frame repair question

I am working on a car that the frame is scaley but intact. No holes just like big flakes of metal can be peeled off of it. A friend said there is some kinda stuff out there that I could paint on and it would make the frame harder than original and get it ready for paint. Somehow stopping the rust in it's tracks. Then being a good base coat to apply primer to then paint. He said he did not know what it was called but saw some a long time ago. Is this true? Does anyone know of something out there like that?

Well, there are some rust converters, like Por15, Ospho, and others, but they essentially just kill the rust, but in no way "strengthen" the metal. Frames are generally pretty thick, and you will have to assess how much the thickness has been compromised by the rusting that has occurred, i.e, is it just cosmetic, or structural damage at this point.

I would have it sandblasted to see what you really have left.

Don

If you have scale and rust that is peeling off in chunks, there is a fair chance that it is weakened. It isn't just the outside surfaces that rusts - especially at fully boxed areas and at cross member joint where road spray crud and salt accumulate, but all the way around. The only way to totally access any damage is to have it grit blasted. Depending on the make and year, sometimes there is enough meat for significant rust without loss of strength. An early 'vette(or Chevy), for instance, rusts easily and many either need major repairs or replacement. Fairlanes, Mustangs and Torinos unitized frames used to break at the firewall - Mopars,??? and so on......:HMMM: