Undercarriage Maintenance

[DenaliHD66]

I've seen some of you guys use some kind of black primer to paint all the black steel/metal parts and frame in the undercarriage to prevent rust. Just curious as to what kind of substance you guys are using because that stuff looks awesome. I used some Krylon on my door latches recently because they keep on rusting, and I always end up sanding them down, WD-40ing them, and just waiting until they rust over again. Unfortunately, the hex screws were so tight in their position, that they stripped because i had to give it that much effort to try to turn. Attempted to spray them in their nominal positions and didn't turn out very pretty but I really didn't care.

 

[jimmyjam]

POR-15 seems to be the popular choice

 

[The_Roadie]

I think what you're remembering is stuff called POR15. POR stands for Paint Over Rust. Not inexpensive.

POR15, Inc. - Stop Rust Permanently - Repair Gas & Fuel Tanks

 

[Sparky]

I plan on using POR15 on my frame and undercarriage. I know I can't stop the inside-out rusting on the frame since I can't really get inside the box, but at least I can slow the process by keeping it from rusting both directions.

 

[Opeth]

Runs about $40-50 per pint when I bought it last. Buy it directly from them, much cheaper than local paint shops. Also, do take consideration when they tell you to wear gloves. I didn't, my skin had to peel off before it came off... Bout a week and a half. Nothing will take it off, I tried pretty much all thinners, gas, gojo, etc...

 

[lint]

I plan on using POR15 on my frame and undercarriage. I know I can't stop the inside-out rusting on the frame since I can't really get inside the box, but at least I can slow the process by keeping it from rusting both directions.

You can use this to get inside the box frame and inside the fenders I have been using them for 30 years and works great. hooks to a gallon antifreeze jug. and a small air supply . or buy there jug



Rusfre Mitey Bee Gun w/Coupler (For Use with Gallon Jugs)

and the wand to slide in the frame


Rusfre Rigi-Flex 30" Wand (For Use With BB1000C)

I use this for inside the frame box,It stays a little wet and wont crack.if I don't mix my own stuff, that I think works better.

http://raybuck.com/i-68312-rusfre-clear-amber-innerpanel-rustproofing.html

 

[The_Roadie]

...Also, do take consideration when they tell you to wear gloves. I didn't, my skin had to peel off before it came off... Bout a week and a half. Nothing will take it off, I tried pretty much all thinners, gas, gojo, etc...

Every time people post warnings like this, I seem compelled to post a link to one of the net's EPIC forum threads of all time:

How Do I Get Herculiner Off of My Hootus?! - Ford Explorer Ranger Enthusiasts "Serious Explorations"®

 

[Sparky]

You can use this to get inside the box frame and inside the fenders I have been using them for 30 years and works great. hooks to a gallon antifreeze jug. and a small air supply . or buy there jug



Rusfre Mitey Bee Gun w/Coupler (For Use with Gallon Jugs)

and the wand to slide in the frame


Rusfre Rigi-Flex 30" Wand (For Use With BB1000C)

I use this for inside the frame box,It stays a little wet and wont crack.if I don't mix my own stuff, that I think works better.

Rusfre Clear Amber Innerpanel Rustproofing

Doesn't the rust scale have to be removed first? I know I have some rust flakes in there.

 

[DenaliHD66]

Anyone else feel like our trucks are a big PITA when working on underneath? So many nooks and crannies to work on and rust. That's why my next vehicle will be a truck.

 

[lint]

Doesn't the rust scale have to be removed first? I know I have some rust flakes in there.

If you can get a coating around rust that stops the air it will stop or at least slow it down.
If you used the Innerpanel Rustproofing stuff from Rusfre , kerosene is used to thin it down.to help it go threw the gun. Thats the way it used to be. And kerosene is a little like penetrating oil,It will creep into and soaks into the rust some. But I am not sure if the EPA or anyone has changed the way you use it. Been awhile ,and the Innerpanel Rustproofing stuff is the only one I use ,It stays soft and the rest of the stuff will get hard and crack, but I make my own out of ''boiled linseed oil'' A small bottle of STP. https://www.google.com/search?q=stp...u&sa=X&ei=je7qT4OOGKqA6QGi67DiBQ&ved=0CGIQrQQ

And some times paraffin wax But with the wax you need something hot to melt it all together without it exploding .

1....Get some 'boiled linseed oil'' about a gallon at Lowes
2... a bottle of STP to keep it from getting hard , and help it cling .
3... A gallon of white kerosene to thin and help creep.and the rest of the kerosene is for clean up. not sure of the mixture , just thin till it will spray good and creep well.I spray a thinned down coat first''saturate'' and then a little thicker for the second coat.And yes it is a dripping mess.
Worked at a Subaru Dealer when I was a kid , and that is what we used . worked great and was cheap at the time.
Not a good thing to spray on outside of the frame , makes a mess, Drips for days.I had a Toyota pickup and would not stop rusting big flakes off the frame . finally sprayed that on the hole frame, inside an out. drove it for a week till a dirty dry coating formed on the top and sprayed some cheap enamel black paint over it . finally stopped rusting...
If you try the boiled linseed oil ,Do it somewhere you can make a mess and let it drip for a day or even a week
But the Rusfre inner panel product is good if you thin it some.
if anyone uses the gun to spray , keep the air up enough to blow the undercoating out hard to force it into all the little corners .''saturate'' key word.

'boiled linseed oil'' is old school But still is a great product it was used on the farm for all your tools when storing them over winter to stop them from rusting .

And the Por 15 is great stuff that Roadie put up.and I use it a lot. But for inside the frame linseed oil is a lot cheaper and gets into and around the rust.

 

[davenay67]

I make my own too..!!

I use pretty much the same ingredients; Kerosene, paraffin wax and linseed oil....just experimenting with different variations of the formula. Looks and smells very similar to the commerical Waxoyl product I used to use and had great success with.

I use a schutz gun and flexible wand for getting inside frames. My '97 Jeep frame is my big project right now....lots of rust inside and out, but not too far gone to make a difference and save it.

Undercoating Gun and 2 Hoses & Bottle

I believe that linseed oil is/was big in the aircraft industry for keeping corrision out of plane structures....may be a small plane thing. The important thing is to use 'boiled' linseed oil....don't use anything but the boiled variety.

Instead of the STP, I was thinking of also adding bar and chain oil into the 'recipe' to help keep things more flexible.

If you can get a coating around rust that stops the air it will stop or at least slow it down.
If you used the Innerpanel Rustproofing stuff from Rusfre , kerosene is used to thin it down.to help it go threw the gun. Thats the way it used to be. And kerosene is a little like penetrating oil,It will creep into and soaks into the rust some. But I am not sure if the EPA or anyone has changed the way you use it. Been awhile ,and the Innerpanel Rustproofing stuff is the only one I use ,It stays soft and the rest of the stuff will get hard and crack, but I make my own out of ''boiled linseed oil'' A small bottle of STP. https://www.google.com/search?q=stp...u&sa=X&ei=je7qT4OOGKqA6QGi67DiBQ&ved=0CGIQrQQ

And some times paraffin wax But with the wax you need something hot to melt it all together without it exploding .

1....Get some 'boiled linseed oil'' about a gallon at Lowes
2... a bottle of STP to keep it from getting hard , and help it cling .
3... A gallon of white kerosene to thin and help creep.and the rest of the kerosene is for clean up. not sure of the mixture , just thin till it will spray good and creep well.I spray a thinned down coat first''saturate'' and then a little thicker for the second coat.And yes it is a dripping mess.
Worked at a Subaru Dealer when I was a kid , and that is what we used . worked great and was cheap at the time.
Not a good thing to spray on outside of the frame , makes a mess, Drips for days.I had a Toyota pickup and would not stop rusting big flakes off the frame . finally sprayed that on the hole frame, inside an out. drove it for a week till a dirty dry coating formed on the top and sprayed some cheap enamel black paint over it . finally stopped rusting...
If you try the boiled linseed oil ,Do it somewhere you can make a mess and let it drip for a day or even a week
But the Rusfre inner panel product is good if you thin it some.
if anyone uses the gun to spray , keep the air up enough to blow the undercoating out hard to force it into all the little corners .''saturate'' key word.

'boiled linseed oil'' is old school But still is a great product it was used on the farm for all your tools when storing them over winter to stop them from rusting .

 

[lint]

I make my own too..!!

I use pretty much the same ingredients; Kerosene, paraffin wax and ....just experimenting with different variations of the formula. Looks and smells very similar to the commerical Waxoyl product I used to use and had great success with.

I use a schutz gun and flexible wand for getting inside frames. My '97 Jeep frame is my big project right now....lots of rust inside and out, but not too far gone to make a difference and save it.

Undercoating Gun and 2 Hoses & Bottle

I believe that linseed oil is/was big in the aircraft industry for keeping corrision out of plane structures....may be a small plane thing. The important thing is to use 'boiled' linseed oil....don't use anything but the boiled variety.

Instead of the STP, I was thinking of also adding bar and chain oil into the 'recipe' to help keep things more flexible.

Wow , I thought they took Waxoyl off the market back when the big stink about fires and undercoating, "" You know ''. if your in a crash and the car is on fire it will promote a better burn. Great stuff ,Used it a lot, and probably will again. The only reason we started using boiled linseed oil at the dealership It was cheaper than Waxoyl. At the time , A lot cheaper and the linseed oil is thicker ..good stuff.

Yeah I tried a lot of combos ,Used motor oil . diesel fuel, with the boiled linseed oil. hay the diesel fuel worked pretty good But I dont think I will use that again.

The bar and chain oil sounds Like it would work great.

And the boiled linseed oil works great on the
inside of the doors , and on the out side of the frame if you don't mine the mess. If anyone tries .

 

[strat81]

Every time people post warnings like this, I seem compelled to post a link to one of the net's EPIC forum threads of all time:

How Do I Get Herculiner Off of My Hootus?! - Ford Explorer Ranger Enthusiasts "Serious Explorations"®

That's funny right there.

"Hootus" - I learned a new word.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Anyone else feel like our trucks are a big PITA when working on underneath? So many nooks and crannies to work on and rust. That's why my next vehicle will be a truck.

Seriously??...Ours does not have any more nooks and crannies than a truck. You need to peek under some trucks. Our undercarriage really is not that bad and even with all my offroading I dont have much rust because when I spray off the mud, I just give it a cheap coat of krylon til the next rock grinds it off.

Also our frame drains surprisingly well. Several drain holes and I figured mine would be mud clogged, esp after things like this...

The truck spent a couple hours like this in January, but sprayed out the frame last week and all holes drained properly

 

[davenay67]

Jeep owners would be jealous of the frame on a TB. The TB has plenty of large access holes, and plenty of drainage holes on the bottom of the frame.

The geniuses at Jeep (at least on the TJ) didn't see fit put any drain holes on the bottom of the frame, enabling the frame to hold up to nearly 2 inches of water in the frame rails between the wheels..!! Ask me what that does to that part ofd the frame....

Seriously??...Ours does not have any more nooks and crannies than a truck. You need to peek under some trucks. Our undercarriage really is not that bad and even with all my offroading I dont have much rust because when I spray off the mud, I just give it a cheap coat of krylon til the next rock grinds it off.

Also our frame drains surprisingly well. Several drain holes and I figured mine would be mud clogged, esp after things like this...

The truck spent a couple hours like this in January, but sprayed out the frame last week and all holes drained properly

 

[The_Roadie]

Anyone else feel like our trucks are a big PITA when working on underneath? So many nooks and crannies to work on and rust.

I've heard Jeep Liberties have nice smooth undercarriages. Smooth and hairless.

 

[DenaliHD66]

I've heard Jeep Liberties have nice smooth undercarriages. Smooth and hairless.

Lol alright I get it. Maybe its just the fact my truck is 9 years old and I never bothered to touch the undercarriage until now. I get it is in pretty good shape all things considered. That's an awesome point about the drain holes. I pressure wash the undercarriage all the time now, and all that mud and muck just drains right out with some pressure. Just spray until the water coming out turns clear and its clean.