What do you do for rust?

[AZBaobab]

As mentioned over in the LC sighting thread, I recently moved into the area from Arizona. Out there, rust isn't really an issue; other than as a semi-fashionable patina that one might build up on the axles after a long life of puddle-bombing.

But having just arrived in the area here, I'm seeing a lot of cars with a lot of rot.
I've heard of the Zeibart shops; and the gobs of black goop that one can get sprayed on the underside; but aside from that, are there any other options?

What do you guys do to keep the rot at bay and the thoroughbreds looking young?

 

[FJ40Jim]

The best way to protect the Cruiser from winter rust is by utilizing a sacrificial anode, a piece of metal that oxidizes in lieu of the Cruiser.

As far as a type of anode goes, I recommend older Subaru, but personally end up driving VW/Audi products.

 

[Output Shaft]

blasphemy!

 

[Mattnatti]

I am with Jim although my choice is a Tacoma. You know Toyota gives away free frames when they rot. It's like a bonus.

Welcome to the area.

 

[jwilliams]

I haven't tried it yet... but a lot of other guys on MUD seem to use this stuff and like it.

Fluid Film® | Corrosion Preventative, Lubricant and Rust Inhibitor

 

[FJ40Jim]

Is there a thread on how to really get the FF oil into the nooks & crannies inside body & frame rails?

 

[AZBaobab]

The best way to protect the Cruiser from winter rust is by utilizing a sacrificial anode, a piece of metal that oxidizes in lieu of the Cruiser.

As far as a type of anode goes, I recommend older Subaru, but personally end up driving VW/Audi products.

Ah.
In that case, I already have a sacrificial anode of the Honda variety.
However, lugging that thing around on the underside of the cruiser can get to be a bit cumbersome. Really wrecks havoc with the clearance.

Actually, we use both as DD, so short of picking up another car, there's not really any way to get around the cruiser being out on the road.

I haven't tried it yet... but a lot of other guys on MUD seem to use this stuff and like it.

Fluid Film® | Corrosion Preventative, Lubricant and Rust Inhibitor

I've looked into a couple of things like that; however the consensus seems to be that, as the underside of a vehicle is basically being sand-blasted as it goes down the road, those sorts of coverings don't lase more than a few days.
At least, that's what I've heard.

Also, everyone here I've spoken to has recommended Z-bart (?)
Supposedly a commercial operation that gives the underside a thick, goopy coating.
Anyone had any success / horror stories from them?

 

[jwilliams]

I have read a lot about Zeibart too... the closest shop is in Centerville, OH.
There aren't many Youtube videos from them on how they apply the product.
It would be interesting to give them a call or visit their shop and see what the actual process is, or what type of warranty they offer.
Since there is paint already applied as an undercoating from the factory, do they just clean the bottom of the truck very well and then spray their stuff on?
It would be a fun field trip to investigate.

 

[AZBaobab]

Well, I just called the place in SE Columbus: according to them, (assuming there's no rust that needs to be treated), their undercoating/rust protection involves:
-Lifting the vehicle for a powerwashing of the underside,
-Spray on treatment of the black goopy, wax-based stuff: including a wand-colonoscopy of the insides of the frame rails, etc.

Didn't sound TOO outrageous... (hardly chump change though.)
Was given a preliminary quote of just over $500 for underside and total paint (body) treatment. So, whole body and underside.

Granted, that's quite a bit more than a $50 bottle of do-it-yourself, but they (evidently) guarantee their work (not quite clear on how that would work), and annual reapplication is only $50~$60.

 

[zebrabeefj40]

What vehicle are you trying to keep from rusting? What an FJ40 needs is different than an 80 series.

You will get better answers to this question in the Yankee Toys clubhouse <- is in New England area. This is a yearly topic with many proven techniques. In my experience Ziebart is a waste of $$$.

Nick

 

[lackluster]

Hello folks. I'm not going to hijack this thread, but im going to introduce myself. I've been a land cruiser fan for over 20 years and a lifetime resident of ohio. I've lurked the mud pages for years before joining in 14. Anways.
I bought an original southern California fj40 in 2002, which had minimal rust. Aside from Arizona, the high desert of southern California was a good location to find a clean truck.
Knowing the conditions here in Ohio reek havoc on vehicles, I needed to act on this beaut before I exposed her to Ohio nasties.
My process to preserve was a labor intensive task, which i only worked on the underside of the tub, from bottom portion of the firewall to rear sill.
I used kerosene and plastic putty knife and removed the rubber based factory undercoat. I plastic media blasted the primer off to expose the raw metal.
I then went through the multi steps of painting using the por-15 products.
I can't say that I've truly tested the por-15 product as I haven’t driven this truck but the spring and summer months. But given the corrosive nature of salt and brine, I can say no evidence of any rust since 2002.
That's my story.
Welcome to ohio AZ baobab!

 

[Opus]

Hello folks. I'm not going to hijack this thread, but im going to introduce myself. I've been a land cruiser fan for over 20 years and a lifetime resident of ohio. I've lurked the mud pages for years before joining in 14. Anways.
I bought an original southern California fj40 in 2002, which had minimal rust. Aside from Arizona, the high desert of southern California was a good location to find a clean truck.
Knowing the conditions here in Ohio reek havoc on vehicles, I needed to act on this beaut before I exposed her to Ohio nasties.
My process to preserve was a labor intensive task, which i only worked on the underside of the tub, from bottom portion of the firewall to rear sill.
I used kerosene and plastic putty knife and removed the rubber based factory undercoat. I plastic media blasted the primer off to expose the raw metal.
I then went through the multi steps of painting using the por-15 products.
I can't say that I've truly tested the por-15 product as I haven’t driven this truck but the spring and summer months. But given the corrosive nature of salt and brine, I can say no evidence of any rust since 2002.
That's my story.
Welcome to ohio AZ baobab!

Fan of POR-15 products also........satisfied with the results so far on my "project"...

 

[lackluster]

As seen from my avatar, I've been working on a canadian spec bj42.
I'm needing to perform a more extensive rust removal, course abrasive and a finish coat.
I've read mixed reviews of por-15 on frames.
Any suggestions out there?

 

[FJ40Jim]

I've used POR on frames and other parts. Long term observations:
it sticks/bonds/seals/hardens best on a mildly rusty surface. If there is thick flaky rust, it will fall of when the rust falls off. On perfectly clean steel it doesn't harden & stick as well as etching primer.

Brake fluid will soften/damage it. Not as bad as normal paint, but do wash off the brake fluid after bleeding all the lines.

Do top coat with a paint for outdoor use. POR will visibly decay with long term exposure to UV and smog.

 

[zebrabeefj40]

What Jim said on POR-15 echo's my experience. I like the stuff...

Nick

 

[lackluster]

Yeah, my experience with por-15 this far has been good.
It's been a few years since I last used it but I do remember that I followed the instructions to the T. I had blasted to bare metal and did washes with their other products, marine clean and oxidizing agent.
It was multiple steps to rinse, wash, rinse again, and final oxidizing with washing and rinsing. I remember following these steps, it took several days to go through all the motions.
I never applied directly over rust. Many people said it holds up to this, just my appreciation.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm chomping at the bit to get this bj frame prepped and finished. I've kicked around the idea of hot dipped galvanizing, just not sure about the areas where the c-channels of the frame connect. Not much space between the rivets that the galvanizing process might miss.

 

[Prairie Swamp]

I also recommend POR 15. Prep is key - a lot of people don't have the patince. I don't have 10 years of in-use experience, but I've had it on a lot of underbody stuff for several years including the skid plates on my Tacoma and it holds up to abrasion amazingly well. I had never thought about the impact of brake fluid so that's something to keep in mind.

Also as a Michigan and Ohio lifer hot oil treatment is the way to go inside body panels and nooks and crannies. It's def s do it yourself job though as there's no above board shops that will do it. The EPA kind of frowns on it as excess oil will drip for days and weeks. I have multiple vehicles so I can spray on and let it drop on a peice of sheet plastic for awhile.

Tacoma that has spent 11 or 12 years in Ohio at this point.

Bumpers and wheels are the weak point for rust. I've got new bumpers in primer ready to go - fully encased front and back in POR15 of course.

Eric

 

[AZBaobab]

A lot of folks seem to swear by this POR-15 stuff. I looked into it, it seems that prep is key; most often, taking it down to the bare metal, then scuffing it up. Most of my factory undercoating is still intact (FJ80): and i'd prefer to not have to scrape it all off, if at all possible.

Any input on how it works when applied over the (clean) stock stuff?
Also, given it comes in a can, how do you guys get it up inside the frame rails/tops of frame rails/into all the little nooks and cranies, etc?

My process to preserve was a labor intensive task, which i only worked on the underside of the tub, from bottom portion of the firewall to rear sill.
I used kerosene and plastic putty knife and removed the rubber based factory undercoat. I plastic media blasted the primer off to expose the raw metal.
I then went through the multi steps of painting using the por-15 products.
Welcome to ohio AZ baobab!

Thanks for the insight!
This seems to be representative of the labor required to get the stuff on. I don't mind doing the work; but I don't have access to either a lift, or a media blaster. Nor am I really interested in having to do a full body-off job (as it sounds like you did for the 40 tub?).

Having not yet read through the application instructions; is taking everything down to the bare metal really what's required to get effective POR protection? Because if so, it sounds like a TON of DIY work...

 

[Prairie Swamp]

I've only applied it to clean clean clean steel. By clean I mean either sandblasted, wire brushed or ground. I think POR is supposed to stand for Paint Over Rust - but only a light surface rust. I fabbed a new fuel tank skid plate from plate steel. Sheet steel comes with kind of an enamel or lacquer on it I guess to keep it from rusting in storage or transit. Even this had to come off of virgin steel via abrasive methods.

In my opinion any thing less is wasting time and paint at $45 a quart. Others may have different experiences however.

Eric

 

[AZBaobab]

Yea, I can see that. When doing any sort of body work; the only way paint can be reliably applied is when it's taken all the way down to the surface.
Makes sense that that would be the case with POR as well.
Only problem being; that the average DIY-er (yours truly) doesn't have easy access to a sandblaster or a real lift. And paying for access/proper sand-blasting ends up being just as much as paying someone to professionally undercoat the vehicle (assuming the end results are equal).

I'd love to go the much cheaper route; with the POR; but if the only way it'd be worth anything is after a total stripped-down cleaning and prepping of the surface, then it may not really be an option.