Rusty frame

[KarinP]

Hello knowledgeable and helpful forum friends. I am almost afraid to ask this question. Bought a 83 scamp on ebay and it is a PROJECT. I have taken the bottom subfloor out and am about to put in a new one but have to ask: is the rusty frame a problem? My husband and I are not perfectionists, gearheads or anything like that but neither are we willing to overlook a major problem if that is what we have. Is it a major deal that the frame is rusted? PLEASE tell me we can put in a new subfloor (thanks to you all, I have the right plywood, resin, etc.) without a lot of worry. What do you all think?

[kevin61]

If it is just minor surface rust it should not be a problem. If it is major with parts of the metal eaten through then you may have trouble.

My 1976 Boler frame just needed a good working over with a wire brush and then a few coats of rust paint.

If it came from a salt air environment it could be corroded. Pictures would help.

[Alf S.]

Hi: KarinP... What I did to our former Boler was to give the frame the "Tap Test" with a ballpeen hammer. If there are no soft spots that require patching but just a lot of surface rust then I gave the entire frame a good coating of Krown rust control.(No wire brushing required) You can buy the aerosol cans(with a spray nozzel extension) for about $10.ea. at your nearest Krown dealer. I felt that the spray would penetrate into areas not reachable by a brush, like inside the frame tubes where open ended and also along the gap at the top of the frame under the trailer floor.
One can will do the trailer frame and takes about 20 min. Your Mileage May Vary!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Donna D.]

There probably isn't a single group of people more willing to spend time/effort/money in order to complete a project perfectly than hotrodders. The product these people use on metal to cure or prevent rust is POR-15. The rustier the part the better this stuff works. Call it One And Done. Not that stuff you buy at the local hardware store that you have to use over and over, year after year. It's not cheap, but if you truly don't want to have to keep using a product time and again, make the purchase... and be done!

POR-15 Inc.

Yes, ALL the paint on the frame needs to be removed. I don't know of any product that soaks through paint (as a rust preventative). Rust starts where paint has chipped and migrates under the paint. Ever noticed paint that's bubbled... that's rust.

For those that travel roads, especially during the winter and salts are used, or live or travel near oceans and other salt water ... POR-15 is a very good solution.

There are other very good products available. It just depends on how much work you want to put into it, what you're willing to spend and how often you are willing to redo the work. Isn't it nice to have choices

[KarinP]

Thanks! I've decided to get the paint and rust off and prime the frame before putting the floor back in. I've attached a few pics, don't know if you can see the rust. I will also have tackle the whole rest of the frame I guess. I'm in Tennessee and I don't know this Scamp's total history but it almost makes me wonder if it wasn't in a salt environment somewhere along the way.