I need some advice. I don't have the desire or money to paint the exterior of my truck at this time. I also don't want the sheet metal to deteriorate any further, so I have waxed the truck and store it in a garage. You might be able to tell from the photos that I'm burned through to black primer in a couple of places and burned thru to bare rough sheet metal on the hood and cab roof - but no cancer. I'm wondering if I should lightly block sand the rough metal surfaces and prime with a rattle can, or whether the wax is enough to protect the metal for the time being?
Rust never sleeps! Heed those 3 words! IMHO, any bare metal needs to be treated with a metal prep such as Jasco metal prep. It will kill any active rust and the best part about it is that it can be painted over. As far as the other paint/primer, I'd lightly sand it and rattle can spray it with an acrylic clear coat. Krylon makes a great product in 3 different finish levels: gloss, satin and flat. I love the satin finish clear coat. You'll be able to keep the patina look and protect your investment to boot! Caveat: This is only my 3 cents (adjusted for inflation). If Ol' Chebby or Coilover posts something, listen to them. They're some paintin' fools!
Long term paint plans Great new picture of you and your truck Larry! What are your long term plans for painting it? The surface rust won't stop by covering it on the outside (especially wax)...it will just keep on rusting from the inside to the outside. Same with cleaning something down to bare metal and then coating with clear as it still will begin to show rust from the inside in a relatively short period of time. Probably best to get it cleaned up now and covered with a pigmented coat if long term plans include an eventual paint job. Keep Ken's words in mind, the clear he is talking about only goes over the painted parts to preserve the original if that's what you want. Bob
For now, a satin clear will slow deterioration down, but will not stop it. You can even spray the whole truck with an automotive clear to preserve the patina for now. There is also a few products for bare metal painting, check out www.coastairbrush.com.
