Since I’m not a painter and don’t really have anyone to consult on the matter, the only thing left for me to do was to go through a huge number of threads where car enthusiasts battle with the oxidation of iron and its alloys. The real results are delayed, so my choices will be verified in a few years — who knows, maybe I’ll have to eat my words. Here are my conclusions, in the order of application (for the visually inclined, photos follow).

• For all stripped areas: Dinitrol RC 900 – rust converter (and primer). The manufacturer claims it neutralizes rust by creating an organo-metallic iron compound.

• Next, an epoxy primer, Interplus 256. I found a classification chart for primers based on their applications, and the highest category is “marine or other aggressively corrosive environments”, which is exactly the kind of use the manufacturer recommends for Interplus 256. International praises their product: it has an 80% volume content of solid materials, including aluminum and flaky iron oxide. A very practical feature is the primer’s pigmentation — light lilac, which provides excellent contrast against unpainted surfaces, it covers very well.

• It’s a two part product, so we also need a hardener.

• For all the metal welds, we used mastic. Novol Gravit 630 has great reviews online.

• And finally, Cobra, hardener and pigment: RAL 5017 – blue (it could be a shade darker, but that’s only if we’re nitpicking) and RAL 4010 – shocking pink (truly shocking).

• After all the painting we applied wax to the enclosed profiles. For now, only to the chassis beams, but eventually, we’ll cover all the nooks and crannies of the trunk and doors. I chose Tactyl Cavity Wax Amber.

• We used a ton of thinner as well, we went again with International.

• Impreza
• Gd
• Sti
• Rust Diaries