NeverGiveUpYota
Dare me.
Found this interesting thread on HAMB regarding weld thru primers. The last comment in the thread is what’s caught my attention the most. Any of the more experienced welders have an opinion? Weld thru primer, Copper or Zinc?
Welding Prep and Finishing
- Thread starter NeverGiveUpYota
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
stevebradford
In the shop
For the best welds you want clean bare unoxidized metal. Best to grind paint and rust off before welding and prime after.
stevebradford
In the shop
Welding is fun isn't it there’s so much to learn. You finding excuses to weld things yet? Dragging future projects home calling it “Yard art”
My latest project out of free steel is a welding cart/bench with fixture holes for easy drop in clamping. And a nice thick top for a heat sink. So I can weld even more!
My latest project out of free steel is a welding cart/bench with fixture holes for easy drop in clamping. And a nice thick top for a heat sink. So I can weld even more!
NeverGiveUpYota
Dare me.
- Thread starter
- #4
My frame.... I did a poor job prepping on my second big patch, the inner passenger rear. So now that I’m opening up the outer side of the frame I see how poor I left the edges. I ‘thought’ I could just coat the inside w/ zinc weld and cross my fingers. But now after reading that attached link I’m not feeling as good about that path.
So what the f do I do? Along the way I thought I’d get these patches finished and painted on the outside, then I’d hoist up the nose end and hose out the inside of the frame, hope it dries and then simply douse it w/ leftover motor oil. Hey, I’m parent w/ a single income paycheck. I gotta do what I can do. Maybe since it is NE here and the temps are dropping I should skip the water and hose idea and just tip it up and douse it w/ the oil or similar penetrant.....
Hey, lucky find @stevebradford... What were those pieces of metal w/ the holes for previously?
So what the f do I do? Along the way I thought I’d get these patches finished and painted on the outside, then I’d hoist up the nose end and hose out the inside of the frame, hope it dries and then simply douse it w/ leftover motor oil. Hey, I’m parent w/ a single income paycheck. I gotta do what I can do. Maybe since it is NE here and the temps are dropping I should skip the water and hose idea and just tip it up and douse it w/ the oil or similar penetrant.....
Hey, lucky find @stevebradford... What were those pieces of metal w/ the holes for previously?
stevebradford
In the shop
The pieces of metal are extra elevator counterweight biscuits
Everyone seems to have differing opinions on the best thing for a frame. I think oil is the best idea and is what I do for mine. Here’s why.
The frame is two pieces of c channel one inside the other right. Where they over lap on the top and bottom is already rusty in between the two pieces. You can paint you can galvanize the frame all you want nothing is getting in between that tight join of the channels except oil.
I think you needn’t worry about the unprotected backs of your welds inside the frame it took years of neglect for it to rust out. No matter what you do the last bit boxing in the frame you won’t be able to paint. Also If one part of your frame rusted threw other parts are already rusty. And we all know painting over rust doesn’t work. You’ve patched it once you could do another part again even easier now if needed.
Your right hosing out the rocks and rust flakes that pile up in the belly of the frame is important and should be a yearly tradition. The pile holds moisture inside right at the front perch of the rear spring packs.
One guy on mud can’t remember his name welded up his entire frame and filled it with oil. Bit extreme I think. I picked up a rubberized undercoating spray gun
Amazon product ASIN B001TZEIBMand “spray paint” the outside of the frame with oil. I added a few extra 1/2 inch holes down the middle so theres about one every foot in the belly of the frame so can spray the inside as well. I bought my 60 with belly rust ten years ago and have finally addressed it. I kept it from getting any worse despite winter daily driving it in Canada by spraying it with oil.
Notice the nice cast frying pan seasoning on the inside and outside. Water beads off all winter long if you oil it in the early summer so dirt has time to seal it onto the frame. The one downside is you will get fearsomely dirty every time you work on anything underneath. (And don’t buy a white dog!)
Keep up the good work!
Everyone seems to have differing opinions on the best thing for a frame. I think oil is the best idea and is what I do for mine. Here’s why.
The frame is two pieces of c channel one inside the other right. Where they over lap on the top and bottom is already rusty in between the two pieces. You can paint you can galvanize the frame all you want nothing is getting in between that tight join of the channels except oil.
I think you needn’t worry about the unprotected backs of your welds inside the frame it took years of neglect for it to rust out. No matter what you do the last bit boxing in the frame you won’t be able to paint. Also If one part of your frame rusted threw other parts are already rusty. And we all know painting over rust doesn’t work. You’ve patched it once you could do another part again even easier now if needed.
Your right hosing out the rocks and rust flakes that pile up in the belly of the frame is important and should be a yearly tradition. The pile holds moisture inside right at the front perch of the rear spring packs.
One guy on mud can’t remember his name welded up his entire frame and filled it with oil. Bit extreme I think. I picked up a rubberized undercoating spray gun
Amazon product ASIN B001TZEIBMand “spray paint” the outside of the frame with oil. I added a few extra 1/2 inch holes down the middle so theres about one every foot in the belly of the frame so can spray the inside as well. I bought my 60 with belly rust ten years ago and have finally addressed it. I kept it from getting any worse despite winter daily driving it in Canada by spraying it with oil.
Notice the nice cast frying pan seasoning on the inside and outside. Water beads off all winter long if you oil it in the early summer so dirt has time to seal it onto the frame. The one downside is you will get fearsomely dirty every time you work on anything underneath. (And don’t buy a white dog!)
Keep up the good work!
Last edited:
NeverGiveUpYota
Dare me.
- Thread starter
- #6
Love it! Thanks @stevebradford. I’ll respond later when kid is asleep; bath time now. I appreciate the picture tho, now I remember you due to your comments (and photos) on my thread a few months back. 
NeverGiveUpYota
Dare me.
- Thread starter
- #7
Ok so.... all that on the motor oil helped me feel better about my cheap decision. I did pick up a paint spray bottle very similar to your picture at Tractor Supply on clearance a bit ago. Knew it would have its place. And the drilling of holes... I did add drain holes on the inside side of my patches on the frame. Again, glad I’ve paid attention to various threads.
So now, ditch the weld through primer first step altogether?
And very lucky find on those counterweights. I could never see something like that around here. Maybe in the ‘city’ of Hartford, but highly likely. I do keep my eyes peeled quite frequently tho to the sides of the road often now tho!
So now, ditch the weld through primer first step altogether?
And very lucky find on those counterweights. I could never see something like that around here. Maybe in the ‘city’ of Hartford, but highly likely. I do keep my eyes peeled quite frequently tho to the sides of the road often now tho!
NeverGiveUpYota
Dare me.
- Thread starter
- #8
And that photo of yours above... I can only imagine, the rust hole was THAT bad? Amazing to think mine could be so much better than anyone else's!
stevebradford
In the shop
If you can weld through it can rust through. in my limited experience a good coat of primer will show rust within a year here in Canada. In my mind primer is just to form a solid bond between the final coat of paint to metal.
Eastwood internal frame coating will fill all the cracks, it is very thin and flowy. But it can't go on if there's oil, it is paint. It must be clean metal or metal with rust. I plan to put that in my 4runner frame that is still nice and clean, and mostly rust free. On the Cruiser I think I'll skip that step and just use some kind of oil or rust inhibitor because it's such a mess. The problem is there's literally like 2" deep dirt / grease mix in the frame by the rear arch. I don't know how to get rid of it. I don't know why anyone would put gobs of grease in there. It did seem to protect the frame though, it isn't compromised there so I guess I should be thankful for it. But oil would have been better. Maybe I'll tilt up the front of the vehicle and put in degreaser to liquify it all and somehow suck it out.
NeverGiveUpYota
Dare me.
- Thread starter
- #11
@MarkBC agreed. Nice to hear someone actually admit to that depth of dirt/debris. Once I opened the sides of the boxed frame I was amazed at the stuff in mine. Obviously a 30 year old truck, can’t be all my doing a few years ago when I ran it in March through wicked mud.... some of the chunks tho were extremely reminiscent of concrete. I threw one and it exploded into smaller chunks but they still held their shape.
I took a coat hanger and my shop vacuum and dug in as best I could toward the front. Going toward the read, the arch where the shock tube is, I dig out a nest; I think I spotted bones in it. Typically I’m all for finding a skull but that really turned me off and I vacuumed it up as fast as I could.
I’m kicking myself for not having taken advantage of the heat when it was here to hoist up the nose and hose her out. The rails would have dried so fast. Now it’s just too cold to let all sorts of water go in and sit.
Since I have old oil, that’s what I’m going to do.
I took a coat hanger and my shop vacuum and dug in as best I could toward the front. Going toward the read, the arch where the shock tube is, I dig out a nest; I think I spotted bones in it. Typically I’m all for finding a skull but that really turned me off and I vacuumed it up as fast as I could.
I’m kicking myself for not having taken advantage of the heat when it was here to hoist up the nose and hose her out. The rails would have dried so fast. Now it’s just too cold to let all sorts of water go in and sit.
Since I have old oil, that’s what I’m going to do.
NeverGiveUpYota
Dare me.
- Thread starter
- #13
It’s not the problem of getting the water in, it’s the outside temps now till it would dry. There’s no more summer heat, moisture would just sit in there for weeks.
If you're buying expensive stuff in a can do this.
Eastwood Frame Coating Pic
And on top of that yearly oil. The frame coating has only been on my Tacoma a few years - so no long term test but it has to better than nothing. I will tell you it stinks to high heaven (I'm pretty immune to fumes and chemicals but this stuff is strong) which tells me it's good.
I saw a youtube video where a guy tested a few products by coating pieces of steel and throwing them in his backyard for a year. Eastwood frame coating performed the best with no rust coming through. Por15 was the worst with rust coming through everywhere. I agree, coat with oil afterwards.
NeverGiveUpYota
Dare me.
- Thread starter
- #16
I’m can’t go $$$, I just can’t do it with all my other bills.
I'm just saying zinc weld thru primer is expensive. I would buy the Eastwood internal frame coating as a rust preventative before I would use the zinc.
NeverGiveUpYota
Dare me.
- Thread starter
- #18
Ok, appreciate the clarification.
I tried the weld through primer about 25 years ago and was not impressed and haven't used it since.
This is what I use to spray all my vehicles and it works great and lasts longer that regular oil, I do it once a year. With the kit you get a gun with a few wands one which you can insert into the frame and it sprays a 360 degree fan of oil. NH Oil Undercoating
This is what I use to spray all my vehicles and it works great and lasts longer that regular oil, I do it once a year. With the kit you get a gun with a few wands one which you can insert into the frame and it sprays a 360 degree fan of oil. NH Oil Undercoating
Toyota must have used weld thru primer didnt they? Otherwise all those pinch welds would be rusting
