Always Ask For Undercarriage Photos (3 Viewers)

[slacker24-7]

Holy crap.. that’s typical ? Mine spent all its life in SW Texas and is rust free. I can’t imagine working on that cruiser...

Worked on a customer's LC today, this is what a normal NE cruiser will look like underneath, no bolts my IR 2235Timaxx couldn't remove though, and the truck drove really smooth.

 

[FxFormat]

Yep, that's typical for a hundy in this region, this is another customer i worked on last week...just as bad...When i wrench under them, i have to wear a hat and goggles or else i'll get rust in my eyes and hair. I'm used to it, you need really strong air tools to work on these rusted rigs.

 

[YardPig]

Snap...Snap...Snap...

 

[guardcompany]

 

[mrahc]

Rust is just an everyday thing in NE. You learn to live with it and don't hesitate to grab a tap and die (or a really big air hammer). It's crazy to see how some folks here won't even look at a Cruiser with even minor rust. To each their own, I can't really blame them.

 

[CBeckFJ]

The underneath of mine is so rusted theres holes in the frame, leading it to not pass inspection, also due to rusted brake lines. Going to patch the holes, prime, powdercoat, and line-x the permanent stuff. Fluid film the Sh%t out of the rest of it. Exhaust is also rusted. Doug Thorley has a fix for that. And then come the brakes. All new everything. That should get it to pass lol

 

[mrahc]

The underneath of mine is so rusted theres holes in the frame, leading it to not pass inspection, also due to rusted brake lines. Going to patch the holes, prime, powdercoat, and line-x the permanent stuff. Fluid film the Sh%t out of the rest of it. Exhaust is also rusted. Doug Thorley has a fix for that. And then come the brakes. All new everything. That should get it to pass lol

You and I are in the same boat with the same plan. I'm going through the whole undercarriage. It's a great learning experience for someone (me) with not a whole lot of wrenching hours.

 

[FxFormat]

Let me snap a pic of my under carriage, I cleaned and prep and POR basically anything that’s metal and not moving down there. Should seal it off for the coming winters. Gas tank skid turned out great.

 

[harrydunn]

LOL. Currently, one of my favorite series of Imgur memes, @guardcompany

View attachment 1772347

 

[jlm43]

And being from the NE, this is why I went to FL to pick mine up. I would have no problem buying a LC from the NE if it was treated BEFORE it started to rust. Mine will be getting the Fluid Film treatment before the snow falls.

 

[harrydunn]

And being from the NE, this is why I went to FL to pick mine up. I would have no problem buying a LC from the NE if it was treated BEFORE it started to rust. Mine will be getting the Fluid Film treatment before the snow falls.

School me on that. You apply this yourself or do you take it somewhere?

 

[mrahc]

School me on that. You apply this yourself or do you take it somewhere?

Either or. The company I'm taking my LC to for the rust repair (Auro Rust Technicians out of RI) offers sandblasting and coating services. I'll most likely have them sandblast (if I can) and I'll grind whatever else may be on, and coat the frame myself. From what I understand it's fairly straightforward, it's just a matter of having patience, and prepping it correctly beforehand. And also top-coating at the end.

 

[Pyrenees]

Worked on a customer's LC today, this is what a normal NE cruiser will look like underneath, no bolts my IR 2235Timaxx couldn't remove though, and the truck drove really smooth.

Good lord (in Ben's voice from Parks and Rec).

That's even worse than the $5k cruiser I mentioned in the classifieds, but not too much worse.

 

[Captndcoke]

Good lord (in Ben's voice from Parks and Rec).

That's even worse than the $5k cruiser I mentioned in the classifieds, but not too much worse.

I hear ya..

 

[Pyrenees]

Seriously, in NC they salt the roads maybe 2x a year for the random snowstorm, but I am going to spray off the undercarriage after I drive in it those two times. Gotta keep my beast rust free. These threads got me all paranoid lol.

 

[jlm43]

School me on that. You apply this yourself or do you take it somewhere?

You could do it yourself but it's not really worth it in my opinion. Most of the shops (small indy shops and dealerships) will do it around here and are in the $150 to $200 range for the initial application. They recommend doing it at least yearly for another $75 per application. Cheap money considering what it can save you in the long run. They pressure wash the underneath, let it dry overnight, then spray a light film over everything under the truck. They even spray the interior of the body panels with a small wand. Some will spray the interior of the doors up through the drain holes. I've heard that some will drill very small holes in certain areas to make sure coverage is good but I'm not positive on that one.

One of the bigger dealerships here has a new process that they charge $1,000 for but it comes with a lifetime warranty. A buddy of mine did that to his 4Runner but it was done this past spring so no long term reports yet.

I'm thinking i will be going with the Fluid Film treatment. I like the idea of the lifetime warranty but I have heard it's a bear to work on after.

 

[mrahc]

You could do it yourself but it's not really worth it in my opinion. Most of the shops (small indy shops and dealerships) will do it around here and are in the $150 to $200 range for the initial application. They recommend doing it at least yearly for another $75 per application. Cheap money considering what it can save you in the long run. They pressure wash the underneath, let it dry overnight, then spray a light film over everything under the truck. They even spray the interior of the body panels with a small wand. Some will spray the interior of the doors up through the drain holes. I've heard that some will drill very small holes in certain areas to make sure coverage is good but I'm not positive on that one.

One of the bigger dealerships here has a new process that they charge $1,000 for but it comes with a lifetime warranty. A buddy of mine did that to his 4Runner but it was done this past spring so no long term reports yet.

I'm thinking i will be going with the Fluid Film treatment. I like the idea of the lifetime warranty but I have heard it's a bear to work on after.

What's the biggest difference between FF and POR15 style sealant? The method I was referring to was POR15 (which I'm now realizing I didn't even mention), but I'm curious the biggest key differences aside from cost (the obvious).
If Fluid Film still makes it easy to work on/service the vehicle AND provides the protection, I may put that on my list.

 

[jlm43]

My wife has a 2014 JKUR that was never treated and has a lot of surface rust on the frame. No blisters or anything concerning but it's going to be treated soon. It sucks ordering a new vehicle just the way you want it just to watch it rust away. Once it's treated, it's going to be a summer vehicle from now on. If the hardtop is on, it's just another SUV, and as an SUV, it just doesn't compare to the LC. She is even requesting the LC over the Subaru or Jeep on long trips now. Go figure.....

That being said, these pictures make me happy. This is how my LC currently looks. 2005 with 139,700 miles.

 

[jlm43]

What's the biggest difference between FF and POR15 style sealant? The method I was referring to was POR15 (which I'm now realizing I didn't even mention), but I'm curious the biggest key differences aside from cost (the obvious).
If Fluid Film still makes it easy to work on/service the vehicle AND provides the protection, I may put that on my list.

Don't hold me to this but I believe the POR15 is more of a rust converter. Better to be applied to something that already has rust then you can cover it with FF. Where as FF is just a wax base type of film that can be rubbed off when needed and easily reapplied. I can add more info once I talk to the local shop that will be doing the FF treatments. I was going to ask them about POR15 on the Jeep before doing fluid film anyway.

 

[mrahc]

Don't hold me to this but I believe the POR15 is more of a rust converter. Better to be applied to something that already has rust then you can cover it with FF. Where as FF is just a wax base type of film that can be rubbed off when needed and easily reapplied. I can add more info once I talk to the local shop that will be doing the FF treatments. I was going to ask them about POR15 on the Jeep before doing fluid film anyway.

I appreciate the reply either way, and I believe you're right thinking about it now. I wonder if I can POR15 and FF on top... Probably immense overkill/waste of money/won't add any protection but I'll look into that myself. POR15 it shall be for me before this coming winter.

I'll probably plan on making a thread about my "frame restoration." Give some other members who have rust hope, and kind of a look into what you get into with it. Maybe even a write up on how to POR15/coat because to my knowledge, there hasn't been one written yet (here at least?). Not that I'm a professional or anything.