I recently aquired two trays of crankbaits (about 50 total) that had been left out in the rain and are severely rusted. The majority of them just need new hooks and splitrings, and restoring them should be no problem. Some of them, however, actually have rust on the bodies. Does anyone know any tricks to removing the rust from the bodies, or are these good candidates to send off for a custom paint job? Also, can anyone recommend a good treble hook that won't break the bank. I normally wouldn't skimp on hooks, but I'm going to need about a hundred of them.

Sounds funny but toothpaste works like a charm for me.

X2 on toothpaste, you might try brasso also, it's little more abrasive. A little rust on the bodies won't hurt anything, the fish don't really care, only we do.

Sounds like a matte crawfish finish to me....

X2 on toothpaste, you might try brasso also, it's little more abrasive. A little rust on the bodies won't hurt anything, the fish don't really care, only we do.

As MaineBassFishin and SirSnook mention, tooth past. I haven't used the brasso as SirSnook posted but I am gonna try it out. Thank SirSnoom

I've been using Bar Keepers Friend on cranks and spinner blades for stubborn spots. Works like a champ.

IMO, if you're going to fish those crankbaits, put decent hooks on them. My "standards" are Gamakatsu round bends or Mustad KVD short shanks. The Gamys stay sharp as hell for a long long time and are tough corrosion resistant hooks. I've started using some KVD hooks and think they are the best short shank trebles available as far as hooking power. If you're going to be giving away some of the crankbaits, you might consider VMC round bends or short shanks as they are OK but less expensive. I think Cabelas carries VMC Rapala hooks, which are my favorite VMC style.