Hello New here.

I know Im opening a can of worms, but I just can't watch rust destroy my van that could run another half million miles with a rebuilt cummins I installed.

The under carriage is spotless, but my gutter has been repaired and filled by the PO down in Florida but it's starting to pop again. He didn't tell me about this gutter rust until I had flown down from Iowa and was standing there. "I thought everyone knew roofs in Florida rust" he said..

Plan is to pry out the existing seam sealer with heat and a sharp screw driver and wire wheel the rest to bare metal, access and repair. Brush primer and paint and fill the entire gutter level with 3M 5200 or Vulkem to prevent and shed any standing water. I'm not worried about a shinny finish as my van is simply a work van built to tow.
I just want it last.
Iv also considered applying 3M extreme sealing tape designed for RV roof penetrations over the entire gutter when done because as stated before. I don't care what it looks like, I just want it to last.

Any additional suggestions on this plan? Should I neutralize the rust (which one?) after grinding the old sealer/mud out because its a pinch point where rust will be hiding where you cant reach it? And do I immediately need to prime it after exposing bare metal?

Thanks!

Whatever you use or do, after you rid as much of the rust as possible,
cover immediately with epoxy primer.
Either brush or spray on.
Epoxy primer is the best primer for bare metal and
you can put anything over it
(if you scuff it first).

I couldn't open any of the pictures. although I have used 5200 and vulkem both good products I think a good 2 part urethane seam sealer would be a better choice. you can get them in a self leveling and regular I use a lot of Lord Fuzor and it works well for me.
Jay D.

badsix wrote:I couldn't open any of the pictures. although I have used 5200 and vulkem both good products I think a good 2 part urethane seam sealer would be a better choice. you can get them in a self leveling and regular I use a lot of Lord Fuzor and it works well for me.
Jay D.

Thanks guys.. Agreed, 2 part urethane seam sealer would be the best, after the repair.
After manually prying out the body filler the previous owner used, some of the vertical drip edge is completely rusted away and gone. I know how to weld, but am reluctant to tear out the vans custom interior and remove ever bit of combustible material from my garage to prevent a home fire. Not only that, but there is seam sealer between the roof and side wall metal that I cannot remove and would contaminate the weld or catch on fire.

After some research, I found epoxy and fiberglass cloth is better than polyester resin (bondo glass) with some mechanical tooth for it to grab onto. Bare or even rusted steel prepped properly with Ospho, bonds incredibly well with epoxy and shrinks less.

Do you guys have experience with epoxy rust out repairs?