Eastwood Rust Prevention Magic
Resto Shop - Rusty Suspension No More?
HOT ROD StaffWriter
Rusty Suspension No More?
We keep seeing this Rust Prevention Magic (RPM) product in the National Parts Depot ads on the inside cover of this magazine. We were so intrigued by the product and had to try it out. We called Dave Walden at ECS Automotive Concepts and he talked at length about how great the product was and how it came to be.
Dave is a dyed-in-the-wool car guy and also an avid classic car restorer. He came up with the product to protect bare metal surfaces on suspension parts for his projects. He had previously used oily products, which left an unwanted residue and attracted a lot of dirt. Painting cast iron and other bare metal surfaces to look like real cast iron or bare metal is also tricky, especially when you can chip your hard-to-achieve finish.
We still had doubts after our conversation with Dave about RPM. A rust preventative product that goes on clear and doesn’t leave a sticky or waxy film? We had to try it out for ourselves.
01 It’s a simple process. You’re supposed to start with a surface free of rust and oxidation, so we started with a sandblasted steering arm. We used a heat gun (a hair dryer will also work) to bring the metal up to a temperature that would allow us to brush the RPM on and have it melt into the surface. Surprisingly, it didn’t take too much heat. During application, you need to keep the part at that temperature.
02
03 A minute later we dunked the arm halfway into a saltwater bath. After only an hour of soaking, the bare cast iron had a light coat of rust. But the area where we applied the RPM was completely rust free. In fact, the water just beaded up on the treated area. This picture shows the RPM-protected area on the left, the rusty area in the middle, and the untreated surface of the arm we kept out of the bath.
There are few times when a breakthrough new product hits the market. ECS Automotive Concepts has come out with such a product. We were very impressed with the results in our one-hour test. Dave states that RPM will provide up to two years of rust protection. He also says it works well on bare sheetmetal. We’ll be performing more tests of this product on our rusty ’68 Camaro project (featured in the July 2013 installment of Resto Shop).
Electroplating Kit
Restore small brackets and parts of your Camaro to their original brilliant luster with Eastwood’s “at home” Tin-Zinc Electroplating System.
Electroplating is easier than you think with the Eastwood Tin-Zinc Electroplating System. Retail price is $69.99 (PN 10049). For more information go to eastwood.com/cp1213 or call 800.343.9353 source code cp1213.