Coating for the undercarriage?

[utherjorge]

So, as my Suburban gets ready to go, one of the guys fooling with it said the underside was completely perfect. Had to fix one gas tank strap, but that was it. I said "I know."

But, as I already figured, with the brine and salt they spray on the roads in the two states I drive in, winter will go poorly.

So, what do any of you do, or what have you done, to coat the undercarriage of your rides? My K was going to get Rust Bullet, and I have two gallons of it...but the current underside of the Burb doesn't have any rust that I can see.

Thoughts?

 

[diesel4me]

Drain oil,preferably from diesels,seems to ward off rust best around here...the soot in diesel oil makes it last longer and harder to wash off..

Some guys I know who go mudding and use their trucks for plowing spray the frames with boiled linseed oil...they claim it wont let mud stick well,and it dries to an oily surface that retards rust..

Just about every paint,coating or rust converter I have tried eventually comes off and or lets rust form under it...oil seems to soak into the metal and keep moisture and salt from penetrating..

 

[utherjorge]

I remember reading someone here that said that they had used Rust Bullet and that there was a pin hole or something like that, and salt got to it, and ate it out but good. That's exactly what I don't want, obviously.

 

[diesel4me]

A lot of stuff like that or POR-15 "needs" rust to convert,in order for it to work properly...it creates a chemical reaction that makes it bond and "stop" any further rusting..

I have used POR-15 inside on floors and it works great,I did my van's floor 15 years ago under the rubber mats with it,it still looks great...but underneath it where I had sanded some spots shiny and used it,it didn't stay on long--other areas that had rust I just slobbed it over seemed to harden like concrete and haven't rusted thru yet,and its sat 11 years,some of that time on dirt & grass...

Anywhere UV rays hit the POR-15 it faded to gray and looks chalky now,it really needs to be topcoated..I have decided oiling the undercarriage is the best and cheapest method of preserving a vehicle,I see many that had it done after every oil change,some gas stations used to "dispose" of the used oil by spraying back onto the undercarriage...an elderly lady I knew who has a '65 Impala in mint condition can thank the guy who changed her oil for that..

Everywhere on my old trucks I've had a leaky engine or transmission ,the "spray" kept the metal in perfect, but slimy condition,where all the "dry" areas rotted to death in just 5 years..rubberized undercoating sucks,it lets a "blister" form under it often,and it can let extensive rot grow underneath it,and it'll still "look" good--till you poke at it..

 

[k30bb468]

..... Fluid Film ....


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NDDCKK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2D9Y5DFCXS0QH

 

[utherjorge]

I just read about that. Does anyone else here use it? Or, have experiences with it?

 

[utherjorge]

I found this very informative thread on a raptor forum where a guy tested Fluid Film and others vs. an AMSoil product. The AMS had a pretty solid victory overall, but as always, YMMV

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f36/clear-undercoat-1622/index4.html

(by the way, register so all of that Shockwave crap disappears.)

EDIT: Check this particular post, #254, on page 26. New link below:

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f36/clear-undercoat-1622/index26.html

 

[rcpd34]

I spray my snow plows down with Fluid Film every season and have been pretty happy. There used to be a vendor for it on here...

 

[vandelay industries]

i don't drive my truck in the snow and i try not to drive it when it rains; i'll use another car.

The underside of my truck, you could eat off of. i'll try to post a pic if i ever get around to becoming a "normal" member.

i have heard of using rhino-liner or the pickup bed coating as an underside coating; Will try to post link asap.

 

[utherjorge]

Thanks. I'll look for it. I assume any sort of "rhino" stuff would make it easier for mud to stick to the undersides...yes?