should I worry about this rust? (pics)

[hydroxy]

Ok, went out and took some pics of my explorers rear end w/out the spare. I plan on taking a wire brush to the whole underside and painting it with rustoleum, but I'm just wondering if I should at all be worried (structurally) about this rust. 1995 ex.

Sorry about all the pictures... I'm borrowing my friend's digi cam which means I can finally take a lotta pics for free, and they are really good quality. I went a little trigger happy

Also - can I paint my spare tire w/ rustoleum? The rubber part that is. I want it to look good =P I know it would probably all flake off if I actually used the tire, but I'm just worried about any negative effect the paint my have on the rubber.

Here are some pics of the bolts taken off my rear bumper... it seems when the guy who borrowed my ex backed into a pole (5mph) he did this. $9 just to get that piece replaced!!!

 

[Ak LTD Xplorer]

no..that all look's normal...just clean it up and put some paint on it and call it good...sure you can paint the tire..it will flake off when you move the tire tho...

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

They look pretty standard issue here. What you need to do though is to grease the spare tire cable thingy so it won't snap or just won't work when you need it.

 

[DeRocha]

Nice clear pics. I have a cheap $30 digital that I use in the garage. Its great for taking pics of parts before dissasembly to show how things go back together. Plus the thing is so cheap I don't worry about getting it a little dirty etc...

Billy is on the money.. Unwind the winch cable, grease it, and wind it back up. Many cables have rusted and snapped due to this neglect. Don't waste your time painting the tire. It will fake off as soon as the tire flexes and then look like crap.

BTW: I HATE RUST!

 

[Texplorer]

Hahahaha, you call that rust, thats looks showroom new compared to my undercarrige. I dont think you have anything to worry about. Looks great for the age of your Explorer.

 

[X~FACTOR]

Originally posted by Texplorer
Hahahaha, you call that rust, thats looks showroom new compared to my undercarrige. I dont think you have anything to worry about. Looks great for the age of your Explorer.

Exactly my thoughts- my '97 looks a lot worse than that. You should paint spray the wheel and for the tire, soak it in Armor-All or something.

 

[Alec]

My Texas Explorer didn't look that good.

 

[MONMIX]

Keep the hardware soked in Zep-45 or CRC or WD-40.
So when you need to move it, it moves.

Bottom line you will never be rusts master.

 

[Nate1]

My explorer in Fl looked worse than that... you have nothing to worry about. None-the-less... if you have some spare time, a wirebrush, some 'rusty metal primer', and a can of rustoleum would probably be more coverage then you'll ever need.

Be forwarned, if you don't use some sort of primer for rusted metal, the rustoleum won't last much more than a year...

-----Nate

 

[Alec]

Duplicolor makes some nice black primer that sticks well to slightly prepped metal.

 

[Nate1]

Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer
http://www.epinions.com/content_105065320068

 

[TAS98xlt]

What is rust?

 

[hydroxy]

TAS: Dont bother commenting on rust, we all know you have taken a magnifying glass and toothbrush to every square inch of your ex. I bet you even tuck your ex in at night. haha


And yes, I have the rustoleum rusty metal primer as well as Rustoleum enamel in gloss black. I'm going to take a wire brush to everything and then primer+enamel it all.

Here is a quick pic of what it looks like after the primer, then the enamel.

On the brackets, where the paint is bumpy is where there was still rust damage. I couldn't get rid of it all, but I figured getting rid of some was better then nothing. I got most of the rust colored metal off, but I know there is some still lurking below the bumpy metal.

Here are some of the bolts for the rear bumper... The rusted up ones in the center were the bolts on the bumper, the slightly rusted ones were on the frame. I'm replacing the ones on the bumper (kinda had to)... you can see the new ones have a coat of rustoleum already on them.

 

[Ak LTD Xplorer]

man, that look's good..i need to do that..lol

 

[99SportX]

That looks great. Hopefully it will stop the rust right in its tracks. I just might have to try this.

 

[boominXplorer]

Dont always trust your spare

 

[hydroxy]

haha, it looks worse then it is. However I'm worried about it because the really only rusted parts are where the lugs fit in. I'm painting all the metal w/ the primer + enamel and spray painting the tire itself.

what kinda grease do I put on the spare tire cable?

 

[Nate1]

Multi-purpose lithium grease should do the trick

 

[DeRocha]

Removing rust brings great satisfaction. But it's return is a big downer... Keep up the good work...