When it comes to corrosion prevention, Project C10’s Rick Drewry says, “It’s the little things you do – a lot of tedious work, but it’s always worth it.” While working on Project C10 Episode 11, Rick is inside the body shop at the paint booth. He’s working with a mishmash of parts, some big and some small, some interior and some exterior. Rick just put a coat of Rust-Oleum epoxy primer on the glove box door after sanding it down. It is essential to do a thorough sanding and complete application of primer to prevent corrosion. Yes, it is time-consuming to cover every surface on every part, but it pays dividends for years to come. You won’t have to worry that your metal parts will be susceptible to corrosion from grease, dirt, chemicals and wear.
How to Prep Large Pieces
On something bigger – the wheel tubs, for example – there’s a lot of surface to cover. You might have some welding or added-on pieces that make corrosion prevention even more important. Rick shows a wheel tub that has a 3½-inch piece added to the middle, where fresh metal meets existing metal with a long soldered edge. By adding a seam sealer throughout, plus a textured coating to the inside, Rick can ensure the result will be seamless and corrosion-resistant. The wheel tub will remain perfectly smooth on the outside and a liner will be added to the inside, giving a tough but stylish finish.
The Best $100 You’ll Spend
Rick notes that a gallon of Pro-Spray acrylic coating retails for about $100, making it a wise and cost-effective choice that protects your vehicle’s body for many years. It’s durable, it stays black, and it gives a neat finish. This is especially important for our kind of project – a white ’65 Chevy C10 truck restoration – because its black contrasting wheel wells will remain clean-looking. Although he’s not necessarily a fan of undercoating the entire vehicle body, Rick believes undercoating the wheel wells is the right move. It protects the body from street grime and keeps the wheel area looking sharp, even when the truck gets dirty on the road. “To me, it’s a must,” he says.
Join the Project C10 Truck Community
Project C10, powered by American Modern, an original video series from Classic Auto Insurance that chronicles the restoration of a 1965 Chevy C10 truck to a beautiful restomod worthy of car show display. Stay up-to-date with Project C10 by subscribing to Classic Auto’s YouTube Channel, following us on Instagram and visiting our C10 Restoration page on ClassicIns.com, where you’ll enjoy step-by-step episodes, project-specific Tech Tips and behind-the-scenes articles that give you an inside look into what it takes to restore a classic collectible like a Chevy C10 truck.
