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Rust is the oxidation (adding oxygen to) of a piece of metal. Therefore, it should be obvious, to stop rust the metal must be prevented from oxidizing in the first place. HOW? PAINT IT! I hate bare metal, it will rust. Every metal part on 887 will be painted. This includes things like the rear quarter panel supports, the rear latch hinges, the brake and accelerator pedal assemblies, and the brackets that hold the heating and air conditioning boxes to the firewall. On most cars, we the owners, don't have a lot to say about what should be painted by the manufacturer so we have parts that aren't painted, so they rusted.
If a piece of metal has already rusted, the first step in fighting rust during a restoration is to get the rust off. There are several methods of rust removal. Probably the best and definitely the most expensive is to have the part dipped in chemicals such as Ready Strip. However, there are only a handful of companies around the country that do this. The second best method of rust removal is sandblasting the part. This is a time consuming operation. For big jobs, I send them out. I had 887's chassis blasted for $125. For smaller parts, you can blast them yourself. For this you will need to purchase or build a sandblast cabinet (Harbor Freight sells a nice plastic one for about $120) and a compressor (a 4hp 20 gal. tank at a minimum - $400-700). If sandblasting is not an option, the third option is to use a wire brush. A high speed (10,000 rpm) 4" grinder ($40-100) with a knotted wire wheel ($10-20) does a great job. When using a wire brush (well wheel actually), this is my first choice. A wire wheel in a 3/8" electric drill can also be used. For tight areas I use a 1" cup brush with a 1/4" shaft chucked in a die grinder. Finally for heavy flakey rust on heavy metal (like a chassis or suspension parts, beating the rust with a hammer works or scraping it with a screw driver will do for starters. I guess I should mention the last resort for badly rusted pieces. Re-fabricate or purchase a replacement part. However, this can be expensive.
After the majority of the rust has been removed, the metal and remaining rust should be treated with an acid to change the living metal oxide into an inert metal sulfate. There are several product that do the job, two of the most common are Ospho and DuPont's 5717S metal conditioner. These products are available from most automotive paint supplier. This will also etch the metal to give the primer better adhesion to the metal. With the rust killed, it's time to paint the metal. There are a lot of possibilities here:
For metal that will not be exposed to direct sunlight (ie.,chassis and suspension parts) there is a product called POR 15. This stuff is marvelous and expensive ($30+ per quart)! It is impervious to petroleum products, brake fluid, can be used as a gas tank sealer, used to seal small pin holes in the metal. This paint dries rock hard and is chip and scratch resistant. If this paint is to be used, read the fact sheet that should accompany the paint. Once the can is opened, it must have a piece of plastic placed under the lid before trying to close the can. I've found it is better to pour the contents from the can into several small (7 oz) glass jars. Again place a piece of plastic between the lid and the jar. As the British Secret Agent 007 would say, This paint is "stirred not shaken". If the paint gets on the lid and dries, the lid cannot be removed from the container. Consequently the plastic sheets between the lids and the jar. When using this paint, I wear loose plastic gloves to keep the paint off my hands. Once this paint gets on you and dries, you WILL wear it for a while. If it is still wet, it can be wiped off using lacquer thinner or Acetone. It can be applied either with a spay gun or brush. If using a brush, use the cheapest ones you can find. When finished, clean the with lacquer thinner or Acetone. This way I can reuse the brush about three times. (Note: Eastwood Co. [580 Lancaster Ave.; Box 296; Malvern, Pa. 19355] 0rder line (800) 345-1178 sells a similar product called Corroless @ $30 per quart.)
A less expensive rust inhibiting paint such as Rust-oleum or DeRusto work well. However, these paints can be affected by gasoline and brake fluid and are susceptible to scratching.
For exterior metal (usually the body) any of the automotive grade enamel or lacquer primers and paints can be used. Be careful not to get these types paints on the acrylic bodies of the Bricklin as the paint will melt the acrylic. If you are going to paint over the acrylic, say to change the color (why would anyone in their right mind do that? Because they are left handed or they didn't like those 5 fantastic colors!) a water based sealer must be used first. This will act as a sealer for the acrylic so the paint will not melt it.
This completes your first course in rust fighting.
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