Rust Rant (Don't read if your tired about hearing about rust)

Scenario: 2009 Double Cab TRD Offroad, loaded. FJ TRD Anthracite rims/BFG ATs, Fumoto valve, Mobil 1, factory oil filters (sponge media) and nothing else.

June 16th is the one year anniversary for my truck and it has 2900 miles on it. I obvioulsy do not drive it that much and and I purchased it with 3 miles on the odometer. It has NEVER seen a drop of rain or even so much as a puddle. I have been researching various rust preventative measures before it becomes my daily driver (so far ACF-50 seems to be the best bet but no one else has tried it) and have been very meticulous in my search for the best product. Originally being from Iowa I HATE rust and will do whatever it takes to prevent it or keep it at bay.

I was under my truck today mounting a matching spare when I noticed rust buildup on the rear pumpkin. WTF! I continued looking around and noticed more and more signs of rust formation and quite a heavy buildup around the rear diff drain plug. This truck has NEVER seen rain, the undercarriage is immaculate, and I live in San Antonio, TX.

I really can't just fault the frames on these trucks, there are many other parts under there that are just as lame.

Rant over, I will begin coating frame and iron parts with used motor oil tomorrow...

 

used motor oil ? why not sand primer and paint?

 

Don't use motor oil. It attracts dirt. Just bring it in and get a sprayed on rust proofing. Don't feel bad. Was down on the stealership about a week ago on a quest for rust. The new ones sitting on the lot are rusting. The paint they are using on the underside is useless.

 

Pictures?

 

I think used motor oil might be a mid-western thing that I picked up in Iowa. Rub it on cast iron parts with a toothbrush, just enough that it absorbs, not so much that it is glossy and dripping. It sounds funny but there is an art to it. Glossy and dripping attracts dirt and grime, flat and absrobed harldy attracts anything. You should see the underside of my 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Jeep uses all kinds of cast iron parts that I oil rubbed and look nice and black to this day.

I think that sand/primer/paint is still a temproary solution and it requires at least three times the work. There is a picture of a member on here that used Chassis Saver and one year later it had rusted through. Now what does he do? I know they were trying to save their truck but in hindsight, that seemed pointles...

I'm all for the sprayed on rustproofing, except for one thing. Will they prep, remove ALL rust, then spray? If not, is the rustproofing some type of chemical that actually STOPS rust or won't the rust just grow and spread UNDER the rustproofing? I had an 05 Nismo 4x4 KC with a factroy spray in. One day I was cleaning out the bed when I noticed a portion that felt 'different'. If you tapped on it, it felt 'loose'. I carved out that portion with a knife and it was nothing but rust underneath.

 

Clean 2,900 mile underside:


Front of diff housing:


Rear diff drain (it's not seeping, I just cleaned it off to inspect):

 

This was the problem with bed liners is that water gets trapped underneath so it rusts extremely fast. What you can't see don't hurt you kind of idea. A good rustproofing should be permanent and not allow any water to penetrate between. If you want the rust removed before the spray make it part of the deal, they clean it up first and you want to check it before they spray over. Once you put oil on there you need a solvent to get it off before you can do anything with it. Seems like a lot of work for nothing. If you throw a piece of bare metal on the ground wipe it with oil till it shines and watch it after some time I bet it will still rust. Take a nice seasoned cast iron frying pan and threw it outside for two months. Bet it still rusts.

For instance I used to wipe my tools with oil thinking it would prevent rust. Well that don't work so now I use silicon spray instead.

If you do get it sprayed make sure you get the inside of the back bumper done too. I see a lot of taco's with lots of rust inside there.

 

that is your rust .... i wish that was on my truck ...

 

It seems to me like all the available protective rust coatings out there have relatively short life expectancies, and that none are a permanent solution. Believe me, if I had found one I'd have sprung for it the day I purchased. So please by all means if you know of a permanent coat let us know.

On the other hand I have also read and heard that some protective coastings can be a problem and sometimes actually make rust worse by inadvertantly trapping water against metal where the coat doesn't firmly seal / seat.

In any case surface rust is just a fact of life for any car, and it seems to me that much of that would be just that ... surface rust.

 

The liner I had was Nissan's factory spray in. There was no way for water to accumulate.

As far as oil coating, I have done it for the past 16 years, most of those in salty Iowa winters, and out of everything I tried, it was the best. Once rust has set in, sand/prime/paint is only temproary, especially on cast iron.

POR and Chassis Saver seemed like a solution until I saw another member's truck.

ACF-50 is still on the table.

 

BlueT, I know it doesn't look that bad, it just bothers me that this truck has NEVER gotten wet...what will happen when it does?

 

More rust.

Yes but did it rust from the bottom up? Kind of hard to tell when there is a hole.

 

I just sprayed mine two months ago, went under and wire wheeled the whole frame and painted it with rustoleum paint. Its rusting through some areas i just completed. Its a losing battle.

 

used amsoil/rotellaT/cenpeco/mobil one from all my dirtbikes and my bug sprayer......my rust proofing

 

My friend Jay, his Dad, & many other Vermonters have used bar chain oil for years. He recommends a good brand, like Husquarvarna & adds a little melted wax to the mix, sprays it on & let dry. Their trucks look great after many seasons exposed to salt. There are a lot of places that do oil undercoating up here as well.

To the OP, sorry that is happening to your truck, mine is getting Jay's treatment this Fall, long overdue & looks terrible even with weekly washes in the winter time. Best of luck.

 

Its prob the humid air in Texas that's causing the rust spots. If you say its never been in rain.

 

Ha ha I will take a picture tomo0rrow how its going to look like
Yep rust protection sucks but its how car manufacturers lower the weight and cost of the truck. Instead of dipping things in paint they just spray paint them and its not like old spray painting its that electrostatic crap they came up with.
I have rust problems too, I am in New England so rust is something I have to deal with it on the grand scale.

 

Check out my little how to. i used a urethane bedliner material and sprayed the entire underbody of my Tacoma, including all the frame and differential. i live in south texas and it getts really humid.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/96595-frame-protection-rust-raptor-bed-liner.html

 

This poster deserves some rep, how can I have forgotten about Waxoyl? That stuff is the absolute shit and it sounds like your friend has a homebrew solution that is similar.

I went out first thing this morning and bought some Husqvarna bar chain oil and some Dupont Teflon Dry Wax spray. My intent was to mix the two then spray it on with a garden sprayer but I decided to just go with the dry wax spray and see how it looks after a few weeks. I bought two cans but it only took one and there is a nice dry, waxy coating on all metal parts that were painted black.

You know, there are enough of us here...we should start a thread that documents in detail with pictures what we have tried and how our frames look before and after application. This would be a good reference for all to see...

 

http://www.minimania.com/InvDetail.cfm?item=WAXOYL &googlebase