Dealing with some light frame rust and this pesky bumper cover piece

[Toonces]

Hey truck country.  Just got my first pickup, 06 Chevy 1500 and can't say how glad I am to find a true grandpa truck, really worth maintaining.  The first things I'm tackling are treating surface rust on the frame, and trading out the froofy white front upper bumper cover for a black one.

 

On the frame rust, what can I do that's not too expensive to treat the little rust it has?  My budget's tight after putting out this cash, so I'm hoping there's something in a simple spray can (or 5) I can just coat it with and not have to worry for a while. 

 

 

 

Second is this pesky bumper cover I'm trying to get on.  It fits into place by pushing plastic retainer tabs through these holes and getting them to click into place.  The new cover seems to line up with the existing bumper well enough, but I pushed so hard trying to get these things to click in I came this close to giving myself an aneurysm.  Any advice for how a mere mortal can get these tabs to click in?  Thanks ahead. 

 

 

[Jworks]

There are plenty of really good people on here that can help with the rust.  I assume you will be putting it on a rack to spray.  Just in case nobody responds here are some ideas from Popular Mechanics.  https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/g2312/best-liquid-rust-removers-test/

Most of these are about leaving the item in the solution for a few hours or overnight.  Since you can't do that, my recommendation, as a novice, is the WD40 Specialist Rust Remover Soak.  It is given 4 1/2 stars out of 5 on Amazon.  Because you have frame area to spray I'd put it in a garden sprayer and give it a good soak and let it sit overnight.  If needed, give it another soak.  Afterwards, you could hit it with a long handle wire brush too.  Hopefully, someone of the more experts on here will give you advice.  

 

As for the bumper cover, are all the plastic tabs difficult to get in or just one or two?  What I would try if it was mine would be a 2x4 piece of wood, lay it on top of the cover and use a good heavy hammer, or the back side of a single blade axe.  I hate to mention sledge hammer as that gives a mental image of whacking it real hard.  BUT, a sledgehammer with just light taps (not hard) has the inertia to probably do the job.  If you try this be sure to use a 2x4 board.  I have a 20# sledgehammer and it has come in handy more times than I can count for just such jobs.

[richard wysong]

Fluid film applied once a year or so will stop the rust

[Toonces]

Thanks for all the advice Jworks.  I'm sure the wd40 would work well.  I've been suggested the fluid film a lot, like richard here (thanks), so that's probably the direction I'm going.

 

On the plastic cover, I've decided to take my bumper off and try to pull the plastic teeth through with pliars.  Hopefully that'll get them through the last couple mm and they'll click in.