Rusty Van Roof Water Channel

I needed to find some material to raise the rack above the roof for spacing and to prevent the rack from scratching the roof of the van.

Rusty van roof water channel.

Instead use a heavy power washer or a light sand blaster to blast away all the loose flaking rust. It takes a lot of time and elbow grease to remove rust on a van but having the right tools really helps. Being canadian it may not come as a surprise that i found the perfect material to do the job hockey pucks. The metal will eventually flake like one of those posh pastries trapping even more water between the rusty flakes.

A couple body shops said they don t even do rust and they wanted to replace the entire roof which could cost upwards of 2 000 2 500. This video covers how i attack some rust on a ford connect i m converting into a campervan. Get rid of metal roof rust. Use a coat hanger or pipe cleaner to make sure the holes remain open.

I believe it to be from the salt water from my surfboard lesson learned. Rust forms near windshields easily because of the large weatherstripping found around the windshield. Ford connects have usual rust issues around the sills and on the. Inner roof drains.

Flakey rust traps even more water. Having the right tools helps a lot with rust removal. Corroseal and rust oleum are good examples of rusty metal primers you can use on clean. Most of the time not every speck of rust needs to be removed before recoating a rusted metal roof.

Once rust is present on your car it can spread easily under the paint and cause major structural damage. Inner roof drains are used on flat roofs and include a low section or channel that collects water and feeds it into a concealed drain that leads to an underground drainage system. The main benefit of inner drains is that the system is hidden from view. All my videos are in 1080p so check that out just an idea on how to seam seal the roof rail channels on a car that has them.

Another way to prevent rust is to keep the drain holes clear on the bottoms of doors and on the rocker panels the area below the doors so water can t accumulate and cause rust. I drilled a 1 4 inch hole in the center of the each of four pucks. Check for water leaks. Car in the video is a 70 cheve.

For stubborn metal roof rust that. Water can get trapped on the weatherstripping allowing the water to form rust over time. This problem is particularly acute on minivans and large vans. The water or sand will also remove dirt mildew and flaking paint from the surface.