I'm looking for something to get rust off of my engine bay so I can paint. I don't want to sand blast it it's to messy. What are some good acids or brands?

 

Wire brush it and knock the scale rust off and either use the chassis saver process or the por-15 process. Both can be applied directly over rust but they also recommend using the etch agents and what not to insure that no rust will come back.

 

Sweet thank you we'll see how this goes.

 

There's also Navy Jelly if you want to use an acid.

 

Just got some navay jelly, are there any risks besides the warning on the label saying I should paint it within 48 hours? Isn't there a way I could neutralize it after I use it?

 

I believe it is an acid so I suggest rinsing well with soap and water once completed. I think the warning is to paint it before it rusts again. Rust converters work well too. Go easy with it as I think it was developed for working on ships.

 

I've been using EvapoRust which works really well. I follow up with a galvanizing "Fast Etch" from Eastwood which prevent the flash rusting until you paint it. The EvapoRust can be reused but with each use it's potency is diminished. I think EvapoRust even comes in a gel formula as well which would work better on vertical surfaces. It's important to thoroughly degrease first because EvapoRust won't cut through the grease.

 

All right I'm gonna use the navy jelly and if that doesn't work I'll try the evaporust. Would it be ok if I used gasoline to get the grease off and then rinsed it with water?

 

Id much rather use diesel to soak the grease then power wash it. Gasoline fumes are enough to make me uneasy diesel fumes stink but ignite at a higher rate.

 

I tried the Evaporust with some success but I think the electrolysis with graphite plates works much better and is much cheaper. I'm using a large rectangular bin I got from HF (black/yellow) that I can do fairly large parts in. I'm fitting 4/5's of a 15" wheel in it. The graphite prevents the red slime from developing. Use a degreaser like OilEater instead of diesel or gas. You can spray it on like Windex and wipe/rinse it off.

 

Ok oil eater it is thank you for the tips 40 year old rust and corrosion aren't fun thing's to deal with.