Oldguy48 Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 I've stripped the paint from my P-15 dashboard in preparation for new paint, but the glove compartment door is really badly pitted. Can I just ignore the pitting, or should I do something about it? The plan is to have it painted with a red metalflake,but i'm concerned about the pitting, and I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to painting issues. Thought I'd consult the experts before I proceed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikesinky Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 i had alot of pitting on my truck i used the glazing with the hardner from napa. just put a skim coat on and sand it will fill them up without alot of work.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan32433 Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 The best option is to bead blast or light sand blasting to get the rust out of the pits. If you don't have that as an option, sand and wire brush to bright metal. If the pitting isn't too deep, you can use high build sandable primer in a spray can. Spray on a coat, let it dry, sand with 400 grit paper, then prime again. Do this until the pits are no longer visible. If the pits are deeper, start with spot putty followed by primer. I avoid using naval jelly or other products to remove rust. They are acidic and if not neutralized can cause problem with your finish coats. You can buy all these products at Auto Zone and similar places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 Metalflake on the Dash???? Isn't that kind of courting disaster at certain Sun angles??? I get lasered sometimes of the chrome on my Deluxe dash, cant imagine metal flake, but each to his own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1948mando Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 Hell yes metal flake the hell out of that dash and post up some pictures I myself am a fan of original cars and fat kustoms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Flanagan Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 Oldguy, I'm with Alan. Blast the dash. It's the best way to get the rust out of the pits. Otherwise you'll always be wondering if and when it will start showing up again. If you don't have a blaster and you've only got the dash, you can take it someplace and have them do it for you. I took my rims to a place that repairs starters and alternators because they had a blasting cabinet that they used for rebuilt units. I've heard headstone makers will blast things for you too. Or you could have it dipped. Anyway, once you do that, treat the metal with a phosphoric acid solution. There are a number of them on the market. I use Picklex 20 and think it's great. You just want to make sure you don't use an acid etch primer on top of that. I think that might be what alan is referring to. I'd use a two part polyester putty on the pits. Evercoat makes a good one. It is a cream that comes with a hardener and it's very smooth and easy to use. Ready to sand in five minutes or so. My experience with high build primer is that it didn't fill as well as I thought it would and pits I thought it would take care of I had to go back later and fill with polyester putty. I did have to thin my primer quite a bit due to extremely warm temperatures, so maybe that was the problem. Anyway, after the putty, prime and paint. Tim Adams uses a similar approach, I believe. Maybe Mr. Adams can chime in here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grey beard Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 Oldguy, Do you know Jim Roach? This gentlemen also lives at Berwick, PA, and owns a Pilothouse Dodge truck - also on the forum on the truck side. Interesting that two MoPar guys are from the same small PA town. Good luck with the glove box refinishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldguy48 Posted September 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 Metalflake on the Dash???? Isn't that kind of courting disaster at certain Sun angles???I get lasered sometimes of the chrome on my Deluxe dash, cant imagine metal flake, but each to his own. When I started this project, I agreed to let my wife select the colors she liked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 as Joe says, blasting the dash is about the best method to taking the dash to bare metal..with the curves and openings, any power disk even a DA will tear up the paper and often nick your sand pad..if power device other than DA..well, you are subject removing metal and sand scratches may be a bit deep if you get all the paint removed in the corners etc.. after taking any large panel to bare metal that DID have any sigh of rust..treating it with a conversion product is a must as the small pits may yet contain rust and we need this killed..I do use and mix my own phosphoric acid solution..others use brand name products that has this acid in it..just do use something..there is litle need for self etching primer for a home done job..this is a quick step for body shops and was developed for the elimination of some labor involved processes.. most all these dashes have some degree of rust on the backside as they were not painted from the factory except by some overspray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mulders Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 make sure it is rustfree ! I had my dash done by the guy who spray painted it and boy I am sorry. Very quickly I noticed that the rust was pushing up the paint. I prepared the side windowmoldings myself (with rustremover) and they are still fine. Have to take the dash out again one day and redo it. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 what a testament to doing it right to begin with and the fact that 95% of the time you can do it yourself better for less money... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Flanagan Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Oldguy, To give you an example of how well phosphoric acid works on rust, after blasting, I coat my bare metal parts in it and store them in an unheated, un-air conditioned garage. You won't see a sign of rust on them for a year at least if they sit there that long. If you touch the metal with sweaty hands (seems like mine are always sweaty--must have a guilty conscience), rust will appear within an hour or so. I'd like to see you blast that dash. I'll bet you can find someone who would do it for you. Here's a closeup of some of the pitting I had on one of my fenders. It's all blasted out in the photo but, as you can see, the rust had gone right through: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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