In order to do this, I have removed the fenders. When I removed the fenders, I noticed that the body sealant on the vertical seam just in front of the door hinges was all dried up and flaking off. So I removed the old sealant, thinking that I just had to re-seal the area and things would be fine. HOWEVER...the sealant took all the paint off with it! There is now an area of bare metal about 4 inches wide where the body sealant used to be.

HERE IS MY QUESTION: What is a cheap BUT EFFECTIVE painting method that I could use to cover the bare metal before I re-seal the seam? The metal is in EXCELLENT condition, so I don't have any rust problems. OPTION 1: I was thinking of just using some Ospho to neutralize any surface oxidation, then using good old store-bought body touch up spray paint and then sealing over that, but the spray paint is lacquer based and might react with any polyurethane overspray from the paint shop when they paint my car! OPTION 2: I also thought of using Eastwood's "chassis black" paint because it is enamel-based and has a high solids content and seems durable...but the Eastwood paint is black and my car is white! KEEP IN MIND THAT WHATEVER I DO WILL NOT REALLY BE VISIBLE, so I don't really care what it looks like...I am mainly concerned with long-lasting rust prevention and good protection for the metal.

I don't have an automotive spray gun and am not interested in getting one, since bodywork is not something I am wanting to learn. This car is NOT going to be a concours restoration, but I want something that will WORK to solve this problem.

Any suggestions will be most welcome! (I would have attached a photo of the area of the car, but I don't know how to insert photos into my posts!)

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*andy* ([email protected])

also known as...***Boss Hoss***

One thing you may want to look at is that rust really likes to hide between the door hinges and door jambs even on real rust free cars, as I just found out. I wouldn't leave that area without removing the door hinges and treating and painting the area underneath. {We're using POR on my Mach} One warning though, you'll find the door hinge bolts are history when you take them out and you'll need to run a tap through all the bolt holes. And be carefull not to drop the door hinge reinforcement plates into the door jambs, use a stud in one of the holes so they won't fall.

After seeing what's behind those door hinges, you'll sleep better knowing you cleaned that up.