Rust protection for our 97 LC

[dparnas]

So now that we've spent quite a bit of $ and time on our 97 LC that we purchased in August, I'm feeling even more motivated to ensure that it has a long and healthy life under our ownership. The underside of the LC has what I would guess is a fairly typical amount of surface rust on some parts, as you would expect from any car that is 25 years old. I don't want to spend a fortune (but am willing to invest) and without a lift, this is not something I'm planning to do myself, so just wondering if there are specific places out there that will take off surface rust and then put a protective coating on the underside of a vehicle? Would that be a body shop? Not really even sure where to start for that kind of service. Even better, if you of a shop in the Bay Area of Northern California that you'd recommend, let me know. Thanks in advance.

 

[G80]

I crawled under mine with a drill and wire attachment, got about 50% cleaned off and sprayed it with rustoleum rust converter. two or three more sessions needed to finish, I will wash the inside of the chassis through the factory holes and try to use the eastwood internal frame coating for that.

 

[dparnas]

I crawled under mine with a drill and wire attachment, got about 50% cleaned off and sprayed it with rustoleum rust converter. two or three more sessions needed to finish, I will wash the inside of the chassis through the factory holes and try to use the eastwood internal frame coating for that.

Thanks. Yes, I considered doing this as I prefer to DIY, but I've got a cranky back, elbow and shoulder and this is a big car, so I'm thinking I may look for a professional. Been working on my 71 Fiat, crawling underneath it to detail the underside and remove paint overspray and that was already a lot for me sadly. Getting old can be PITA.

 

[G80]

Thanks. Yes, I considered doing this as I prefer to DIY, but I've got a cranky back, elbow and shoulder and this is a big car, so I'm thinking I may look for a professional. Been working on my 71 Fiat, crawling underneath it to detail the underside and remove paint overspray and that was already a lot for me sadly. Getting old can be PITA.

I can't see a shop charging less than 1000 to do a decent job, it is some serious work. I recommend finding a friend or friend with a lift and then you don't have to crawl under it. Rustoleum is the cheap stuff but if I had access to a lift I would try eastwood or por throughout. The rustoleum does leave a nice finish though and covers well.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

Wire wheel + rust converter spray paint + copious amounts of Fluid Film.

 

[Kernal]

Does your 80 have any rust? Posting up some photos would help.

Most shops in rust-less areas of the country like Cali might not have the experience of how to properly treat real rust compared to say shops in the Northeast US Rust Belt might have.

If all your 80 has is some surface rust then any of the wax/oil type aerosol products might be good enough. Don't forget about the body cavities, there's a product called 3M Cavity wax that professional body shops use after replacing body panels to bring the protection back to factory spec. You can buy that yourself along with a kit of long applicator tubes/nozzles at any autobody/paint store.

Personally I would do the minimum if I had a rust free 80 and lived in Cali; Waxoyl, 3M Cavity wax, ----.

 

[dparnas]

Does your 80 have any rust? Posting up some photos would help.

Most shops in rust-less areas of the country like Cali might not have the experience of how to properly treat real rust compared to say shops in the Northeast US Rust Belt might have.

If all your 80 has is some surface rust then any of the wax/oil type aerosol products might be good enough. Don't forget about the body cavities, there's a product called 3M Cavity wax that professional body shops use after replacing body panels to bring the protection back to factory spec. You can buy that yourself along with a kit of long applicator tubes/nozzles at any autobody/paint store.

Personally I would do the minimum if I had a rust free 80 and lived in Cali; Waxoyl, 3M Cavity wax, ----.

Thanks. Definitely has some surface rust throughout the underside. I'll try and get some photos to share.

 

[dparnas]

Does your 80 have any rust? Posting up some photos would help.

Most shops in rust-less areas of the country like Cali might not have the experience of how to properly treat real rust compared to say shops in the Northeast US Rust Belt might have.

If all your 80 has is some surface rust then any of the wax/oil type aerosol products might be good enough. Don't forget about the body cavities, there's a product called 3M Cavity wax that professional body shops use after replacing body panels to bring the protection back to factory spec. You can buy that yourself along with a kit of long applicator tubes/nozzles at any autobody/paint store.

Personally I would do the minimum if I had a rust free 80 and lived in Cali; Waxoyl, 3M Cavity wax, ----.

See attached photos. Not sure how this ranks in terms of "what to expect from a 24 year old car". Very open to suggestions/advice on the best way to clean this up/further rust prevention.

 

[bhsdriller]

That's not bad at all, what's your plan for it.

Living in CA now where it won't progress like it will in other places you could just spray with fluid film and drive it for 50 years just like that

 

[dparnas]

That's not bad at all, what's your plan for it.

Living in CA now where it won't progress like it will in other places you could just spray with fluid film and drive it for 50 years just like that

Well that is encouraging, thanks! I may give that a try. What's my plan for it? This was my wife's dream car, which I still don't fully understand, but being a car guy, I love that she had a completely irrational need to have an older car. Just makes my car needs more rational. And it's given me a lot of projects, which I've been having a blast with. We're going to use it for road trips up and down the coast with our Australian shepherd primarily. And any time our 4 kids are home and we need to be able to transport all 6 of us.

 

[Kernal]

That's more than I would have expected in Cali, does your 80 live near the Ocean, drive on the beach??

 

[dparnas]

That's more than I would have expected in Cali, does your 80 live near the Ocean, drive on the beach??

We just bought the car in August of last year. Based upon the Carfax it was in Idaho its first 6 years, then Wyoming for about 8 years, then Washington state for about 10 years before our purchase. We had it shipped to use from the owner in Washington State (one of the more dry parts of Washington State, East Wenatchee), who took good care of it cosmetically, but mechanically it needed a bit of work, which we've now taken care of.

 

[musthave]

We are nearly finished with rust on this cruiser. It’s expensive but an investment with great return.

Builds - Rust be gone and don't come back

40th Anniversary, low miles, but found rust throughout it's earlier life. So, it's time for some TLC before heading off to have an LS Swap done. The frame and underside pieces have certainly had their fare share of rust. Thankfully for some leaky fluids over the years the front side was a...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Samuel642000]

Might look into implement paint as an alternative to Eastwood paint, it's relatively cheap and dries very hard. I used it on the underside of my mustang and will more than likely do it on the 80 as well.

 

[jonheld]

LOL, you have obviously never seen rust before.
Spray that from tip to tail with Fluid Film once a year and call it good.

 

[TheRealDeal124]

I had my underbody completely sanded down and coated with 2 or 3 coats of POR-15, and then let everything cure for a day or so. Land Cruiser Heaven did the work for me, it costed me $2500, with labor and materials, but it was well worth it. I don't have the time to do this project myself but I have the means, not everyone does. You could probably have it done for less money somewhere local. They didn't lift the body off the frame that I know of, but the rust wasn't terrible to begin with. It's something I wanted peace of mind about. It'll never see salt/brine again. Before I got that work done I sprayed it with Fluid Film just to slow down the surface rust.