Now That Winter Is (Hopefully) Over, Here Are 5 Easy Ways To Get Rid of Rust From Your Cars

* Rust prevention for year-round classics
* Easy DIY solutions
* List includes surface protection and rust dissolvers

Classic cars and winter don’t always go well together, but if you have a prized vintage car that you love to drive and you’re not quite ready to retire it to garage queen status, there are some DIY ways to manage and prevent rust and even get rid of surface rust in advance of a paint job.

Especially with some of the more recently-classic models, like the 1989-94 S13 Nissan 240SX and the 1989-up CRX, rust can become an issue even for cars that don’t mechanically act “old” at all. Especially if you’re in California, you might not think of rust as a big problem with your electronically-fuel injected, twin cam, turbocharged classics, but as any 1980s car enthusiast, or really any Fiat owner, might tell you, cars can rust into the ground long before their engines die. As with skin care, when it comes to caring for your car’s skin a little at-home prevention is worth a whole lot of repair. Here are five easy ways to get rid of rust.

1. Corrosion Inhibitor

Especially needful on cars that have been repainted and useful for paint prep, this corrosion inhibitor helps keep classic sheet metal looking good as new.

2. Evapo-Rust

This product, billed as the original non-toxic rust remover, gets rid of the patina of surface rust effectively without introducing further oxidative damage or a huge amount of toxic fumes.

3. Permatex Rust Dissolver

A classic when it comes to classic car restoration, Permatex is a simple, brush-on and wipe-off solution that dissolves iron oxides while leaving uncorroded metal alone.

4. Rust Converter Ultra

This solution is an effective rust barrier for exposed metal areas and it forms a durable layer over existing metal surfaces.

5. Hoppe’s Gun Oil

Hoppe’s Gun Oil, originally developed to keep firearms and other outdoor-use metal objects from getting fouled with moisture, is also a time-honored way to protect vintage automobile finishes.

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