uwf

Sup guys?

I am not new to the forum. I have been watching in the back scenes. I have not really had anything useful to post until now.

I am PCS'ing to Boston in January. I hear that the road salt is bad there. One winter and the under side of my truck is toast. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with this kind of stuff. I am going to try to coat some of the really vulnerable stuff so that it does not rust. Or does anyone have any other type of rust prevention? I was going to periodically get the truck pressure washed to keep the salt from really getting ground in?

I love this forum though. Thanks for any help.

Later,

Joseph

Cerberus

If you have the money, the best thing you could probably do is get it Rhino lined (or similar coating). I have used rubberized undercoating back here on the west coast, but we don't salt roads here. I know 3M makes a good undercoating spray that won't totally break the bank and you could do it your self. We get a lot of rusting cars from the coast here and the really bad areas are usually where the body seams and rock chips are. What ever you do make sure the area is very clean before applying a sealer.

szf2

I've had problems with road salt and rusting since I've moved to upstate NY. What I've been doing is the following:

1) Thoroughly clean the under carriage.

2) Apply rust converter (spray on or paint on either works) and let it work overnight. POR15 is an expensive brand, but your local autosupplier should have stuff for about $5 a bottle. They are all basically the same with the main ingredient being phosphoric acid. The phosphoric acid converts rust back to steel (de-oxidizes the iron) plus binds with some of the iron forming iron phosphate (which protects the metal underneath). BTW, I only use this on the under carriage since it can and will mess up a paint job.

3) Neutralize the rust converter. I actually don't do this step but its reccomended. Some baking soda in H20 would probably do the trick quite nicely. Main point is to keep any extra phosphoric acid from eating into the good metal. Of course, rinse off baking soda when done and let dry.

4) Spray on a ruberized underspray. Not only does this coat exposed metal, it also sheds water better than standard paint (IMO). Plust its only about $5 a bottle and looks nice when done. Here is a pic from when I did my Downey coils that gives an idea of what the finished product looks like (please ignore the yellow circle):



If you go this route, plan on using 1-5 bottles rust converter (depending on how much rust you have) and 6+ bottles of the undercoating to do the whole undercarriage.

AznSky

when you guys speak of undercarriage, are you talking about EVERYTHING underneath there? Or just certain main parts like skids and frame

Billrunner

[QUOTE]Originally posted by uwf
[
I am PCS'ing to Boston in January.


Just make sure you wear a Yankees hat and maybe a shirt as well when you get there

Good luck with the Undercarriage and post your result-I might want to do that oneday if I have the bucks$$ After I do all the mods that this forum turns me on to-I will be divorced & Living in my truck!
Later
Bill

uwf

Thanks for the replies.

One thing is that my rig is a 03 sport. So, as far as know, I have zero rust. I wanted to do this for prevention.

I am definitely going to use the similar rhino lining stuff. I am going to remove the running boards and get under there because water likes to sit there. Also, I am going to do the skid plates and most of the suspension components that are lowest to the ground. I am going to check for any obvious points that look like they might rust. I am going to take pics of everything and post them.

Billrunner: I have received a lot of advice about that area. I have lived in Florida all my life. So, this is going to be a real culture shock.

Thanks again.

phoenix808

dunno if this would help at all...but when i got my 02, i had a product called Rusterminator put on.

It's an electronic rust "deterent" system. I thought it might be a hoax/crap, but my dad's put it on several of his trucks and never had a problem. Plus it comes with a lifetime warranty.

I got a large scratch, down to the primer on my back hatch...it's been there for 4 months now and through rain and shine and washes, its never rusted...

I can vouch for it to date (going on 2 years)

Just thought i'd add my experiences.

Highland Runner

I moved from FL to NC. They salt the roads here but not as much as up north. If your car is rust free now, a good thing to do is wash the undercarriage a lot during times there is salt/slush on the road. I did buy a Tacoma that was from upstate NY. EVERYTHING on the underside was rusty. I couldn't even remove seat belt bolts. I had the under side sandblasted and sprayed with some type of hard undercoating like Line-X. The rust never came back even after driving on salty roads.

szf2

Not sure about others, but when I spray on undercoat, anything under there is fair game so long as its metal. This includes axle housings, diff covers, inner body panels, inside the bumpers, IFS arms, shocks, brake lines, gas lines, etc. Anywhere I think might rust. I even went so far as to try some on the exhaust, but that peeled off in a month or so. Only things I don't coat with underspray are: areas near the wheels (esp. near brake pads, rotors, drums, calipers, etc), any cooler (tranny cooler,radiator, or otherwise), and engine components. However, all the above (except drums and rotors) get a dousing of rust converter if they need it.

Finally, one caveat about this procedure is that the rust converter/underspray can make bolt removal more difficult when working on a vehicle. In my case, I'm willing to pay that price for keeping everything rust free.