Would you use Por-15 on this..., ...or how else would you clean it up? Options

[Rick986]

I've confirmed that this crap on the battery tray is not a fiberglass patch. PO obviously treated it with something as a preventative measure. HH is also solid, inside and under. The car is virtually rust-free.

I'm using a solvent to get the crap off the side wall and generally clean this area up the best possible (it's coming off - nice job, Stevie Wonder!). But the gunk on the tray is there to stay. Also, the acid corrosion on the side needs addressed (car sat for 8-9 years and battery seemingly "discharged"...thankfully, in a dry garage).

So...I'm thinking of a fresh coat of Por-15 or similar on the tray and small "patch" over the surface rust on the sidewall, just to clean the whole area up. Is this sacrilege...or a decent solution short of a total tear-out and repainting (not gonna happen anytime soon)?

Thanks...and hope you all had a great holiday.

[rjames]

Doing it the right involves removing all paint and rust and then etching the bare metal so The por15 will adhere to it. Otherwise it will continue to rust. See information from Por15 web site below:
The stuff works extremely well if you correctly prep areas to be painted. I used it on my floor pans ~10 years ago and it’s holding up great. I would’ve used primer/paint instead, but I don’t have a compressor or access to painting equipment. The nice thing about Por15 is that even when you paint it with a brush on a flat surface it lays down smooth as if it was sprayed.

WHAT IS THE “PROPER PREPARATION”?
If you are sandblasting, blow off the lose dust and apply directly over the surface. On all other bare metal or rusted surfaces use the Marine Clean and Metal Ready preps for proper adhesion. Metal Ready It is a rust remover that leaves a zinc phosphate coating on base metal, the perfect pre-primer for POR-15. Areas that have been previously painted should be cleaned with Marine Clean and then lightly scuffed with 400 grit sandpaper. Keep in mind when POR-15 is applied over another coating it will not prevent against rust long term but will serve as a durable, moisture resistant coating.