Salty roads are in my future...how do I prepare to protect my ride?

I've been lurking for over a year now and have learned a lot about my Tacoma in that time (favorite thread has to be the one on installing your own axillary plug for an MP3 player!). Anyway, I now have a question.

I currently live in Houston, but will be moving to a semi-remote farm in Kansas in about a week (why oh why did I not by a TRD) . KS uses a lot of salt on the roads come winter time (I grew up there, so I speak from experience). After seeing a post about rust issues (http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/220869-rust-frame-too-much.html) I thought I should ask if there is anything I should do before I head north, or at least before they start putting down salt on the roads.
I've heard of the undercoatings offered by dealers, but I have not idea what the product is actually called.
Is there anything else I should worry about besides the undercarriage?
I'm a DIY type of person, and have done evertying from oil changes to clutch jobs. So, whatever it is I can do, I want to do the work myself. Thanks guys!

 

Welcome!

The product is called undercoating. If you want to do it yourself, you can buy POR15, clean up the frame yourself (clean and wire brush any existing surface rust) and apply the product to the frame. If you don't have any rust now, even a product like Rustoleum's Undercoating would help protect you (again, clean any existing surface rust and make sure you prep the frame properly).

 

Thanks, Pugga.

I looked up POR15. At $40 a gallon, I think that is a great deal. Plus, it gives me an excuse to buy an air spray gun! Assuming that is the best way to apply it, I'm sure the back of the can will clear that up for me. Thanks again!

 

IMO, for the best rust preventitive you can do to your truck is to get it Krown rustproofed. Ive done it for every vehicle I own and never had a rust issue. I'd say trust me on this, but that sounds cliche. I only live in Ontario, Canada. The salt capital of north America. lol

 

I would definitely not be spray *painting* the under side of a truck. If there is any rust or abraisions to the factory frame coating, use a wire brush or sandpaper to clean, then BRUSH on a good sealer, like por15, to seal those spots. Going crazy over the whole frame with that stuff isnt going to do you any good.

Next step is to undercoat it with a tar/asphalt undercoating. For this, you'll need a shultz gun.

 

I have heard great things about the Krown process, but they only have 3 locations in the US and none near Texas or Kansas. There may be something similar in the States though.

 

A week after buying my truck I sprayed the frame with the Rustoleum undercoat. Now at 6 months later, I got under there again, cleaned and dryed everything, and resprayed it. That time, I removed the spare tire, and coated the bracing in the rear which was still in good shape. My rear axle (which was not coated with rustoleum before) started growing a bit of surface rust so I sanded it off and coated it with the same stuff.

 

JUst don't keep it long enough for it to matter... I go 4 years or 50kmi generally
I live in central NY state and they salt like a MOFO here.
My father-in-law swears by Rust Cop and he keeps vehicles for a long time.
I would NOT POR it, unless you plan on removing the frame from the truck and doing the entire frame. Maybe a rubberized undercoat, but if there is even a spec of rust under it, it is still going to spread.
There is always the oil and dust method--- Spray the piss out of the entire underside with a couple cans of Marvel Mystery Oil and then immediately drive 10 plus miles down your favorite dusty road.

Bottom line, you can try to fight rust, or you can just keep your vehicle as well cleaned, waxed and maintained as possible and just accept that if you live in a rust belt, it is GONNA happen.

 

Move to the south.

 

Read the OP, he's asking because he lives in the south now but is moving north. Besides, I'll take the snow and ice over that thick red clay crap you guys have down there

 

Car wash......often.....

 

Fluid Film is decent. I have also heard Amsoil Metal Protector or heating paraffin with bar and chain oil

 

Trade in the DerpRunner for a 4x4, then rust proof the frame.

 

Very true. Hard fight but that's about all you can do. I did the undercoating when I bought mine and plan to crawl under this summer and see how it's holding up and reapply myself as needed. Just wash as often as you can. Not much more you can do.

 

Wow, thanks for the great responses everyone!

It sounds like I have a lot more choices than I initially anticipated.

There are a few things I have really loved about living in the south. For starters, no salty roads. Second, all the roads I travel are paved so my truck stays extra clean. When I get back to KS I will be traveling down at least 5 miles of gravel per day in my work commute. Keeping the truck clean is pain when traveling that much gravel.

As for the POR15. It has great reviews, 5 of 5 stars, on Amazon. A few tips I picked up from that site and from this thread are: Prep is key, Use a foam brush, avoid thick coats on nuts/bolts, multiple thin coats are better than one thick one, remove easily removable parts, and, finally, wear gloves and don't get it on your hands!

Cantsitstill you recommended against using POR15 unless I do the rubberized undercoating as well. Are the other option you mentioned better? I'm doubtful the oil/dust method would be more protective after reading the POR15 reviews.

Krown is out of the question since they are nowhere near KS or TX. Is it their product that is so great or their application of the product (I take it Krown is a company that does the undercoating for you)? If it is the product, is it available the peons like us?

My truck is an 08' and I'm already up to 85K miles. Lots of trips back and forth to KS. I went from a 05' King Ranch F150 4x4 to driving my Tacoma. I gota say, minus the city slicker bells and whistles of the F150 (drop down dvd, heated seats, viper alarm, remote start) I like the driving experience of my Tacoma better. Besides, bells and whistles often just break and require $$$ in the end to fix. Anyway, point is that with so many miles, I will probably be trading my truck in for TRD in the next couple years. So whatever I do doesn't need to be too extensive.

Thanks again everyone for your replies. Like I said to begin with, this site has been a huge help numerous times. I've had help w/ resting my maintenance light, oil change tips, MP3 jack install, squeaky leaf springs and I just installed the oem bed extender. Hopefully I will be able to contribute some write ups in the future, but every time I check for something it has already been done! Although, I am still looking for a good thread on swapping out the bucket seats for something more comfortable (possibly power w/ leather) from another make/model vehicle. If I don't come across one I may give it a shot on my own later this summer after I finish this project. Thanks again!

 

For gravel roads, I hope you still have the factory mud flaps, if not, I'd invest in a set. Also, running boards or even nerf bars will help protect the truck sides from dings from thrown rocks.

The method of wax and bar oil is actually an old school rust prevention method and does work very well. The problem with this method is it must be re-applied often. Some have even used old, dirty oil from a diesel to coat the frame. Anything oily repels the water (and salt) and prevents it from reaching the steel frame and starting to rust.

Prep is the key to the POR15 being effective. Once it's applied and dry, you can put a topcoat over the POR15 for another layer of protection. I would imagine something like POR15 would work better than rubberized undercoating but for years, all we had was rubberized undercoating so it is a tried and true method of rust prevention. All you really need to do is put a separation between the steel and the salt, spray paint works but again, must be reapplied often. As long as you're doing something and actively staying ahead of the rust, you'll be fine.

 

Yes Krown is a company that sprays their undercoating for you and of course i wasn't thinking but i bet their just a Canadian company. I'm sorry for recommending them. What is nice about what they do is they actually will drill small holes throughout your truck/car to get the rust preventitive into your doors, rockers, fenders etc. Thats where they shine the most. They'll also spray the undercarriage but they do recommend to do this yearly. I got minor surface rust on the axles and springs etc, but nothing on the body of the truck and nothing to really worry about.

Whats important to remember is, you're fighting a losing battle with rust. Especially in a salt filled environment. Really washing your truck as frequently as possible and some sort of sprayed rust preventitive should work great. In fact POR15 should do the trick as well, just prep is key.

I actually use 3 different defenses against rust,

1) a rubberized undercoating that Toyota sprayed on when i bought the truck new

2) a electronic rust prohibitor

3) sprayed yearly with Krown....

We'll see how this works out in the long run....

 

Agreed...from another Upstate NYer

 

So I noticed that my dad's F250 has virtually no rust on it. He has driven it through plenty of salt over the last several years. I asked him what he uses, and he said ACF -50. He is also a pilot, and has used this stuff on his airplanes for years. It is fairly light for that reason as well. When I asked how to apply it he said, of the undercarriage,'coat the hell out of it'.

I couldn't find it on Amazon, but did find it at: http://www.skygeek.com/10013.html?u...engine&utm_content=10013&utm_campaign=froogle

I'm going to give it a shot. Plus, I'm willing to bet I can find a can or two of that stuff in the hanger back home. Maybe I can do a before and after pic for later

 

Another option is to buy a cheap front wheel drive car with a good set of tires. It will help keep the miles down on the truck also