I lay on the ground in the street. Get the wand from eastwood. It will be very easy and take about an hour or two if going in every cavity and framerail or crossmember. What is great about fluid film is that it creeps so applies very easy.
Skipping a Season of Undercoating: How Bad Could It Be?
- Thread starter winestonecowboy
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Treated with fluid film, 265k miles
Not treated with fluid film, 275k miles
Both vehicles are in the same state. The one that is rusty started with some rust that was not treated. The one that is not rusty, started with no rust and was treated before it saw any salt. The mint condition one will last forever. The rusty one runs and operates perfectly, but the frame is disintegrating underneath even with fluid film over the past five years. The rust slowed or stopped everywhere it was treated, but the rear bumper above was an example of an area that didn’t get ever pulled off and this vehicle likely had its ass dipped in the seawater before my ownership. Interestingly, the rusty vehicle lived on Guantánamo Bay….so probably had an interesting life.
As mentioned, it’s not rocket science, just spray everything and try not to hit any rubber that is not meant to be in contact with oil or grease such as door seals, and headlight seals.
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If you plan on keeping it for a while. Treat, coat, protect with something, anything as soon as possible. The salt/sand and Mg-chl will have an immediate impact after one season.
Years back I bought a relatively rare car from TX and brought back to the DC area. I couldn't believe what one season did
to the bottom side of it. The salt blasted the paint on the leading edges of the rockers.
Years back I bought a relatively rare car from TX and brought back to the DC area. I couldn't believe what one season did
to the bottom side of it. The salt blasted the paint on the leading edges of the rockers.
There is a undercoating place in Lakewood NJ. It's called Milspray Military Technology. It was about 200 bucks.
I got my 100 from California and I have used their undercoating since 2022. The picture was from this winter with last year's undercoating.
Supposedly they use Carwell T32 undercoating.
I got my 100 from California and I have used their undercoating since 2022. The picture was from this winter with last year's undercoating.
Supposedly they use Carwell T32 undercoating.
Just go to home depot and buy 6 cans of "surface shield" and spray away. once rust starts, you cannot stop it, you can only slow it down. Don't let it start.
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- #26
Haha fair enough. It was tight under the truck when I was greasing the driveline the other day, so I was hesitant to think I would be able to be mobile enough to be effective under there.
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- #27
Update: spent a couple of hours in the Lowe’s parking lot today in BK soaking everywhere I could find under the bottom of the truck. I can definitely rest easier now
The best undercoating is parking the vehicle inside and not driving it at all in the winter. Sadly not an option for 99% of the population. Fluid film or not, it will never look like a completely rust free southern truck again if you drive it through salt every winter. Just not possible. It will be very rust free but some places will definitely pick up some corrosion and light rust that you can’t do anything about.
Surface shield is good stuff, I keep all my Toyota's protected with it.
I live near the beach, and my 3rd gen 4Runner (3rd gens T4R are famous for rusting in half) is still rust free because of the surface shield protection. I re-apply every 2 years or so.
How much effort you put into protecting it will be the results you get
I live near the beach, and my 3rd gen 4Runner (3rd gens T4R are famous for rusting in half) is still rust free because of the surface shield protection. I re-apply every 2 years or so.
How much effort you put into protecting it will be the results you get
You could drive up to NH have your vehicle undercoated and have a weekend away for less than that
This morning, being disgusted by the crust of salt on my LC, I wanted to point out the spot that is super easy to miss when undercoating. For those in the south that just got pounded with snow - if they salted the roads, be sure to clean this spot in front of the rear wheels out when you wash up. I can feel the rust happening in this pic…
