[chevyrestoguy]

Spent the last couple of days cleaning up my tailgate. I absolute despise rust, so it had to go. After many applications of CLR and scrubbing with a Scotchbrite, it was ready for many more applications of Naval Jelly. A final application of 50/50 bleach and water, and then a bath of baking soda and water to neutralize the acid. I should taken a "before" picture of the backside of the tailgate. It was way worse than the front, and it looked like it was used a shelf to store rusty parts. It was 100% covered in rust that felt like 60 grit. I'm going with a clean, rust-free patina on this truck, and when it's all said and done, I'll probably have more time in preserving the original paint than if I had just done a complete paint job!