Removing seam rust?

I just bought my Explorer and tried searching through the threads for help.

So far the only rust I have is a faint coating on the bottom rear hatch and bottom of the drivers door at the seams. I want to take care of this before it turns out to be a big headache like on my Thunderbird. Do I need to grind everything down and start from the beginning or is there an easier way?

Any wisdom to be shared?

 

[Perry]

A lot of times the rust is worse then what it looks like on the surface.
You need to sand it all down and clean it, then maybe put a rust prehibitor on it and then repaint.
Hope this helps. Rust is hard to get rid of.

 

[ajevenson]

Thanks, I appreciate it.

 

[4x4Hunter]

Rust = bad

I'm up in NY so I'm seeing a fair share of rust on my explorer. It seems that the only real way to get rid of it is to cut it out. Some of the guys on the board have described it as a type of cancer...which is probably the best way to approach it. Basically you can cover it up or you can cut it out. I'm researching new panels for mine at the moment. Rockers, Doglegs, Front Fenders, and even a door if I can manage the cash. for a 91 i'm doing pretty well but I wanna get this before it goes any father...if the rust is on the tailgate, you'll end up cutting out the rust or repairing the gate. Good luck with the restoration work!