HELP Interior surface rust question?

[LanceL]

I am working on a 69 Nova that is going to be drag raced and street driven. It is a roller that needs floors on either side of the tunnel, mini tubs and a trunk floor. It had no interior so it has surface rust on the inside panels as well. I need an expert opinion on what to do with the inside metal panels once I have ground down the surface rust? Put Por 15 over it (kind of expensive), prime it, use a rust inhibitor like something from Eastwood or Ospho etc. or just leave it and carpet and put the panels back in? What would you do? Also under the car once I have the metal all clean what would you put on there? Do I use the Ospho type stuff and then just prime it and then some chassis paint? Help and opinions please. Thanks a lot.

[HandOverFist]

I would clean it up best as possible then apply some RustMort...you can use a detail gun to help get to hard to access areas. Follow up with some epoxy primer and done.

[LanceL]

Thanks for the reply. What about the underside of the car?

[HandOverFist]

You can do the same anywhere on the car...just degrease everything before sanding/scratching around.

[MonzaRacer]

Por 15 expensive? Not considering what it actually does. light surface rust can be scuffed or sanded. For older steel Martin-Senour (NAPA) TRIPLE ETCH is near perfect and gets bare metal all ready for paint/etc.
Now for interior, since its gonna be protected why not triple etch, use good rust converting primer or epoxy primer then good old reliable gloss black Rustoleum, then hit up Second Skin or one of other interior barrier companies for insulaion/matting then new carpet. All this after repairs of course.
Under car if not using Por 15, clean as best you can, then kit bare spots with some etch, etching epoxy primer, then one more coat all over of primer then you can get a siphon radiator paint sprayers and cover underside with same black Rustoleum paint.Not optimum but easily very serviceable and should protect well.
Now if some local blaster or you could soda blast underside THEN etch/prime/paint with any quality paint product will be better than factory.

[Rick Dorion]

SEM Rust Mort is excellent for the inside panels. POR15 will not adhere well to your new floor panels.

[nekkidhillbilly]

rather than por if your going route look into kbs coatings. better priced imo for the same product.

[indyjps]

Wire wheel, acid etch with ospho or similar acid treatment, neutralize the acid, paint. Everyone's opinion varies on paint. I blasted mine, welded in new floor pans, stripped the ecoat off the new floor pans, primed with PPG DP90, UPOL bedliner and topcoated with urethane medium gloss black, not the most cost effective, but I know it will stand up. KBS had a lot of believers, I've never used it, you're not spraying top coat on your floor pans good old rustoleum rusty metal primer or similar industrial enamel would seal it up.

Bottom line, you need to get the rust off and neutralized.

[TheJDMan]

You might take a look at Rustolem Rust Reformer. I have had very good luck with using it as a primer under a painted top coat. It chemically converts rust to an inert primer.

[tm5nardo]

Take a look at Chassis Saver. This product is a good substitute to por15.