Hey @Cruisin61, I'm thinking of starting this job tomorrow (maybe). I've read a couple other treads about this job but sense you're local I though I'd ask if you have any recommendations for materials to use and about the overall process? Feel free to PM me, as I don't know if anyone else is interested the topic?
Drip Rails / Rain Gutters
- Thread starter sbelinge
- Start date
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I'm kind of interested in knowing what that job entails and how to know if it needs to happen. Weatherproofing is definitely next on my list of repair priorities.
Well, as I learned twice. This is a fun project if you have nothing to do for a day or 2 and have some beer drink. It's all about being patient. This a slow and tedious process of getting all the old sealant out and prepping the surface correctly. Mainly because your trying to preserve The surrounding area as much as possible. The tools of choose were just various flat head screw drivers, hammer and wire wheels with a drill (start charging all your batteries). I used the screw driver and hammer just chisel the bulk of the old sealant away, be as thorough as you want but this is were I spent a lot of time.
Next was the wire wheel, Pretty self explanatory. I did copy someone on the forum and used a putty knife to create a barrier between the roof and wire wheel so I didn't scratch the hell out of the roof....advice is to go slow cause you're holding the knife in one hand and drill in the other...twice the drill kicked out and I hit the roof anyway
.
After the gutters were all cleaned out and shiny. I hit them with 2 coats of rust converter just incase I missed anything with the wire wheel. The directions say let it cure for 8 hours (the reason I missed the last meetup). The next day I sprayed on coat of SEM primer I had lying around.
On to the sealer. I ordered 3 tubes of the beige from eastwood. After Every thing I had one full tube left over. My advice on this is to not ration the sealer. Use as much as you can and then just smooth it out with your finger and work in 2-3ft increments cause this stuff starts to dry fast....thats Pretty much it.
Here's the linksto all the stuff I bought
Let me know if you have specific questions!
Eastwood Seam Sealer Cartridge
Eastwood Rust Converter | Rust Converters | Auto Rust Converter
Tools:
Wire Wheel/Cup Brush Set 6 Pc
4 in. Putty Knife
Next was the wire wheel, Pretty self explanatory. I did copy someone on the forum and used a putty knife to create a barrier between the roof and wire wheel so I didn't scratch the hell out of the roof....advice is to go slow cause you're holding the knife in one hand and drill in the other...twice the drill kicked out and I hit the roof anyway
.After the gutters were all cleaned out and shiny. I hit them with 2 coats of rust converter just incase I missed anything with the wire wheel. The directions say let it cure for 8 hours (the reason I missed the last meetup). The next day I sprayed on coat of SEM primer I had lying around.
On to the sealer. I ordered 3 tubes of the beige from eastwood. After Every thing I had one full tube left over. My advice on this is to not ration the sealer. Use as much as you can and then just smooth it out with your finger and work in 2-3ft increments cause this stuff starts to dry fast....thats Pretty much it.
Here's the linksto all the stuff I bought
Let me know if you have specific questions!
Eastwood Seam Sealer Cartridge
Eastwood Rust Converter | Rust Converters | Auto Rust Converter
Tools:
Wire Wheel/Cup Brush Set 6 Pc
4 in. Putty Knife
No problem. Also make sure the sealant is "room temp" before you start or else it will be a pain to squeeze out of the tube
- Thread starter
- #6
On a bit of a whim I started the drip rail yesterday. I have only a couple hours a day to work on them this week so I'll finish it up in a few weeks, after some vacation time. So far it's going just as you described. It's not difficult, just tedious getting all the old sealer out. Call me crazy but it's kind of fun.
Ah. Thanks for the high quality photos showing what this operation looks like!
What's the purpose of the drip rail anyway? What ends up happening if you have one that leaks?
What's the purpose of the drip rail anyway? What ends up happening if you have one that leaks?
- Thread starter
- #8
The drip rail or rain gutters perform the same basic function as the gutters on a house. They channel water away from the windows and doors for added weather proofing. Without them whenever you open the car door there would be a whole lot more water getting in.
When they leak water seeps into the car, usually down the A pillar and to the floor. This is common and not always visible so over time it can become a huge rust issue.
When they leak water seeps into the car, usually down the A pillar and to the floor. This is common and not always visible so over time it can become a huge rust issue.
Nice progress!
Steve,
Looking good. Your drip rails look clean!! With the new seam sealer that roof will be solid.
Looking good. Your drip rails look clean!! With the new seam sealer that roof will be solid.
- Thread starter
- #11
If any of have been wondering where I'm at with this, here is a quick update:
Summer vacations, weather, and waiting for supplies have all delayed any meaningful progress on this project. I'll be working on it this weekend and I'll post pics soon.
Thanks
Summer vacations, weather, and waiting for supplies have all delayed any meaningful progress on this project. I'll be working on it this weekend and I'll post pics soon.
Thanks
- Thread starter
- #12
Note to self: When you find yourself in the middle of the PNW rainy season and your FJ62 drip rails start leaking into the passenger compartment, especially along the A-piller, DO NOT use silicon sealant as a "temporary" fix. That s*** is a complete PITA to remove. I found a great product to remove it (McKanica 100% Silicone Caulk Remover) but the entire of process of finding, buying, applying, and removing it added about two weeks to a relatively simple job. Ugh!
The Eastwood sealer only comes in black and beige. If you have a grey cruiser, do you paint over the sealer?
The bitch about silicone is that only silicone sticks to it and the surface prep for this job needs to be immaculate. As you've already figured out, it's a PITA.
Yeah, I still have PTSD from trying to fix a leak on the roof of my house with a silicon sealant during a big storm last December. That crap seems to stick to everything except for the surfaces you want it to.
I was tired of getting dripped on whenever it rains hard and decided to tackle my gutters before the winter weather settles in.
Getting the old sealant out was definitely the hardest part. I found that a 1/4" cold chisel, small flathead screwdriver, a rubber mallet, and an assortment of automotive picks worked the best. I tried using a wire wheel on an air grinder, but it was far too difficult to control.
Here's the gutter after I applied some Loctite Rust Converter:
After the rust converter was done, I sprayed a healthy dose of 2K epoxy primer in the channels. I bought this from Industrial Coatings here in Portland:
I wasn't too worried about spraying the outside of the gutters with primer since they're covered up by a chrome strip and I accidentally removed some paint with the wire brush. Here's what it looked like after it was primed:
I went with the 3M 08307 Self-Leveling Seam Sealer which was super easy to use, although it did require a special gun:
All in all, this job was time consuming and required more than a few beers to complete. But stopping water from leaking into the cabin and rusting out the roof definitely made it worthwhile.
If anyone here wants to borrow the gun, just send me a PM. I also have an extra unopened bottle of 3M sealer, although you will need one more to fully coat your gutters.
Getting the old sealant out was definitely the hardest part. I found that a 1/4" cold chisel, small flathead screwdriver, a rubber mallet, and an assortment of automotive picks worked the best. I tried using a wire wheel on an air grinder, but it was far too difficult to control.
Here's the gutter after I applied some Loctite Rust Converter:
After the rust converter was done, I sprayed a healthy dose of 2K epoxy primer in the channels. I bought this from Industrial Coatings here in Portland:
I wasn't too worried about spraying the outside of the gutters with primer since they're covered up by a chrome strip and I accidentally removed some paint with the wire brush. Here's what it looked like after it was primed:
I went with the 3M 08307 Self-Leveling Seam Sealer which was super easy to use, although it did require a special gun:
All in all, this job was time consuming and required more than a few beers to complete. But stopping water from leaking into the cabin and rusting out the roof definitely made it worthwhile.
If anyone here wants to borrow the gun, just send me a PM. I also have an extra unopened bottle of 3M sealer, although you will need one more to fully coat your gutters.
Did you paint over it?
Nope. Do you think I should?
Paint is a good protectant and I’m sure will help preserve all your hard work. Go to where you bought that primer and have them custom mix a rattle can of your color. Those spraymax rattle cans work great.
I suppose it's up to you....i sprayed a couple coats of primer over mine because it was a printable sealant and just thought it would help to protect it from UV