Herculiner on Chassis & Under Tub (2 Viewers)

[Skydog]

Hello, I'm new here to Mud.

I'm right now in the process of Stage 3 renovating my '79 FJ40. Currently, there's nothing on the chassis, and the front apron is removed from the rest of the barren tub. The '40 was painted by a previous owner a Metallic Blue-Green Jade (was originally the Sky Blue from that year). Being inside & out Metallic Jade, it actually looks Fantastic - and is in Great condition (has been in our garages, resting on jack-stands & not driven for 20-years).

Question 1: I'm intending to coat the entire inside floorboard (and rear, upper wheel-wells) with Herculiner. But more so, I'm planning to coat the entire UNDERSIDE of the tub with the Herculiner - AS WELL AS the ENTIRE CHASSIS (albeit that immediately adjacent to the exhaust headers). - - What complications might I be facing?

Question 2 : Although I'm not intending to change its (pretty) Jade color, do you foresee the Metallic paint being problematic for North Georgia Trail use? (When finished, I'm not intending to take this FJ40 in heavy mudding or rock-climbing - but I am highly adventurous).

Thanks for your insight & suggestions.
Skydog.

 

[Skydog]

Use of Herculiner underneath

Am I out of line to consider coating the chassis & underside of the FJ40's tub with the Herculiner?

Thanks,
Marc

 

[UZJ40]

I don't understand why you'd want liner on your chassis over POR 15 or something similar. What is your reasoning?

 

[Skydog]

Thanks, Jetranger. I've two gallons of the Herculiner, and figured that if the chassis is properly prepared as well, I could simply apply a couple coats of Herculiner on it as well. Since I don't yet own the POR 15, I figured the Herculiner would suffice, no? Am I out of line by going this route? By using-up the Herculiner on the chassis?

Thanks !!!
Marc

 

[Toyoland66]

Don't do it

For one there are way better bedliner type products on the market.

Coating the body is one thing, if you do it make sure you are 100% rust free as it will make any future body work very difficult. Coating the chassis will make any future welding difficult, and is unneccesary and in my opinion will lower the value of your vehicle. I think it's a hack solution and there are more appropriate products available for chassis coating.

 

[Skydog]

Ok, Toyoland66. Appreciated, understood & respected.

I'll take Jetranger's advice and consider more strongly the POR-15.

Thanks,
Skydog.

 

[PWCO70crusier]

I agree with what people have said here. There are a lot of products on the market better suited for the chassis. Preparation is key...removing rust, etc, followed by a series of steps to help prolong your chassis for the long haul. I used the Eastwood products and everything turned out well. Clean the rust if any, clean it, use a rust converter to neutralize the metal, and encapsulator such as POR-15 and one of the various frame paints...very thick resin to help protect from chips and scratches. kyle-landcruiser.blogspot.com

 

[chicago]

I used the herculiner under the tub and it was OKAY. I wouldn't use it again, though.
A liner of this type on the frame, as others have stated, is just not a good idea. Sounds as if your not too sure on the direction you want to take this rig, so down the road if you want to do more mods that require welding on the frame.... You'll kick yourself.

 

[John McVicker]

Por 15...highly recommend.

In 1998 I Por 15'n my already pristine 40 frame. Still pristine.

Would not recommend putting bed liner on your frame.

Thanks, John

 

[Skydog]

Re POR-15

- If applied to the chassis, will I then need to top-coat the (semi-gloss black) POR-15 with yet something else?, a chassis paint, for example?

- Is the Chassis Saver product equally as good, or doable, in lieu of the POR-15? (Just asking, as I currently lack a preference).

- Is the general consensus here the POR-15 (or Chassis Saver) a *significantly* better route for the underside of the tub than that of the Herculiner? (I'm believing the Herculiner (on the underside)will help deaden road noise, etc., and will as create a good enough, long-lasting seal against rust.)

Please Note : I'm wanting to keep the overly nice FJ40 of mine (and not sell it - if I financially can), and can't foresee needing to weld on the chassis or the underside of the tub (in the event Herculiner might be used).

And Please Consider : I do indeed have two, new gallons of Herculiner on hand - and am indeed struggling on funds (no doubt the case for many of us here). As hurtful to me (and the FJ40) as it might be, I'm seeing the POR-15 or similar product for the vehicle as being yet one more "financial hoop" to painfully go through (I've already placed nearly $7K into my rebuild project - and am right now struggling). Though importantly - I'm "eager to do Her up right." And with Her now being completely dissembled, Right Now is my needed decision time - for a BEST Road for Her.

Thanks y'all for your Words of Wisdom.
Skydog.

 

[Skydog]

Thanks, Kyle.

 

[DougAustinTx]

How about you sell your unused Herculiner and use the funds to buy some POR-15?

 

[kruisinkid]

-put up some pics of the frame and under tub for us
-if you cant afford to do the POR15 at the moment, you should save up and wait to do it. perhaps really reconsider how you are allocating what money you have left at the moment to spend on the 40.
-you do not need to top coat the POR15 on the frame. any parts exposed to sunlight will need a top coat. i would make it glossy POR15 instead of semi gloss. 2 coats. follow the directions to the T.
-buy quarts instead of a gallon. yes its a few bucks more, but you will waste less.

 

[Stumpalama]

I herculined the entire underside of my tub and front fenders and I am very satisfied with the result. I did it 12 years ago and it is holding up great. It is impervious to the grease and oil slung from the t-case and drive shafts and handles the stones thrown up very well. I coated the rear of the tub extra thick and made sure it ran into every crevice. I have zero rust issues on the underside.

I would not do the frame since I couldn't be 100% sure I got all the rust off the frame and wouldn't want something like bedliner on it.

The key to bedliner is prep, prep, PREP!

 

[mtn2roady]

Is the concern with Bedliner products on the chassis due to existing corrosion? reason i ask is i put rust bullet on several years ago with great adhesion and protection but poor evenness (used a brush). I'm now thinking of scuffing the rust bullet and putting a matte black bed liner on for protection, evenness and black chassis look. Thoughts?

 

[broth9640]

If you ever sell it, people might assume your hiding bad corrosion under the liner. Don't do it! Have it sand blasted then paint or powder coat

 

[antFJ]

Go raptor lining tintable see paint forum for a thread on it. In fact go there for reviews on all these products

 

[Skydog]

Hello Again !!

I just happened to be perusing through the forum and somehow happened to see this thread of mine resurrected, there on Page 2. Thanks, antFJ for chiming in !! I assure you, I've grown to respect you extremely highly here. Can't wait to one-day, with hope, meet you in person.

My project (currently) : it's not much further along than it was this time last year - but has progressed. I'll chalk it up to $$$ issues; but equal to that, from "life's other little happenings." Regardless, I'm now, once again, re-launching my little' FJ40 project, that I can get it on its (off-road) way. And please, I very much will need to seek your help & advice through the thick brush I expect to find myself within.

Important to my FJ40 project, something has happened very recently, family-wise. A few weeks ago, after getting stuck-real-bad in a 2-wheel drive, Ford Edge, while driving it across the majority of the entire state of Alabama on nothing but dirt roads, I was forced to abandon the Ford Edge that I could hike out of the forest for help. Over the next few days of hiking for help (yep, I had taken the 2-wheel drive, SUV road-car of mine "quite deep into the sh*t" of 4x4 country), while out in the middle of absolutely nowhere that I was somewhere at, I rescued two, emaciated puppers. They had come out from under some thick brush, in the immediate vicinity of bobcat tracks, and had begun to follow me to where I was hiking, which was eventually nowhere in particular. Seen below, the two puppers had just been fed three large cans of food (baked beans, Brunswick stew, and mixed vegetables) by two hunters I had somehow stumbled upon. With deep concern to me, the two hunters watched their rib-caged tummies "blow-up like big-ol' balloons," prior to the hunters then going on their own way.

So, attached here is a recent image of my "still standing" FJ40 project, plus that of my two new puppers, Annie (the white one) and Cody (the brown one). They're twin siblings, and are tightly bonded together. They literally sleep side-by-side, hugging each other, with one's arms & paws extending over the other. And now, I've FIVE doggers to help me build this FJ40 of mine (four are mine that I had rescued, and the fifth was rescued by me & given to my niece - but all have agreed to provide helping-paws to 'our' FJ40 project) !!!

So, I've NO excuses, not to get back into full-swing of FJ40 building ... right ??

 

[thebigredrocker]

If you haven't already applied the bedliner I would recommend using some sacrificial bolts in all the nuts welded to the tub. It will save you hours of hogging out with a tap. If you need some bolts shoot me a PM with your address, I'll give you mine. I think I saved almost all of them. Also, I would put a wad of Duct tape or something in all the gromment holes. Grommets don't fit well(at all) with a thick layer of bedliner. I'm having to dremel mine out and it's a waste of time. Also decide where you want your rear ground strap from Tub to frame, Leave a bare patch. Other considerations are front chassis ground to tub and front fenders to chassis. Good Luck with your project.

 

[Skydog]

The paint & the bedliner :

I'm still wishing to coat the inside of the tub with Herculiner (of which I still have two, unopened gallons). I still plan to coat portions of the underside of the tub with it, as well. The tub, in its entirety, now has ZERO rust. It looks great. The tub will be solidly coated, multiple times, with Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator product. Portions of it have already been coated various times with this product, but the tub will be re-sanded (very lightly), and recoated, uniformly, at least once again.

Directly on top of Easwood's Rust Encapsulator will be two solid coats of Eastwood's 2K Epoxy Primer. When the two components of this primer are combined, I've technically two gallons of this product.

Directly on top of the 2K Epoxy Primer, on virtually all sides of the tub, the engine hood, the aprons & front fenders, the four doors, the windshield frame, the walls of the hard-top, etc, will be two, solid coats of Eastwood's 2K Ceramic Chassis Paint. This ceramic, chassis paint will form a base for a HIGHLY scratch-resistant surface.

Directly on top of the ceramic chassis paint, in the area of the inside of the tub, there on the floorboard, the tops of the rear wheel wells, and the small surface area immediately above the wheel wells (excluding that of the rectangular structural bar, that the jumpseats mount to) will be the sprayed-on Herculiner, via a shutz gun that I already have on-hand. The Herculiner will also be applied to the underside of the tub & front fenders, on top of the ceramic chassis paint, albeit not upon any of the tub's extruding, structural pieces (the various sills, the gas tank mounts, the tub-to-chassis mounts, etc). These will remain bedliner free. I don't plan to go up the firewall with the Herculiner on its engine-side, but anticipate doing so on the cabin-side.

I figure the Herculiner will offer improved noise-reduction, will help to control temperature, plus that of further encapsulating the now completely rust-free aspect of the sheet metal.

** I've -heavily- considered using Raptor instead. I've also considered using Herculiner on the underside of the vehicle and tinted Raptor on its upper-side. However, as I detail to you below, I'm believing I'll not be in need of the Raptor, or that of its tintable version**

Directly on top of the chassis paint on the outside of the tub, on the doors, on the topside of the engine hood, etc, I will literally *dust* the all-black, ceramic chassis paint with two different paints, via two different paint guns, sprayed (very lightly, and from afar) simultaneously to the same focal point. In one paint gun, I will be using PPG's industrial-grade version of Rustic Green #621, in a single-stage paint. Sprayed at the same time, to the same focal point in space, prior to that of the surface area of the tub (or other vehicle components), I will be spraying the same Eastwood Ceramic Chassis Black (in the paint's gloss version). I anticipate conducting a minimum of four coats of such dusting of the two, in the air mixed paints.

After speaking directly with both upper management & technicians at Herculiner, I was told I can paint on top of the Herculiner with a urethane based paint 4-hours after the Herculiner has been applied, but prior to 24-hours after being applied. And by doing so, within this window of time, the urethane paint applied to the top of the Herculiner will adhere to the urethane based Herculiner, solidly, as if it were now a direct part of the Herculiner product.

Therefore : I will also do this 'dusting' of multiple paints (the urethane based ceramic paint & the industrial-grade, urethane based PPG paint) to the topside of the bedliner that is applied to the inside of the tub (but NOT to the bedliner applied to the underside of the tub). However, the dusting of paint applied to the bedliner on the inside of the tub will consist of yet a third, PPG paint : that of #464 Beige (which is also true to my vehicle's 1979 vintage). Hence, I will simultaneously spray Chassis Black and Rustic Green, then Chassis Black and Beige, then Chassis Black and Rustic Green, etc. The result will be like that of a sandy, marbled effect. Here, the paint colors will NOT be rendered as 'dots' but will literally be 'morphed together,' in a high-contrast of tight-together color. All of which will be applied within the specific, proper windows of time. PPG will be directly assisting me with this.. . And interestingly, the various painted metal plates, that I have created for testing purposes, and for purposes of color creaton - - have COMPLETELY IMPRESSED PPG..., as well as my direct family & close friends...

The color scheme I've come up with - - is VERY COOL - and VERY RUGGED looking !!

~m.