Fluid film and Rust repair

I am doing the undercoat using fluid film right now. While the car got an undercoat from the past owner which has done a great job at protecting the frame, there are still places where rust has gotten through.
Whenever I find any rust I sand it and the surrounding area off with sand paper. That removes the rust and (unfortunately) a bit of the galvanizing in the surrounding area. I prime it with rustoleum auto primer and then add a coat of rustolium bed liner (not undercoat like I originally stated) paint on that. The bedliner is advertised as being abrasion resistant and a rust stopper. I don't like rubberized undercoats because of their ability to hide rust. Once that dries I then apply the fluid film.

Is primer+ rustoleum bedliner the best way to treat the exposed metal that remains after I sand off any rust?

Should I remove the spare tire so I can get access to the metal underneath or will it be fine if I dont?

How thick should the coat of fluid film be, does a little go a long way or is it okay if its a thicker coat?

 

Great question.
Sub'd & awaiting for more knowledgeable people to respond.
Thanks!
Ryan

 

The fluid film will seep, if it was me I wouldn’t be scared of loading it up think.

 

After sanding or wire brushing, I like to treat with a rust converter first; give it 24 hours to work, then top coat with por15 or even just rustoleum satin black followed up with some satin clear. I would avoid using the rubberized undercoating spray; unless it’s going over top of por15 or other top coat; and just in areas that could use some added chip resistance.

Personally I don’t like using fluid film, because I don’t like the smell; and gets annoying to work around if doing maintenance or repairs.... but of course it’s hard to argue against its effectiveness. I would just make sure to wait until your paint has fully cured before applying. But then you can lay it on as thick as you want; trying to get it into every little crevice.

 

fluid film is excellent but it washes off very easy, non synthetic, it will require twice a year application. (lanolin?)
krown and rustecheck will kill your rubber, drip year round, and wash off after the first rain.
i went inside all frames and loaded up the bottom with dominion non drip. For where I live and what the choices are, it was the best thing: fully load the the frames inside, load up the whole undercarriage, fill in all gaps, front panels under the skirts and more for $60US tax in. I will do that every september after a powerwash to get things clean

Check this out, very interesting...if you ever wondered what's out there, this will answer all your questions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXlhmbvdKBo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SOOfZFmhSY

This is how it looks on my baby: What have you done to your 5th Gen 4Runner today?

 

Here are a few clarifications to my original post: I used rustoleum bedliner not undercoat. This was because rubberized undercoat seems to hide rust better. Bed liner seemed like a logical alternative because its impact and abrasive resistant and its also meant to prevent rust. Hopefully the bed liner will give some indication if its been compromised by rust, the idea of rust proliferating under the cover of the paint I put on is terrifying to me.

I did knowingly primer over some small (well under centimetre) patches of rust. This was because sand paper was not being super effective at removing it due to it being in crevices too small to sand. The grey primer stands out from the rest of the black undercoat, so I hope that in the future I can come back to it when I get a wire wheel, and remove it. Hopefully the primer + fluid film provides enough protection for now.

There are a lot of round holes in the frame. I cant tell if there is some reason behind them, but I don't like them because it seems like a way to let in water. If you know what I'm talking about, please tell me what they do.

My worry about using a lot of fluid film is that it seems like something that could attract dirt. I have driven around a bit and it doesn't look like stuff is sticking to it, but its still too early to tell.

I forwent spraying the back of my skid plates for several reasons. 1.) every time I try removing anything the bolts strip like I'm throwing 100$ bills 2.) The sump oil seems to do a fine job protecting them last time I looked at them a month ago 3.) Its not an irreplaceable part unlike the frame

The job has been a pain in the ass. Even with the jack stands on concrete blocks, working space feels tight. The frame seems to run into spaces that are very inaccessible and I my tools are a paint brush, sand paper, a flash light, and a sponge. I don't know if there is any place that I shouldn't bother applying rust protector, so I have gone for 100% coverage. I've resorted to finger painting in some places, bumped my head on the car trying to move around more times than I can count, I have scrapes up my back from trying to move around, and spent at least 10 hours of my free time doing this job, and I just reached the rear axle. Next year I might invest in a sprayer of some kind because painting it with a brush is more difficult than I would like.

 

Here is some more testing of rust prevention products

 

Fluid film will collect some dirt, not a big issue, some say added layer of protection.

 

Personal experience/outcome with FluidFilm (10+ year user).

Live in Iowa, winter salt/brine is an issue.

Smell a personal issue. Some tolerate it/others not so much. Regardless, is goes away in a few days (unless applied in garage with closed doors).

Spring/Fall application works well. First application spray to overkill (nearly dripping). The 24" 360° spray tube is worth the cost for inside frame rails, crossmembers, etc. Subsequent applications take much less product (ie: first application used 6 cans, subsequent 2-3). Put down a drop cloth/plastic if applying in driveway/garage.

Plan any maintenance/suspension work/alignment services just before or a month or two after application. You'll make no friends having an alignment/oil change a week after application.

It attracts dirt/dust, but that has no affect on it's effectiveness. Will wash off if you use automatic car washes with underbody sprays (will take more than once).

First application took well over an hour, subsequent half that.

Results have been excellent. Some folks won't buy a used vehicle from rust belt (for good reason). My Wrangler and Titan were both over 100k miles and had zero underbody rust. Made a point to comment on use of Fluid Film/include frame photos in ads when selling. Both buyers said it was a factor in their purchases.

 

Do people apply stuff to the inside of their frame? If so how?

The frame has a lot of round holes that I would assume let in stuff. I bought some aerosol spray and I am thinking of using the straw attachment to apply some anti rust coating to the inside of the frame. Is that a good idea?

 

Read Billum's post above yours. That "24 inch 360° spray tube" he mentions is a special wand that does the inside. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fluid-Film...-Use-With-Fluid-Film-spray-cans-/321895248170

 

Get inside the best you can, Toyota have been known to rust from the inside out

 

Just got a can of Fluid film wax. Have to clean terminals on the Corolla, again, don’t know why the battery terminals corrode so much? Been less than a year since I replaced them, and they look bad...And Being non harmful I figure I will hit the boat trailer suspension.
But, I have some POR coming for the 4R.....

 

I have found that if you get corrosion quickly after replacing terminals due to corrosion, you are looking at a battery cable that is rotting from the inside out.

I have found this on 2 cars. Replaced either the whole cable or in the case of my 4Runner, like 16" of negative cable using a but crimp connector, solder and blowtorch.

So far so good.

The old cables would snap crackle pop when bending. Pulling the insulation off showed green corrosion all the way down in amongst the strands.

Also, use the lead terminals. The steel ones TOYOTA uses just aren't really as good. Lead is really resistant to corrosion.

 

This stuff really works good...just apply a thin film around your terminals....sorry for the sideways pic.

 

That’s what I originally got the Fluid Film for. I ended up using on the hinges, hood latch mechanism, throttle linkage. And it seems to clean up plastic moldings well where I over sprayed....

 

I put a bunch of dielectric lube on them, didn’t help one bit, on the Canadian made Corolla. Seems the power wires and terminals where copper. I changed them to metal but didn’t help. I got those red/green battery washers, they have some anti corrode stuff on them, will give that a try...

 

I'm pretty sure you have high resistance in the wiring somewhere. All that stuff helps just so much.

Corrosion can also be exacerbated by bad charging too. Overcharging (and undercharging) can strain the battery and it will release more gas than it should which can cause corrosion.

 

Yes, well even when it was new it corroded quick. Either it’s taking the corrosion off the rest of the vehicle through electrolysis or the steady current draw from the proximity sensors...
It’s a Toyota battery I will get a better one next time it’s almost due..

 

You need to re-coat fluid film every year just like Ziebart. But Fluid film is better than Ziebart for sure.
These wax is called cavity wax. meant to spray into where you cannot see. you can use wand and spray into frame welded joint, inside tailgate, above wheelwell, etc. rubberized undercoat should be the one to use to protect frame. Make sure that all surface rust is brushed off by wire brush. One I use will last about 10 years without re-coating. I used on my previous vehicle also 2008 tacoma. lasted until last year. I have cavity wax from Swedish manufacture on my 4Runner right now. I will be coating with rubberized undercoat on my frame after winter....