1968 Bit of rust under rocker moldings

[Forsche]

Got around to taking the rocker moldings off this weekend and cleaning the dirt and grime from that area. Overall they looked really good. The only spots where there was any rust was under the leading edge of each molding. Left side was a bit worse as shown here but us only surface level. Looks worse than it is. Paint peeled off but no deep rust or pin holes. Suggestions on what I should do here? Again, I plan to leave the car as is. This does not show with the rockers on. We will not be driving the car in wet weather. My thought is to leave as is but is it better to treat with a rust destroyer and put the covers on?

Good news is that so far this is the worst rust we have found on the car.

Not sure why but for some reason the PO used a small metal screw (from the outside of the molding through to the rocker) on the leading edge of the driver side molding. You can see the hole in one of the pics. Looks like he used it to hold the molding on but when I reinstalled it I did not use it and the original nut and stud hold the molding on fine. Odd that he did this.

Thanks...

 

[franklinair]

That little baby cleaned up very well.
Surface rust: I would lightly sand the surface and treat it with Ospho (available @ Ace Hardware). It's a mild Phosphoric acid that neutralizes rust. Then paint (aerosol is OK) with a rust inhibiting primer. It won't be visible, as the rocker molding will cover the area.

Rocker molding screw: That's a common practice by some folks to make sure the molding is snug against the rocker panel (those plastic clips on the rocker are notorious for not gripping the molding securely).
Hope this helps.

Neil

 

[Forsche]

That little baby cleaned up very well.
Surface rust: I would lightly sand the surface and treat it with Ospho (available @ Ace Hardware). It's a mild Phosphoric acid that neutralizes rust. Then paint (aerosol is OK) with a rust inhibiting primer. It won't be visible, as the rocker molding will cover the area.

Rocker molding screw: That's a common practice by some folks to make sure the molding is snug against the rocker panel (those plastic clips on the rocker are notorious for not gripping the molding securely).
Hope this helps.

Neil

Thanks, Neil. It's getting there. Its definitely a 20-footer but we continue to be pleased with just how good this old car is. I am new to mustangs and have always been afraid to jump in because of the rust problems. I think we lucked out. There are definitely dents and dings and one spot where a small dent looks to be repaired with bondo but...overall not bad at all.

 

[clubpro]

Hi Steve,

I agree with Neil, but make sure you use a primer/sealer and not just regular primer. Regular primer acts like a sponge and soaks up any moister where a primer/sealer prevents moisture from getting to the metal just like paint. I learned this the hard way.

Cheers,

Ron

 

[Forsche]

Hi Steve,

I agree with Neil, but make sure you use a primer/sealer and not just regular primer. Regular primer acts like a sponge and soaks up any moister where a primer/sealer prevents moisture from getting to the metal just like paint. I learned this the hard way.

Cheers,

Ron

Got it. Thanks, Ron.