Salt - Best Practices

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OSS said:
Heed my advice:

DO NOT SPRAY FLUID FILM ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR VEHICLE UNTIL YOU KNOW WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY THAT YOU ARENT SENSITIVE TO IT.

MY experience with Fluid Film…

I’ll just get it out if the way here: for me, Fluid Film is the most vile, horrible smelling contaminate I’ve ever encountered. Yes it definitely slows down rust - but for the ultimate cost of permanently contaminating the vehicle with its vile stench. It’s godawful.

Spray it in your doors? Might as well sell the vehicle afterwards because it will stink forever — especially when the car heats up in the summer. God it’s horrible.

Some people say it’s stench doesn’t bother them - well lucky them. Others like myself can’t get near that horrible stuff…. and the stink never goes away.

If I had one regret about something on my cruiser… it was spraying that godawful horrible Fluid Film on it.

I eventually had to sell my cruiser. I could never sleep inside it again.

- THE WORLD’S MOST HORRIBLE RUST PREVENTATIVE-

By far

At least that’s my experience
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I've had my 4Runner sprayed every year since 2019 with Fluid Film. The first time I had it done, the guy opened the can and had me smell it before he proceeded. The smell doesn't bother me. Wool Wax or Blaster Surface Shield doesn't have the odor apparently. I pay around $120 for my 4Runner to have someone apply it.
 
Chungas Revenge said:
I usually hit spring and fall. I apply it outside, because it does have a peculiar scent. but, at least in my experience, it dissipates after a couple of days. It’s inexpensive and can be purchased with a wand applicator, which makes it easy to get into the frame. It won’t hurt rubber or plastic.

It won’t resurrect tin worm infestations or cure the red scourge. It’s a preemptive measure. I like it because it’s inexpensive and easy to apply. There are other products available as well.

@Jdc1 mentioned Boeshield T-9 another good product in the preventative war on rust. In my case, I’ve gotten to the point where ”The Mule” goes in the stable most of the winter because of the “salt(s) used here on WV roads. Not saying you have to park your ride, just be prepared to fight a protracted engagement. Rust never sleeps.

BLUF: I like and use fluid film for the reasons stated above.
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are there 1-2 products equal to Fluid Film (protection wise ) or is it the gold standard? Part of me asking is b/c I gave a hyper sensitive sense of smell too! Ha!
 
Jdc1 said:
I just bought this rinse after a recommendation from a friend.

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how did you like it? Is it mixed with the water you are hosing down with?
 
TuckerHudson said:
I'm up outside of NYC where if there is a threat of ice drizzle, they drop $500,000 of rock salt. Post-COVID, I've been driving my 78 40 a lot more. I want to drive it where sensible this winter too. Historically, I've followed and old mechanics philosophy of, 2 good rainfalls after salting with of course no more salt after the second rainfall. Does anyone just use a hose philosophy? If the roads look clean from salt, drive it and take a hose to the lower frame and body. Merry Christmas and thanks for sharing your views on salt.
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put it on french fries and popcorn, not the 40.:banana:
 
I'm with Mike... If I EVER found a decent FJ55 I could afford I would NEVER drive it anywhere near salt. I feel the same with any older landcruiser, but 55s are harder to fix. I had a hose hooked up to a Tee at the hot water side of the washing machine in my mud room. We get some road salt here, not much, but the tide comes across some low roads in winter storms as well. My thorough hot wash down and summertime applications of oily concoctions from my paint gun were no match for for the Devil Rust. When I finally pulled the rotten body off the chassis with my forks through the windows, very few other tools were required.
 
Ah man, I have to stop hanging out so much. Everyone I run into in person is like "so, tell me about that 55 down the street from you. Well what about the one on the corner by the grocery store?" Official answer is, "there are no troopies in town, that I know of."
 
TuckerHudson said:
how did you like it? Is it mixed with the water you are hosing down with?
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Haven’t used it yet but looks like it can be used out of an airless sprayer or with a hose mixer. Just got hot water plumbed into the garage so next somewhat warm day I’ll give it a test run.
 
No. No. No. It is impossible to rinse it all off. Trust me. I've lived in it for 51 years and countless cars.
 
It was bad enough when I was young and lived in CT and rotted out a '70 and a '74 from the winter salt and sand. No amount of undercoating and washing was enough to stave off the evil effects of the salt. It was heart breaking but my FJ40 was my only transportation at the time (and it was cool) but I had to move on to other things like a real life so a mini-van was soon in my future. Now that I'm old(er) and living in upstate NY and I was fortunate enough to find a really decent '75 for reasonable $$ in which to relive my youth I am not willing to go back down the salt path ever again.
 
I regret fluid film now as well. Stench doesn't bother me but it attracts dirt and dust, so if you drive off pavement everywhere you've sprayed it turns into a thick mass of oily wax caked with dust. All my door drain holes and inside of my doors are a mess and clogged up from that stuff. Probably would be OK on Frame and underside where it could be washed off (and re applied, expen$ive) . Huge mistake spraying it in my doors and rear quarters of my 60. And I sprayed it on seams in my 40 and now there's a slime of oily grit stuck everywhere that I'm not sure how I'll get out without gutting it.. yuck
 
MDH33 said:
I regret fluid film now as well. Stench doesn't bother me but it attracts dirt and dust, so if you drive off pavement everywhere you've sprayed it turns into a thick mass of oily wax caked with dust. All my door drain holes and inside of my doors are a mess and clogged up from that stuff. Probably would be OK on Frame and underside where it could be washed off (and re applied, expen$ive) . Huge mistake spraying it in my doors and rear quarters of my 60. And I sprayed it on seams in my 40 and now there's a slime of oily grit stuck everywhere that I'm not sure how I'll get out without gutting it.. yuck
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I don't disagree with you. I wish it didn't attract dust and dirt. I want to spray something on my FJ40 even though it's not going to see salted roads. From what I've read, cosmoline dries hard and doesn't attract dirt. It doesn't creep like Fluid Film. I don't think it's as easy to work with.
 
MDH33 said:
I regret fluid film now as well. Stench doesn't bother me but it attracts dirt and dust, so if you drive off pavement everywhere you've sprayed it turns into a thick mass of oily wax caked with dust. All my door drain holes and inside of my doors are a mess and clogged up from that stuff. Probably would be OK on Frame and underside where it could be washed off (and re applied, expen$ive) . Huge mistake spraying it in my doors and rear quarters of my 60. And I sprayed it on seams in my 40 and now there's a slime of oily grit stuck everywhere that I'm not sure how I'll get out without gutting it.. yuck
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I don't disagree with this at all, it does attract a ton of dirt initially. Spending a lot of time on forest service roads covered in that flour like dust I'll agree 100% it gets caked everywhere.

I also despise rust, and if it helps keep the rust monster at bay I feel it's a fair tradeoff in my opinion. I can power wash dirt and wax from my 40, I can't wash rust away.

In the end, rust is inevitable, it's all a matter of how to prolong the inevitable.

Park it.
Protect it with something.
Or just say screw it and drive it.
 
OSS said:
Heed my advice:

DO NOT SPRAY FLUID FILM ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR VEHICLE UNTIL YOU KNOW WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY THAT YOU ARENT SENSITIVE TO IT.

MY experience with Fluid Film…

I’ll just get it out if the way here: for me, Fluid Film is the most vile, horrible smelling contaminate I’ve ever encountered. Yes it definitely slows down rust - but for the ultimate cost of permanently contaminating the vehicle with its vile stench. It’s godawful.

Spray it in your doors? Might as well sell the vehicle afterwards because it will stink forever — especially when the car heats up in the summer. God it’s horrible.

Some people say it’s stench doesn’t bother them - well lucky them. Others like myself can’t get near that horrible stuff…. and the stink never goes away.

If I had one regret about something on my cruiser… it was spraying that godawful horrible Fluid Film on it.

I eventually had to sell my cruiser. I could never sleep inside it again.

- THE WORLD’S MOST HORRIBLE RUST PREVENTATIVE-

By far

At least that’s my experience
Click to expand...
so what your saying is you wont be doing this

its good stuff!

I mix it with some atf and a bit of kerosene to thin it and spray it out of a pump sprayer into the frame rails... or wherever

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I was just saying in a different thread, that if your metal is surface rust is smooth enough (sanding) that you can also wipe off excess with a rag. And, if you apply it with a rag in the first place, you will get way more done with far less vapor.

There are so many places that I don't apply these products to, however, even just a regular application to the top of the rear spring hangers gusset plates would get you pretty far on a common bad spot.

Wax on. Wax off. Repeat.
 
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