Rust & Your (MY) Suspension

[swank60]

Okay, couldn't sleep, so I took the 60 up to the car wash with 2.5 cans of engine degreaser and sprayed everything underneath down, and jetted it off with the pressure washer. focus was mostly on the knuckles and the axle/front dif housing.

Blowing off all of the road grime/paint showed a lot of bare metal and what looked like surface rust. Here's my question (finally!) - should I climb up under the thing with a couple of rattle cans and repaint this stuff? maybe use undercoating (or will that get things too hot?) or should I even worry about it? It's not like the damn thing is a show truck...

Thoughts, ideas, opinons?

 

[billybob_98]

you just need to haul ass to a trail and coat your cruiser with a nice thick layer of mud and crud. looks better dirty anyway. shinny and waxy is for the snooty, dirty and disgusting is what i cruiser dreams to be. at least as far as appearance goes.

 

[dogboy2]

try the Zero Rust product.....it sprays on easily, coats well, and dries quickly. I've used it on much of my undercarraige to spot cover areas like you've described and it has performed well during the past year of wet Oregon weather.

just my 2¢,

-dogboy- '87 FJ60

 

[patride71]

i know there is a previous thread on this whole issue with rust protection products, such as zero rust, but for clarification...if you have some surface rust and apply a rust protection product such as zero rust, does that just encapsulate the rust only or would it prevent the rust from continuing to do its dirty business? i would think it would just encapsulate it, and maybe prevent future rust where there is none, but the current rust that was there and encapsulated could continue to grow. hope this is not totally

 

[Jman]

If you don't want to go the whole "I'm gonna coat my whole frame" route, then simply wire brush as best you can, get some rust converter--Permatex makes some in a rattle can, even--and coat every square inch you can (even spray inside the holes). This stuff turns rust into a primer-type finish. When that is done, you can paint over it, or do what I do--spray a mixture of oil and kerosene on it and drive on a dusty road.

My truck has enough rust that it's not worth eliminating it--I just try to slow it down as best I can, and this works great.

 

[swank60]

Oil and kerosene? Really? or are you just trying to get me to set my truck on fire? I think I'm goign to try the Permatex thing - I think that Krylon has something like that too - or at least it's a paint that converts rust - whatever. I don't want to get too serious about it. I'm in the same boat though - the rust is getting out of friggin hand. I was noticing how much damn rust is showing up on the insides of my damn doors - it's stupid. I live in Texas, for God's sake. It barely ever rains, there's no snow/salt - and there's not a large body of water within 50+ miles of here.

 

[Jman]

Heh heh, no, I'm not trying to get you to immolate yourself. Just don't spray it all over your exhaust system, apply it conservatively, let it sit over night.

I live in the northeast, don't talk to me about rust.

 

[Doc]

Find some mud. Drive rapidly through it. Undercoating done.

I wouldn't sweat it. but my truck has more rust than most will ever see.

 

[HZJ60 Guy]

Here is some undercoating for you.

After the sand blasting that is.


TB

 

[patride71]

holy christ i think i could eat off of that..while standing up no less

 

[dogboy2]

does that just encapsulate the rust only or would it prevent the rust from continuing to do its dirty business? i would think it would just encapsulate it, and maybe prevent future rust where there is none, but the current rust that was there and encapsulated could continue to grow.

the oxidation process that creates rust on ferrous based metals requires exposure to oxygen to do it's work -- products like Zero Rust, POR-15, & Rust Bullet all eliminate this variable from the equation, effectively stopping existing rust in it's tracks, which is what helps make these products so effective.

I personally like the Zero Rust for ease of application, coverage, & dry time although the others mentioned would probably perform better in different contexts than the quick spot/area touch ups.

-dogboy- '87 FJ60

 

[patride71]

thanks for the feedback on that. i got a couple of areas that need attention, especially before the midwest winter sets in

 

[lowtideride]

when i did my spring over last winter i used one of the flapper wheels with my grinder, then used rust converter and then rattle canned it black. still looks just as good as when i did it.

 

[patride71]

how long did that take you?

 

[lowtideride]

well i wire brushed all the dryed mud off(30mins) and a flapper wheel with grinder took it down to bare metal rather fast ( 15-20mins an axle) they sell the flapper wheels at lowes but not at home depot well at least in my area. spraying them dint take very long either if ya dont have to run and get the stuff, its a mornings worth of work with a break in the middle to get some ice tea and let the dust settle before the converter and paint..

side note: with the new paint job its much easier to wash the mud off and dirt after coming off the trail...a no brainer

-al