Lets talk Under coating / Rust Prevention

Way back when, Ziebart was the only game in town. The rest were just cheap undercoatings the lasted no time.
My brother purchased new a 1977 Ford pickup. The 70's vehicles were all super rusty. We drove the truck to a parts house and purchased better quality shocks, drove back to the garage and installed them, and then drove directly to Ziebart. He even did the three year update. He had that truck at least 10 years with no rust. So the treatment was effective. I don't think we hear much about Ziebart anymore since there are better, lower cost alternatives today. But again, back then, it was really the only option.

 

Have any of you used Blaster Surface Shield? This content creator has done a lot of long-term rust prevention tests and likes Surface Shield the best. It’s a newer product. FWIW…

https://youtu.be/NE1_EiZIVHs

 

I have always used Fluid Film on body on frame trucks with excellent results.

 

Around here the best thing you can do after an oil spray is to to drive it in the dirt. Oily dirt on your frame or underbody is what I strive for. It absorbs all your oil spraying going forward annually like a sponge and building a thicker and thicker protective layer over the years. Oily dirt is your best friend in a "salt belt". Non drip coatings don't spread and creep into every nook and cranny like Krown does. Yah it's a greasy mess to work on but so worth it in the long run. Speaking from a lifetime of "salt belt" living.

 

Krown is a waste of money. It’s better then nothing but it’s still complete trash as a stand alone product. Krown washes away. Pure and simple. It is also biodegradable. When they did my car years ago, they got some on the fender accidentally. My dad asked them how they recommend to take it off as we weren’t familiar with the product at the time - he just said with running water. That’s when we knew the money was flushed down the toilet.


Cosmoline works- I’ll repeat again. If you watch Project Farms video on undercoating- the product that came out on top was cosmoline based.

the other kid that recommended blaster shield- the only products that stayed on all during his testing and weren’t removable by even his pressure washer were yep- cosmoline based.

Here’s a good read for you guys and this fella did an incredibly proper job on coating his Tacoma with cosmoline.


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rust-veto-342-cosmoline-undercoating.651180/

 

Whatever you say pictures worth a thousand words. Here's my 2010 Caravan. Certainly doesn't wash off.

 

I put fluid film on my new ORP in sept. It had the welds starting to rust and never even saw rain. Only driven in dry weather and in garage. A guy touched up those spots with por then sat overnight and fluid film next day. It’s parked for winter now.

I put fluid film on the latches of my shed in backyard and notice it’s greasy at first of course. But after a week or two I can easily touch them without so much of a “greasy feel”. I can see the rusting process slowing down on the new latch.

I also found it handy for lubricating small things like a sticky door bell.

my buddy suggested using it on hitch right away and using wax applicator pad. That also worked well for me. I did the same thing with wax pad on the bolts of the wheel wells.

 

I fluid filmed my 2018 Highlander when new and just noticed over the weekend that the welds were rusty. It’s just surface rust, so im not super concerned, but it needed a touch up. I also notice that it washes off much more easily than Woolwax


Right now, Im really digging woolwax. It sticks muuuch better, doesnt wash off anywhere near as easily, and sucks up dust really good, which makes it stick even better. Fluid film sucks up dust too, but you need to drive it in dusty areas after application to get the benefit. Either way, I think Im sticking to woolwax from now on.

 

Surprised to see nobody has posted up a Line-X application. I have a friend that got a 4th gen with some minor rust (KC truck) and after the Line-X application, it looked amazing.

I have a 5th gen with some mild to moderate rust, (Maryland), and im hoping to get line X to do the rust removal and spray since now that I am in DFW, I dont need to pull it out in snow. Just curious if anyone has any long-term experiences with Line-X undercoats?

 

But fluid film creeps more. Wool wax is good as well, but I don’t think it creeps as much.

 

Just had my 21 LunaRock tundra pro done. Fluid film recommends every year. You don’t have to do every year.

 

I’ve heard the first year or two, you should fluid film twice, then annual is fine.

 

I dont rely on creep, I soak that shit down real good. If Im going to the trouble of spraying my undercarriage, Im not skimping with it. I dont feel bad about it because the stuff is nontoxic.

 

Isnt line-x like a rubberized coating? I dont know if its tougher than the old zeibart rubber, but I wonder if it would eventually peel/chip off like zeibart. If it does, you’ll have water trapped between the coating and the frame…which would guarantee terminal corrosion.

 

It feels more like a super-aggressive Powdercoat when you touch it. My friend is going to be taing his rig to the OOAT in December, depending on weather conditions its going to get some salt and water crossings. I will be taking a look at the frame int he spring and post photos.

 

I posted a thread a while ago; "for the members struggling with rust." only one application will keep rust away for decades.

For the members struggling with rust. | Toyota 4Runner Forum [4Runners.com]

 

This looks like an ideal solution, but does the galvanic protection work when it’s applied over paint? Would it require stripping the frame?

I think once you do woolwax, an option like this has sailed…

 

You are correct about the fact that it is useless to apply it over paint. Zinga works great on surfaces that are starting to rust or are rusted, by cleaning them with a metal brush. Zinga, only works when an area starts oxidizing. A great solution for members that purchase second hand 4R's in the rustbelt or environments prone to it, observing rust on steel objects or undercarriage; Zinga will give you a permanent solution and you can paint over it if you like.

 

I am in PA as well, how much did Steve charge you and where in Jersey is he located?

 

I have another place in Pa that is doing my Tundra Pro. He is much closer. That’s why I’m not driving to NJ. Google map from your location. Schuylkill have Pa. And if it’s not that far I have the info for the owner Chris.

 

Ok I am 45 minutes west of Philly, what is the PA place called (doing your Tundra Pro) so I can Google it?

 

Surefire detail. $170 to do my tundra. That is price. Which is really good!! It’s located the area I told you. Hope this helps.

 

Ah Schulykill Haven, PA. Got it Thanks.

Unfortunately that place closed permanently: http://www.surefiredetail.com/ , the search continues...

 

Wow I did not think Chris would close. I will have to check into and see why. I can give you the other guy in NJ Steve he does a awesome job too. He did my 2020 AG 4runner Pro when I had it.

 

On the topic of rust/corrosion prevention any suggestions on that flange from the y pipe after the cat converters before the muffler?
Doing an early fall pre winter check the wool wax on all the frame and metal parts is doing an amazing job, the only corrosion I could find was here.
Going on the 5th winter in New England and any preventive measures I can take I'm all for it. I read somewhere to wire brush this, and maybe high temp paint? (although I think any corrosion here comes from inside?) Also a neighbor mechanic said it wasn't anything to worry about for a few years yet.

 

I hate to see that, because I live in New England as well and thats the reason why most vehicles only last 10 years here.
From the showroom to the scrapyard in 10 years

 

Had the first application of Krown applied in May, 2021 with 600 miles on the odo. Second application in May, 2022 with around 12,000 miles. Here are pics at 12,000:

 

That looks great Ricky! Do you get a lot of salt/snow down your way or drive in a lot of rain? Looks impressive

 

Hi Mac

I live in the St. Louis, MO area. Most winters here produce a moderate amount of snow, with about average rainfall. But towards the end of last winter, we had two large snowfalls (7-8"). After the plows shoveled, all the streets were heavily salted. So last winter I thought was a reasonably good test in my area. Fortunately, there is a touch-less automatic car wash near me that has a very effective undercarriage blaster. This also helps.
It will go back for it's third application next May, 2023. I'll take more pics then and report back. But so far, I'm impressed with the Krown application.
Here are some more pics at the one year, 12,000 mile mark:

 

I figured I should post what my frame looks like about after a year of initial woolwax application. I touch up here and there by brushing on more woolwax on areas that have been wiped clean by grass/terrain, which tends be limited to the control arms, pumpkin, and the transfer case crossmember. No rust anywhere that I see, but the color from the mud/dust sticking to it pretty much requires me to wipe it away to check if the black frame paint is still pristine. Eventually I hope to get over the need for spot checks, because it’s pristine underneath the coating lol. It’s only been a year (30k miles approx) but might as well post for reference. And also because it shows what you’ll have to live with if you are a neat freak (I’m recovering). I kinda like the the color…I predict it will be next year’s Pro color… call it Freedom Fighter Sahara Beige



This is immediately after I thoroughly hosed down the frame to get the mud off of a recent outing. Water had already dried off by this point.













For reference, this is from fairly sandy mud (most people that have to deal with mud that has more clay might say it’s not mud at all lol). But we were in and out of deep puddles like this for a couple days, so everything got pretty soaked in it. Ive probably done 4 or 5 trips like this over the year.