sound, with brown powdery rust on bare spots and hail dings. No holes, no flakes. The alternative is several thousand dollars for prep and top coats.

I would expect to see rust later on. I figured if that was addressed then the paint could be made to last. What would be the process to address small outbreaks?

Why don't you post some pictures of the roof

chevman wrote:Why don't you post some pictures of the roof

The truck is in San Antonio, 150 miles away. If I buy it, I will for sure post photos and ask for help. I am an A/C guy, not a body man. Trade?

I bought the truck. I know I am rolling the dice. Here are photos, showing the patches of surface rust. They are numerous. It seems like the paint let go at certain spots, exposing bare metal. I inspected it thoroughly. I found no flaking or blisters, no holes. That's the good news. There are numerous dings from a hail storm. The rain gutter areas worry me the most. I see people discussing sandblasting. Is this an example where that may be the thing to do? Sandblast and prime the whole area, from the bottom of the gutter on around? I don't really want to do any sandblasting or painting myself, but I would invest elbow grease in the prep work.

As bad as that gutter looks I'm sure the inner structure, roof braces are rotted out too. Don't look like a good investment too me even if it was free. Are you wanting to patch this or repair it properly? What are your intentions with the van?

HeavyCollision085 wrote:As bad as that gutter looks I'm sure the inner structure, roof braces are rotted out too. Don't look like a good investment too me even if it was free. Are you wanting to patch this or repair it properly? What are your intentions with the van?

It is surface rust. There is no flaking, no blisters, and no holes. That was determined in the beginning. There is no "patching" to be done, and I do want it prepped and painted properly. I want it rust-free for three years, and maintainable after that. It is my work truck. My prime question was "Can bare, prepped metal be made rust proof or rust resistant?" So far, by way of this forum and two body shops, the answer is yes. From this forum I now know a lot --I know what it needs, I know I won't be buying any equipment and doing it myself, and I know what to ask and look for at the body shops. I sure don't know it all, so keep the input coming, even the negative stuff.

Its hard to see pics on the phone.

HeavyCollision085 wrote:Its hard to see pics on the phone.

I know that's right, HeavyCollision. These photos make it look worse than it is, although any rust is bad news.

I have been to seven body shops. Actually eight, but #8 doesn't touch any rust. I have dollar quotes of 400, 500, 700, 750, 850, 1,000, and 1,150 to sand, prime, and topcoat.

I made a point of not coaching anybody, so I could see how they approached the rust problem. Three shops would use 2k primer or laquer primer, in their words. Four shops would use epoxy primer. Three of those would use Ospho underneath the epoxy primer. I have completion times of two, three, four, and five days. Two shops offered a clear coat system for the finish -- no clear coats, please. One shop includes a written warranty. One shop offered a verbal guarantee. The others made it clear that there is no warranty on rust jobs.

My favorites are the $500.00 and the $1,200.00 shops. The $500.00 shop wants to use Ospho under the epoxy primer, which I do not favor, and will complete in two days. But -- he says there is no way the rust will come back. He believes it. The most expensive shop looks like they have their act together, they offered the most steps, did the most explaining, and is the only one that included removing the caulk in the gutter, priming and painting the metal, then re-caulking, which I really favor. They want to use an epoxy primer that include a dye which will indicate any remaining rust on the metal so it can be addressed -- does anyone know anything about that? Not sure I need it or want it, but it may be part of the warranty. It is worth $250.00 a gallon. This is the shop that included a lifetime warranty in writing, for what it's worth.
One shop literally couldn't tell me what primer they would be using.
So, once again, experience counts big-time on this subject. If you have more input, bring it on, including the negative stuff. Thanks for all your help.