We have a 2008 Winnebago Sightseer 35J that we bought new and absolutely love. Unfortunately the angle iron holding the outside cargo bins together and in some cases the side walls of the bin are rusting out. We do use the coach four seasons but holy toot I would think things would hold together better than that. It is stored inside. The chassis is fine but now I am starting to wonder about things like the propane tank rusting and such.Any insight into rebuilding the bins and how long the propane tank is good for?? As Always, Thanks!

Found another Winnebago rust posting. http://forums.motorhome.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28229227.cfm I was actually searching for a previous article for OP showing storage bay restoration from rust. Cant remember where it was posted or printed. Quite sure the MH was an American Coach. There are also some real rust disasters on normal vehicles over 8 years old on Michigan roads. Road salt is a real killer.

I'm new to RVing and have no experience there, but I've had good luck in the past with Loctite's Extend rust treatment on other products like old trailers that sit in the weather all the time.

We have a 2008 Sightseer 29R, and the rust in the frames around the cargo bins has been a constant problem. At least once a year I need to scrape off the rust, put rust converter on it and repaint. At this point, all frames have been redone, some twice. Seems the metal may not have been properly primed or is of poor quality.

Preventive maintenance is the key. Many people including ours have the same issue even on new MH's. I just scraped ours this summer with a wire brush and wiped dirt off where the rust was. Then painted with Black Star Rust converter and painted with rust preventive paint. I can see this is a yearly thing to go over until I get a new one? The factory painting on the structural framing is a joke. There were places where it just peeled off.

There is a $3 per quart chemical you can get at hardware stores that converts rust back into metal. It's the stuff that the expensive products are based on. Phosphoric acid. It does work. It's not alchemy. You don't end up with the same strength metal though. I use Jasco brand.Your propane tank is very thick metal. It'll take a hundred years or so for it to rust through. Just give it an acid bath and repainting.

rusting out cargo bins | Good Sam Community

Hank_MI
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
jwmII wrote:
Check out Eastwood the car resto materials supplier. They have a

product called Por-15 , and the associated materials that are suggested you use with it. Follow the directions on these items and it will be a long time before you will have to go there again.

Chassis Saver is pretty much the same as POR-15, I've used both. Just used Chassis Saver on our 2003 Adventurer. Not a lot of rust, some compartments had none but thought I'd take care of it before it got worse.

The local AutoValue carries Chassis Saver. Like POR-15, it goes a long way so if you try it, start with a small can, like a pint.
jwmII
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
Check out Eastwood the car resto materials supplier. They have a

product called Por-15 , and the associated materials that are suggested you use with it. Follow the directions on these items and it will be a long time before you will have to go there again.
creeper
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
Get off what you can and then undercoat with fluid film, you can get it on amazon in spray can or by the gallon with a spray gun. It can get deep inside the squared tubing.
Jim
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
There is a $3 per quart chemical you can get at hardware stores that converts rust back into metal. It's the stuff that the expensive products are based on. Phosphoric acid. It does work. It's not alchemy. You don't end up with the same strength metal though. I use Jasco brand.

Your propane tank is very thick metal. It'll take a hundred years or so for it to rust through. Just give it an acid bath and repainting.
et2
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
Preventive maintenance is the key. Many people including ours have the same issue even on new MH's. I just scraped ours this summer with a wire brush and wiped dirt off where the rust was. Then painted with Black Star Rust converter and painted with rust preventive paint. I can see this is a yearly thing to go over until I get a new one?

The factory painting on the structural framing is a joke. There were places where it just peeled off.
two_travelers
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
We have a 2008 Sightseer 29R, and the rust in the frames around the cargo bins has been a constant problem. At least once a year I need to scrape off the rust, put rust converter on it and repaint. At this point, all frames have been redone, some twice. Seems the metal may not have been properly primed or is of poor quality.
ECones
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
I'm new to RVing and have no experience there, but I've had good luck in the past with Loctite's Extend rust treatment on other products like old trailers that sit in the weather all the time.
okgc
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015
Found another Winnebago rust posting. http://forums.motorhome.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28229227.cfm
I was actually searching for a previous article for OP showing storage bay restoration from rust. Cant remember where it was posted or printed. Quite sure the MH was an American Coach.

There are also some real rust disasters on normal vehicles over 8 years old on Michigan roads. Road salt is a real killer.

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