Rusty roof seams

Hey Everyone,

Started my summer prep - with that a ful wax/polish... I always start with the roof - cuz its the most pain. found some surface rust starting by the factory seams/welds? is it coming from inside to out? Its EXTREMELY minor right now, so id like to address it to prevent it from getting bad. Has anyone found a remedy for this?

-I was thinking of smearing some fluid film into the areas... but not sure if itll help + might be messy.

Thanks,
Rob

Rob,
1. Remove as much rust as you can with a sharp object and/or sandpaper.
2. Apply rust remover in the seam
For a more permanent fix have line-x applied on the entire roof

My

For the lazy person:
Because i didnt properly prep my van for winter i just rubbed some chassis grease on the rust spots, the grease protected the rust spots and when i wiped them off to paint this spring the rust had not progressed at all but spots i had missed were wayy worse. Roof may be even better since nothing will rub against it.

My roof seams were rusting so i sprayed them all with rust destroyer and covered with some white paint. So far so good. Use two ladders.


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i used a wire wheel, then por-15 metal ready (rust converter), then primed, painted, then sealed all the roof seams with caulk because mine were all leaking

Wire wheel to remove loose , apply rust converter & let it work then use this stuff to seal over repair area , Used in Europe by commercial vehicle body builders .
3M™ Urethane Seam Sealer, Grey, 310mL Cartridge, 08362

Also clean back to rust free metal either side of the duff seam

This may be obvious to most, but I learned from another thread here not to use any silicone caulking on rusty seams--apparently it will exacerbate the problem. (correct me if I'm wrong)

You're absolutely right- no regular silicon caulk on prone to corrosion metals or latex base paints!

I too just recently found my roof seams with light rust. I also noticed that the roof cross brace spot welds were rusting in most spots. (So much for the "roof cross braces are glued into place" theory.) The few existing rusty bubble non-seam areas I cleaned and covered previously look ok.

I did some light hand wire brushing and coated with white paint for now. Once the weather around here improves I plan to cover the bad areas with Eternabond tape. That should seal things for as long as the van will live.

vic

Im using fluid film for all my rust concerns... ive used in past and very happy. my only concern is getting to the rust. if its underneath-in the cab... then im in trouble as I cant get to it. rv conversion.

For anyone still looking for a solution!

Just got done with repairing my roof. Wasn't bad, light surface rust on seams, spot welds and any dings. After removing rust with sand paper or eating it with phosphoric acid, I spray some "Cold Galvanizing Zinc" out of a spray can. Then I painted with white Topside marine paint (more UV protection than the cheaper stuff) using a roller. Can't see the difference in texture from 10' away.