Anyone have experience on how to deal with/treat/prepare surface rusted areas for paint? And how 'bout some of the new rust treatment products, like Rustoleum's Rust Converter or Rust Destroyer, that treats/converts the rust into a paintable surface so you don't have to take it all down to metal? My Maverick has significant surface rust on the roof and top of the rear quarters, and my 64 Galaxie looks like a brown/white Calico cat.....the tops of the fenders are spotty, and the hood, roof and truck lid are pretty much solid surface rust. I'm not really interested in the "patina" look for either of them. I'm going to have to take the risks experimenting/practicing on one of them.
Surface rust can be tricky because sometimes all it takes is a wire wheel and some primer and youre good to go. Other times its an indication of some seriously messed up metal. I wouldnt risk it. Just take it down to bare metal and be done with it. On non-cosmetic items I have simply gone wire wheel then used some rust converter followd with flat black paint. But for panels which youll really hate to need to repaint in six months (if it happens) I wouldnt bother. Spray bombs are cheap, actual body paint isnt
