>> ALUMINUM hood blistered with corrosion, need short- and long-term fixes.

[fixizin]

Was it just the 1998-2000 Rangers that had the aluminum "GT Racing" hood? (Anyone know the weight savings?)

Even though I've been able to keep Le' Ranger out of the harsh sun MOST of its life, my allergy to waxing is finally catching up to me. FoMoCo paint is giving out after "only" 25 years, and I've got a few blistered bare spots on the hood, that I need to remedy/stop short-term, until I can get it "done right" later on. (Pics to follow...)

Anyway, I'm guessing few people have dealt with aluminum body panels, but what say ye, RKIs?

 

[bobbywalter]

patina is nice

 

[pjtoledo]

on corroded aluminum wheels media blasting works.
maybe try a power washer to get the loose stuff off first.
aluminum corrosion is different than rust. it turns into a white powder and mostly falls off leaving
dark grey metal that can be pitted so sanding is not effective.
that's where media blasting works best, it gets into the pits.
for the wheels I use a fine or medium glass bead. not sure what works best on sheet metal.
even after blasting the parts need a thorough cleaning to get to impacted/embedded media off the surface.

how 'bout some pics?

 

[fixizin]

Pics coming tomorrow... NOT pretty.

 

[19Walt93]

Get an estimate from a body shop qualified to do aluminum, it has to be worked with dedicated tools that haven't been exposed to steel but it's not rocket science. I don't like "patina", if I want to see something weatherbeaten I'll look in a mirror. Keep the Ford so you'll still be allowed to wear men's clothing.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Wow, tough room

 

[fixizin]

Da OOGLY truth:


Orange "stuff" is sunrise-glare, not rust... (rust is on the steel parts, durn...)

 

[pjtoledo]

ouch, that will probably grow exponentially once you get started.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

ouch, that will probably grow exponentially once you get started.

Yeah, definitely do something now. Aluminum can corrode just as badly as steel, and you can end up with holes quickly.

This came up with the aluminum skin on the old Saturn V rocket on display at Cape Canaveral when it was being restored in a new climate-controlled building. It had sat outside by the ocean for decades until then. The restorers would start work on what appeared to be pits in the paint, only to find that the paint was just about all that was left in some big areas because the aluminum had been eaten away by the humidity and salt. They ended up with large holes. Patching was necessary.

Some people seem to think that aluminum is some miracle lightweight corrosion-proof metal. It's not a miracle metal, not necessarily lightweight, and definitely not corrosion-proof. It has serious drawbacks as bad as does steel, but the exact drawbacks are a bit different.

 

[CrabGuy]

I'm afraid that hood is past the simple spot repair stage. It's probably best to send it to a shop with Al experience for a complete strip/fill/and prime. Getting a good final paint finish is really dependent on a shop using the correct etching primer for Al. People that think aluminum doesn't corrode have never had an aluminum boat on the Oregon coast; it's a constant battle to keep it in check.

 

[pjtoledo]

in the rust belt salt does a major number on aluminum. the tiniest rock chip allows corrosion to creep away under the finish coat unnoticed.

 

[MaicoDoug]

Aluminum corrosion, known as "aluminum oxide" has a hardness of 9 on a 1-10 Mohs scale. Crazy hard.