Rusted Radiator support

[Buck in WV]

I'm working on a 74 F100. It has a hole rusted through in the radiator support directly in front of each front wheel. I'd rather not replace the support right now because of all of the work involved, so I've cut the bad metal out and repaired with Tiger hair filler, and undercoated it on the wheel side. I'd like to treat the front of the entire panel with something. Should I use some sort of rust inhibitor, or will it work well to just use epoxy primer??? (I'm not sure if I can use both.- Not sure if Epoxy Primer will work over top of a rust inhibitor, or if it is even needed for that matter if I use the right rust inhibitor)

Thanks!

[SHOWCAR FINISH]

Need pics. You'll be hard pressed to try to get any shortcut recommendations when talking about a structural component like
the radiator support. I wouldn't recommend nothing but drilling out
the welds and replacing it with another. OR, I would just use a rust converter and live with it, but that depends on how structurally solid
it is???

[Len]

I'm working on a 74 F100. It has a hole rusted through in the radiator support directly in front of each front wheel. I'd rather not replace the support right now because of all of the work involved, so I've cut the bad metal out and repaired with Tiger hair filler, and undercoated it on the wheel side. I'd like to treat the front of the entire panel with something. Should I use some sort of rust inhibitor, or will it work well to just use epoxy primer??? (I'm not sure if I can use both.- Not sure if Epoxy Primer will work over top of a rust inhibitor, or if it is even needed for that matter if I use the right rust inhibitor)

Thanks!

If you have rusted metal that you're leaving in place you can use a rust "converter" (like Picklex 20) then epoxy primer. Rust is a poor foundation for any coating that's why you want to convert it prior to priming.

[Buck in WV]

Thanks Len: Yes, my question was about putting something on the front of the support to treat rust scale and then using epoxy over it, rather than how to deal with the support structurally. I was concerned because I had read a post that said the Epoxy Primer had to have a really clean surface and nothing that had an acid of any kind on it.

Buck

[Len]

Thanks Len: Yes, my question was about putting something on the front of the support to treat rust scale and then using epoxy over it, rather than how to deal with the support structurally. I was concerned because I had read a post that said the Epoxy Primer had to have a really clean surface and nothing that had an acid of any kind on it.

Buck

That's "etch" primer that can't have any acid treatment under it and any primer needs a clean surface in order to bond properly.