Under frunk rust treatment

[m1tch]

After removing basically everything in the frunk (and reattaching the alarm bracket) just checking around the area and I can see that some parts are fairly rusty, looks like mainly surface rust and paint that has peeled off etc, things like the radiator brackets etc.

How should I tackle sorting this out, what sort of product does everyone use to stop the rust in its tracks - once I have arrested the rust I will then look to paint everything to protect it, to be fair for the number of miles and age of the car its pretty rust free which is good!

[Carolyn]

I use 'Fertan'.  Not cheap but very effective.  It comes with a spray nozzle, but I prefer to paint it on as it ends up being less messy.

My method (for what it's worth):

Get rid of all loose/surface rust with wire brushes and heavy abrasive paper.  Apply rust treatment.  When dry, spray over with zinc primer.  Paint to taste. I tend to use steel wheel paint under the car, 'cos it's designed to be in the muck and take some hammer.

[page3]

Apologies for resurrecting an old(-ish) thread, I thought it might be a good idea to keep the information in one place, in case someone like me needs to follow it!

Having unearthed the MR2 from its winter hibernation in the garage, I've done the same as m1tch and removed most of the front end of the car (now including bumper, headlights, frunk, top radiator brackets, frunk support brackets) to tackle the rust. I've soaked the radiator brackets and the long frunk supports in a vinegar solution and they've come up nicely after some scrubbing.

As we all like pictures, one should hopefully appear below of the slam panel with the surface rust showing (radiator corner brackets removed). The front cross-member (under the base of the frunk) in front of the steering rack has also suffered, and the anti-roll bar isn't looking great so I might replace that at some point.

9C9D5112-F2A9-4FAF-8D92-92169C7E94FE by page-rage, on Flickr

I'm planning on attacking the worst bits with a wire brush and abrasive paper (and possibly a flapper wheel for my drill if I can find one). To treat I've bought some Hammerite rust remover gel which I've used previously on another car, and some Fertan based on Carolyn's recommendation above.

I'm happy enough having a go at this, but have a few queries I was hoping forum members might be able to help with:

1) rust on the underside of the slam panel closest to the radiator is worse than on top (as shown). Any advice for getting to this? I'd rather not remove the radiator if possible (that's a job above my skill level at the moment).

2) I'd like to repaint the exposed/treated areas in as close to the existing colour as possible. This could be tricky - body colour is Sable Grey 1E3, and the under frunk area appears to be a matt grey version. I'll paint the treated bits in Hammerite or Zinc primer, but would prefer the original colour for the final coat for the bits you see so it looks less like it's been in an accident(!). Has anyone tackled this or had a go on a Sable Grey car?

3) while I'm in the area, and at the risk of probably leaping into other threads, is there anything else to treat while I'm here? The steering UJ doesn't look too bad (famous last words), is there anything I should do to it?

Right - now I'm off to find a picture guide for my first oil change!

Regards,
Nick