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[Viral_Jim]

The galaxy had a couple of advisories for surface rust on the last MOT and going underneath it this weekend it clearly does need a proper going over. It's nothing structural yet but is beyond the normal little scabs you might expect for a car of it's age. I mean, a rusty ford - who'd have thunk it 

Sadly I don't have time, and the weather is not conducive to stripping the back end and doing a proper job on everything. So what I need is a rust converter/paint so I can hit the worst affected areas with a wire wheel and slather on some stuff to stop it getting any worse over the winter until I have time to do a proper job.

Any recommendations please? 

[johnnydog]

Personally, I would recommend Bilt Hamber products. Once the scabby / flakey bits have been removed, I would use their Hydrate 80 rust converter, followed by their UB treatment for 'underbody' areas.
I have used their products for years and find them to be very good.
Just be mindful that any products dispensed with a spray may have a white spirit base, which should not come into contact with rubber bushes as it can cause them to become soft and 'jelly like' which isn't recommended! Waxoyl is one which doesn't rank very highly from my past experience of it.
Others may have different preferences, but I have used Bilt Hamber products on my classic cars for years and have been very pleased with their performance.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I also recommend Bilthamber Hydrate 80. On unseen areas I let it dry for a few hours then spray  a bit of Supertrol over the top.
Its a waxy substance which keeps moisture our, so helps prevent rust reoccurring.

[Viral_Jim]

Thanks both!

Ideally, should the Hydrate 80 be painted over, or can I safely go straight to a wax-type product such as Dynax UB or supertrol?

[cam.in.head]

bilt hamber products are all very good and highly reccomended but most rust convereters seem to fail eventually with the  best ones just taking longer to do so . on a car that  you may only keep a few years this wont  be an issue and will make the underside undoubtebly look better and last longer  however for a more permanent solution you have to realy remove the rust rather than convert or cover it . this means replacing the metal,sanding the area or blasting the area with your choice of media.then painting with your personall choice of paint !
this is my own experience of long term ownership of 1970's cars that love to rust !
granted modern cars dont rust anywhere near as bad because of advances in protection nowadays untill salt gets a hold or scrapes
but bare steel however caused does .

[johnnydog]

Incidentally, I have also used Supertrol on older cars - it's main benefit it that it penerates spot welded seams and doesn't bridge them, and is suitable for box sections, and areas that are not external or high impact areas. It is not overly durable for underside exposed areas. Bilt Hamber Dynax50 is better for cavities, box sections etc, but for high impact areas such chassis rails or subframes, I would suggest the Bilt Hamber UB. As its name suggests it's for underbody areas, and therefore a lot more durable than Supertrol or the Dynax50.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Thanks both!

Ideally, should the Hydrate 80 be painted over, or can I safely go straight to a wax-type product such as Dynax UB or supertrol?

If the area isnt visible, such as deep in the engine bay, I just use the Hydrate 80 and when dry spray Supertrol over the top of it.
If its visible, then I paint over the top of it. Just for aesthetic reasons really.
Im talking about rust that hasnt penetrated right through the metal though. If it has penetrated then cut the rust out, weld new metal in and paint.

[Viral_Jim]

Great, thank you. I shan't bother with paint then!

No, the rust has definitely not penetrated and even violent poking with a screwdriver didn't produce any noticeable dents or holes. It's just gone beyond surface rust and has started to look scabby in places (mostly the outside radius of the spare wheel well).

In reality I'm confident I could leave it until next summer as is, but the other part of me knows it will be a total b!tch to do anything with if it does fail. Then car has rear air con an the tubing would all have to come out to do any welding, so why risk it?

An afternoon for some peace of mind and a bit of preventative maintain won't hurt.

If possible (and I can convince SWMBO) I'd like to get a good number of years out of the car. I am not a massive people carrier fan, so never having to buy another one certainly appeals. But that would mean an 8yr ownership 

[Doctor Gollum]

The MoT tester suggested some sort of coating at the back of the sills on the Bini. Given the likely life expectancy of the thing, it got three coats of Nitromors Satin Black.

I have previously used a form of Dinitrol as a chemical layer between cleaned up patches treated with Kurust and a protective layer of Waxoyl stone chip.

[Sir Tigger KC]

The MoT tester suggested some sort of coating at the back of the sills on the Bini. Given the likely life expectancy of the thing, it got three coats of Nitromors Satin Black.

I have previously used a form of Dinitrol as a chemical layer between cleaned up patches treated with Kurust and a protective layer of Waxoyl stone chip.

I painted a proper Mini with Woolies non drip gloss black jelly paint once. 

It looked surprisingly OK.... from a distance..... with a coat of dust!