Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Paule wrote:Is this problem specific to Crystal Light models, or does it affect low roofs too?

Mine is a high roof, all steel, best of both worlds :D

So if the Rhino liner does not help with the rust problem why do some many people seem to be going with that option. I understand repairing the rust spots either way though. Would anyone with experience on that be able to give me a rough estimate of how much that would cost? The guy I bought the van from knocked $1500 off the price when he realized it had rust and he told me that would be about what I'd have to pay to fix it!? It seems as though there are a lot of spots to cover though and that you would have to cut out the areas, weld in new metal and then paint over everything again. If I was to prolong the inevitable I've heard aluminum tape is a good option!?
Thanks

One way took at it is this, any steel car has rust, even newly from the production line, it has rust, the difference is, its sealed well enough that the rust can't spread, thats where products like por-15 come in, they soak into the rust and form a barrier to allow any more rust to spread, i've been using a similar spray product from Dinitrol on the non galv parts of my scimitar, so if you are lining it anyway, you could treat both sides after grinding off the loose stuff, and line over the top of it.

yojimbo wrote:One way took at it is this, any steel car has rust, even newly from the production line, it has rust, the difference is, its sealed well enough that the rust can't spread, thats where products like por-15 come in, they soak into the rust and form a barrier to allow any more rust to spread, i've been using a similar spray product from Dinitrol on the non galv parts of my scimitar, so if you are lining it anyway, you could treat both sides after grinding off the loose stuff, and line over the top of it.

I would be careful about mixing products. The Rhino stuff is messy if you end up with bonding issues.

I'm of the opinion that the only way to deal with rust is to remove it.

RichD wrote:
I'm of the opinion that the only way to deal with rust is to remove it.

Don't get me wrong, I agree, but the OP is looking for alternatives to cutting it out. Cutting it out has it's own problems, crappy welding will just make the rust come back anyway. Usually i cut it out then use every product known to man to arrest it, but then i live in the uk.

I just got my Deli back last week. Had all the steel and paint replaced on the crystal roof. Cost me 2000 bucks, tax free, cash. Looks great now!

nxski wrote:So if the Rhino liner does not help with the rust problem why do some many people seem to be going with that option.
Thanks

You might not believe this but the answer is primitively simple. Instead of paying $300 for a paint job because of faded factory paint it makes sense to use a bulletproof coating for the same price. You cannot scratch it no matter how hard you try.

I coated my roof because of the little spec of rust coming through.
I drive a lot of gravel etc and it gets dings and hard on the surface.
I sanded it down to metal, took out the little surface rust, covered in
POR-15 and let it dry to the specs.

Then coated it with Proflow bedliner.
No more dings from rocks or such. No more rust through the surface
due to it.

It's preventative in my case. To me spending $2000 on a $9k vehicle
is alot. When in 4 years I can get a new(er) one. Money adds up fast
and a little prevention goes a long ways. Same for doing the wheel wells
etc.

FS

I totally agree with Firesong's strategy. After pricing out body and paint work I settled on doing it myself and going for durability over factory look.

ya i wouldnt spend too much on bodywork especially when its so easy. a little grinding then bondo and some rust paint, then rhino away... shouldnt take you more then a day and you'll save 400- 2500 bucks. yikes. just a tip tho dont try to use a paint roller its way easier i find to get it even if you just brush it on.

So for doing it yourself does anyone have a good method? I'm thinking removing the interior roof trim, grinding down the areas with rust and covering with bondo. It seems like it's very possible that new rust spots will begin to form again though in the areas that have not been worked on. Maybe painting the underside with rust-proof paint (as the roof is prone to rusting from the inside out) might be worth it? Then rhino liner the top.

I'm still debating whether it's worth it to try myself as I'm fairly competent with procedures such as this but have never done any major work on a vehicle before. I'd like to learn but I'd also like to weigh my options. If anyone has the name of a good body shop that can give me a quote that would be great too!?

Any help is appreciated,
Thank you

nxski wrote:If anyone has the name of a good body shop that can give me a quote that would be great too!?

Where in BC do you live?

I live in Tsawwassen, or more generally, Greater Vancouver.