40204 Metal Prep - 1 quart

Hey gearheads!! I am quick to complain about products that do not live up to claims, but in this case I used a product which exceeded my expectations by far: Por-15. Our Saab is mostly rust free except for the frame rails in the front clip, and the rear crossmember (the crossmember is replaceable... /if/ I want to do a full rear suspension rebuild). Last winter before I put the Saab back on the road (a part was on backorder) I found the torque box joints in the front had thick flaking surface rust but now just seven months later the whole front frame is rusting. most "rust converter" paints are frauds and do not work. Por-15 is a multi-step system where you clean the metal with degreaser (I skipped that step as the frame only had a couple of tiny greasy spots on it), scrape off any flaking paint and loose rust, then you apply a metal prep solution that both etches and thinly plates any bare metal and converts rust into a different iron oxide forming a patina, and then you apply the rust preventer to stop the rusting process. Well I did the etching step today, agitating it with a steel brush, washed it and blew off the excess water with a leaf blower, then just went out to check it after it had time to dry. I was amazed; everywhere I had agitated it with the steel brush, the rust had either been removed down to bare metal, and where the rust was slightly deeper it was converted to a black oxide (a patina), and the bare metal sections had a very thin but visible zinc coating. This stuff actually works. and once the rust was removed I found the frame is perfectly fine. Because it has spread though I am taking the front end off to treat the sections covered by the bumper and spoiler panels then I will get a paint sprayer and paint it. if you're restoring a bike or car where rust is in the early enough stages that the metal is still solid, try Por 15. if you follow the steps like I did that are provided in reviews by people who have had good luck with it, the results will blow you away. Not only will I be able to get another winter or two out of the Saab but it will probably last a long time for whomever I give it to. That is assuming of course the frame isn't also rusting from the inside out but I have an idea on how to address that with a pressure washer, Por 15, and fluid film. for the rust preventer I chose silver because it provides more pinhole hole filling capability but fortunately that was unnecessary because I caught the rust early enough. Follow directions and you will be pleased. Be sure to agitate it and reapply the metal prep many times, keeping the parts you are treating completely soaked. Attached photo is of the front subframe assembly/engine cradle with metal prep only, no Por15 preventer coating yet. The patina is black when dry, and brown with a slight reddish hue when wetted with water. I did not take before photos but if the rear crossmember is bad (I haven't checked yet) I will take before and after shots when I get to it. I will be applying silver POR-15 followed by black POR-15.

I bought this as recommended for use with the POR 15 sealant to prevent rust. I spent hours sanding and grinding the rust off the underside of a replacement truck bed I purchased for my Ford F5150 in preparation for the application of the POR 15 sealant and rust preventative which cost over $50 a quart. So when I watched some videos and all of them recommended the use of a metal etching solvent as the final pre-step, I felt it was in my best interest to make the purchase. Is this step required, heck I don't know but I was not about to cheap out after all that work. The process requires you to brush or spray this on and keep it wet for 20 minutes. Most video I saw people used a pump style sprayer for this but I choose to use a spray bottle to apply it since it was the quickest and easiest way for me to just purchase a good spray bottle. But it was just enough to cover the truck bed so keeping it wet for 20 minutes was a challenge with no extra spray after the initial application. So I covered it with plastic once it was sprayed to hopefully prevent it from evaporating too soon. It seemed to work, but 20 minutes? Not sure about that. But it definitely changed the appearance of the metal. However, even after rinsing it off, which is the final step, it left a white residue behind in spots which I was not sure about so I used a rag with some mineral spirits to wipe that away. It was not mentioned in the instructions on the bottle so I assume it was the thing to do and since mineral spirits contains no water I felt it would not hurt. I just did not make sense to me to paint over some powdery residue. In the end the project came out great and I am pretty confident in the work I did. Will the use of this product make a difference? It does make sense to remove as much loose rust as possible and creating a surface for a paint type product to adhere properly is something I have done many times so it makes sense. When I pull the old truck bed in the spring I plan to go through the same process on the truck frame below the bed. I will most likely try and find another cost effective etching solution so I can be sure to keep it wet as suggested. That would be my recommendation here - that is, get enough to keep it wet for the required 20 minutes. You can use the size of a 4 x 6.5 foot truck bed as an estimation measurement and decide to purchase this product or a more economical alternative - if there is one. Side Note: The process also calls for degreasing the surface before using the etching solvent. Again POR makes a product for this purpose, but in this case I just used some Purple Power degreaser which I have used for years when I needed a degreaser. I could not justify the purchase of the POR brand in this case. I did not see how it could be much different than any good degreaser that is applied and rinsed off in the same manner. Just something to consider.

As advertised

Works excellent

Used on the I beams on the bottom of the 5th wheel trailer. I sanded off the really rusty spots, prepped, neutralized and applied the POR-15. Just a warning either wear old clothes or be prepared for permanent black spots. I also used gloves. I have quite a bit left so I just applied the remainder of the POR-15 over the existing black coating on the Ibeams. Looks good. Not sure how long it will last without having done the prep in those areas but it seems tough. And better than letting the POR-15 cure in the opened can. The can was VERY difficult to get open and I basically destroyed the can rim getting it open - hence the incentive to use it all immediately.