Undercarriage Maintenance Soup to Nuts (1 Viewer)

[Explorer4Hire]

One of my summer plans for the blue fox is to address the undercarriage. It is pretty clean under there with some tough dirt and a bit of surface rust, but no rot to speak of. I want it to stay in great condition. So what is the protocol? What approach would you take? On my 85 I just wire wheeled the crap out of everything underneath and rattle canned it all black... that was a long time ago and a different level of vehicle at the time. The fox is my driver, but I still want to do things correctly and maybe a bit better now. I'm wondering what the specific steps should be. Is it foolish to just start off wire wheeling it? Should I give it a hot wash first if possible and recon from there. So let's address it in this manner...

1) Clean up (best methods and products to get the undercarriage as clean as practically possible)
2) Prep (best methods and tools used to eliminate surface rust and get the underneath ready for product)
3) Product application (What do you use, from rustolium to the expensive stuff)
4) Continued maintenance (what are you doing to periodically keep underneath as clean as practically possible... same as 1?)


All I have done is hit the underneath with the foam cannon and rinse with the electric power washer... nothing supernatural. I also have not done any close high pressure spray.... just a foam soak and rinse....

Give me your program....

 

[mdcoa]

If it’s just surface rust, I’d be tempted to give it a nice aggressive pressure wash, let it dry and then blast it with Fluidfilm. Repeat annually.
I think painting over even tiny bits of remaining rust is like bondo over cancer—rust continues but you now cannot see it (for a while).
Fluidfilm penetrates and stops rust—just needs periodic reapplication.

 

[ace10]

If you decide to put any sort of coating on the underside, I suggest you photo document the condition of everything before you go at it.

Unless you're keeping the 4R for ever.

 

[Explorer4Hire]

I thing a deep clean and fluid film is the move as suggested. Is a hot water power washer worth the money to rent? Are we talking about just hot spray or some degreaser or soap as well. After that’s done I will fluid film and just spray down and reapply as needed.

Also I am sans-lift so this will be tough.

 

[mdcoa]

Fluid film is super-non- picky about the surface being clean, so I’d just buy a regular old power washer (IIRC I paid like 70 for mine, which was refurbished and works totally fine).
Buy two plastic car ramps at advance auto and raise one end at a time for ease of spraying—I’ve been doing this in driveways for years!

 

[Explorer4Hire]

I have a regular power washer that’s pretty good. I just didn’t know if hot was worth the extra. I also have to find the means for application. I’ve seen the sprayer but I don’t have an air tank... I just have a viaair compressor.

 

[davidp14]

How bad does fluid film collect dirt? I always thought it would be covered in crust the way I drive mine.
Either that or I'd have to reapply several times a year.

 

[mdcoa]

I have a regular power washer that’s pretty good. I just didn’t know if hot was worth the extra. I also have to find the means for application. I’ve seen the sprayer but I don’t have an air tank... I just have a viaair compressor.

I’ve got a fluid film kit (sprayer, bottles, and extended hose attachment for the aerosol bottles for getting inside of frame rails) and wimpy but adequate compressor you’re welcome to borrow.

 

[mdcoa]

How bad does fluid film collect dirt? I always thought it would be covered in crust the way I drive mine.
Either that or I'd have to reapply several times a year.

Depends on how thick one lays it on. But even the dust that collects on a thick application just becomes part of the system until the next year’s power wash…I've found one application in the fall seems to be enough Tom keep lost of the cancer in remission. (Actually my LC is a Northern CA truck and so pretty cancer-free—just trying to keep it that way in the face of maniacs who brine the living crap out of the roads three days ahead of any forecasted winter weather…)

 

[Explorer4Hire]

Yea, I was reading about it last night after the suggestions and it supposedly doesn’t wash off easily and really penetrates. It sounds like the way to go for sure. I may take you up on the equipment. Maybe I can drive to your location with some fluid film and you can show my the rundown and then I can get my own kit for the future.

 

[mdcoa]

happy to do that—are you ok with waiting til September or so—we can do both our Toyotas at once that way…

 

[1MOA]

I might know a guy who has hot water pressure washers who could wash off a few trucks.

 

[Explorer4Hire]

happy to do that—are you ok with waiting til September or so—we can do both our Toyotas at once that way…

Awesome!

 

[DirtNap]

I'm no expert, and haven't used Fluid Film, but there are a couple of pretty good semi-scientific tests on YouTube. tl;dr there were some other products that worked better and stayed put longer. If I come upon the link I'll update my post, but I'm sure you can find it.

IIRC, Fluid film was good for "injecting" into door panels or other closed spaces since the FF wouldn't get washed away, and it migrates / spreads out over time. maybe.

 

[scrt80]

I'm no expert, and haven't used Fluid Film, but there are a couple of pretty good semi-scientific tests on YouTube. tl;dr there were some other products that worked better and stayed put longer. If I come upon the link I'll update my post, but I'm sure you can find it.

IIRC, Fluid film was good for "injecting" into door panels or other closed spaces since the FF wouldn't get washed away, and it migrates / spreads out over time. maybe.

I believe the Project Farm channel did a review of multiple undercoat treatments. Fluid Film did pretty well from an ease of use and longevity perspective. It just needs to be regularly reapplied since it’s not nearly as resilient as cosmoline for example.

 

[traveldud]

happy to do that—are you ok with waiting til September or so—we can do both our Toyotas at once that way…

can I jump on this bandwagon? thx

 

[mdcoa]

can I jump on this bandwagon? thx

Would love to, but I have a small lot with a (small) 2-car driveway and feel bad enough outside blasting aerosol lanolin into the air on one car that I might consider a two-car party, but cannot do three. If I lived on an acre, I'd host a big old fluid film party every year . . .

 

[JohnVee]

...I'd host a big old fluid film party every year . . .

This is the dirtiest thing I've read on MUD all year!

 

[CondeCruiser]

I may know a guy that has a lift in his shop and plenty of room for guys that want to do this.

 

[traveldud]

I may know a guy that has a lift in his shop and plenty of room for guys that want to do this.

Just let me know. For some reason i dont get updates on threads. Please pm me if it’s a go. Ill check back on this too. Thx!!