top penthouse bolts rusting and rust around roof lights
Hello,
I've got a 2005 Ford e-350 with the penthouse. I've got 2 rust related issues.
1. the top bolts on the penthouse are rusting out. They're on the exterior of the top of penthouse. It looks like they originally had a cover on them but only a few still have that. Is there a diagram anywhere detailing the penthouse top? I'd like to know what I'm getting into before diving in. Also, I assume the best replacement will be stainless equivalents.
2. The 5 or 6 exterior lights on the chassis above the front windshield have a little rust around them. One, in the center of course, is blistering around the light holder and needs to be ground out patched and painted. The others with early rust will be cleaned, primed and painted at that time. I'm afraid this is a body shop effort. Should I decide to tackle it myself, is there any magic paint/primer that stops the advance of rust?
Even if the plastic covers for the roof bolts were still there they would still be rusty.....they are just beauty covers. The original fasteners that sportsmobile uses are garden variety cheap stuff.
It's quite simple.....the four bolts in the front are holding the padded wood block inside where the roof is resting on the front crossbar. Two of the bolts are likely also bolting the lifting handles up.
Same for the rear..just no handles.
...Just replace one or two bolts at a time...everything will stay in place.
Get them off any way you can and replace with stainless. 18-8 stainless is plenty good; 316 stainless is more $$ and not as robust...and it tends to gall more than 18-8. Regular stainless at Lowes/Home Depot is 18-8..which is plenty corrosion resistant..unless you live at the beach.
If you want new beauty covers, reach out to member 1der here...he has them. You may be able to buy them from Sportsmobile as well.
Thanks. I'll try to get to that this weekend. I am in the beach area so I'll shoot for the most corrosion resistant solution. The beach air is what's causing the rust cancer around the lights too.
I've heard good things about POR-15 for treating rusty metal. I've always preferred to treat it like cancer and go for 'clean margins' -- grind back to good, shiny steel -- but that's not always practical if the rust has gotten beyond the surface stage.
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N8SRE
1990 E-250 Sportsmobile w/ penthouse top, converted when new by SMB Texas.
I recently checked my penthouse bolts and found some were rusting. Using a wire brush and the wire brush attachment on my Dremel, I removed the rust.
Then, I coated all the bolts, nuts and washers with Permatex Rust Treatment. After that dried, I painted them with an oil based Rustoleum primer. After that dried, I painted them, again, with an oil based Rustoleum paint. I'm happy with the results and hope they last.