Rust Veto - 342 (Cosmoline) Undercoating

Always get better results when you apply stuff like rust coatings yourself and not trust some guy making minimum wage. Your truck looks awesome.
Few questions though; How many hours did you spend on the whole truck? Do you really think you’ll need to apply this product every year? I don’t think Cosmoline will creep into all the crooks and crevices so are you going to apply a different product that will?

 

I started on it late Tuesday afternoon. Quite a bit of prep cleaning the frame. Unfortunately the weather has been very sloppy here, some mild days had the roads wet and slushy with snow melt plus salt/chemicals. Would have been much quicker in the summer or with the truck straight off the showroom.

I put down plastic, drove the truck up in ramps then brushed, wiped, and blew off the frame with an air gun. Tuesday evening I got most of the crevasses and boxed frame sections done with the 360* wand. Wednesday 1000-1530 I completed the rest of the bulk spraying then reinstalled tailgate panel, taillights, spare tire, skid plate and all the body plugs.

I was working in an unheated and uninsulated garage with a forced air diesel heater. Thankfully temps were only about -5C. The heaters puts off nasty fumes combined with the fumes of the product had my patient wearing thin, hence why I didn’t pull the front bumper. That can wait until spring/summer.

This stuff dried pretty quick, especially when I wasn’t over spraying. Spraying with the wands doesn’t work as well as without. Doesn’t seem to atomize the Cosmoline into vapour like spraying straight out the nozzle does.

I don’t really think this stuff will ever need to be touched up, except for spots that get physically rubbed off by branches, ice, etc. In the summer I’ll see how it looks, but I’ll probably add more to areas around the rear axle and leaf springs. I didn’t pull the wheels, so next time I do that I’ll touch up those areas. This stuff has a pretty low melting point, so I’ll be keeping and eye on the areas around the cat and exhaust piping.

I was spraying at about 110psi, so I’m fairly confident it got forced into most nooks and crannies.

 

I don’t know much about the process but I think that looks awesome. Certainly more detailed than you would get from paying someone. I can appreciate the sloppy weather as I too am in Canada. Will be looking at doing something like this in the spring. My 2018 has not been under coated yet and will require a lot of cleaning first.

 

That product looks very similar in appearance to the CRC or Amsoil HD Metal Protector.

When my truck was brand new (no prep needed), I used about a case of Amsoil spray cans. I got the 360 extension nozzle from Kellsport. Then I followed up with a coat of Fluid Film which I reapply annually. I figured that the Amsoil would provide a base coat in areas where the Fluid Film might wash off.

Results are excellent four years in - except that the entire underside of the truck is a horrible greasy grimy mess.

 

Now that is time and money well spent, OP.
I don't even need it where I am, and I still want it..


How much product are we looking at there?

 

Wrong!! Fluid film does exactly what it is supposed to do. You load the underside of a clean vehicle and it protects it. Power wash every fall and reapply. The oily greasy mess you speak of is exactly what is protecting the piss poor frame Toyota keeps jabbing up our asses. The giant pro to fluid film is if you keep your truck for say 12 years and you power wash the underside and let it dry your truck looks like a 1 year old truck under there now and no mess. Try to do that with Cosmoline. Also have you ever worked on a vehicle that had Cosmoline? Rub against it and clothing is junk and hands need chemicals to remove. Both Cosmoline and Fluid Film are great products that both do what they are intended to do in different ways. So to come on a forum with a blanket statement that something SUCKS because it does as intended is kind of foolish.

 

Probably 6-8 refills of the WoolWax bottle that screws to the spray gun. Doesn’t even feel like I dented the 5 gallon pale hah. I put it on thick though.

 

Sorry Fluid Film sucks. This comes from personal experience and reading the can.

It degrades certain rubber parts

It's messy if you ever work on your vehicle underneath

My old BMW E30 was coated with cosmoline and I never had any issues with it getting on clothing.

My current truck is coated with 3M Cavity Wax and I have zero issues with it rubbing off on clothing

I think the only reason Fluid Film became popular is YouTube influencers who don't know that better products exist.

 

Nobody is saying that fluid film doesn’t work. Quite the opposite. As someone that does their own maintenance and work to their vehicles, I can attest to the statement that it sucks working on any vehicle that had a “wet” coating applied.

Sure, if you want to wash off whatever product you spray EVERY single year and reapply it, then by all means go for it. Realistically very few people are going to do that. Not to mention the unnecessary waste that is created, plus your fluid film/soapy water concoction that is entering your cities drains/ the environment.

I don’t feel like Cosmoline is going to attract and hold dirt the same way, nor is it going to wash away. I suspect it won’t need any touch ups at all.

Brushing against this dried Cosmoline will do nothing as it’s a semi tacky waxy consistency. I’m sure it will still transfer to your hands if you’re manipulating a part or something, but hey nothing is perfect...well except fluid film of course.

 

I'm not convinced that there exists a one and done product. Annual reapplication of whatever non-hardcoat product you choose is key in my opinion. Most of the wear is outside of the frame rails.

 

I’m excited to see how it holds up! Will update the thread in the summer.

 

Nice job on the application! After the hydrocarbons evaporate Cosmoline leaves a nice waxy surface.

 

The smell of new dirtbikes running for the first hour

 

It certainly won’t rust through it! Only in the areas that were forgotten or inaccessible. Speaking of which, I don’t think I got inside the rear upper shock mounts well enough. Also need to touch up the driveshafts as I did not spin them during the original application.

 

I will be spraying my truck with cosmoline. Thank for all the info and pics. Just wondering if I should avoid spraying anything? How did cat and exhaust piping hold up?... did cosmoline just get burned off those areas? How are rubber components holding up after the cosmoline spray?

 

It burns off the exhaust the smell is unforgettable probably not to good in the lungs but otherwise it's good stuff

 

After just about 8 months from the initial application I pulled the front bumper and headlights to get at all the sheet metal I could. Also checked to see how everything else was holding up. As expected cosmoline holds up wonderfully. Only 1 spot I could find with a spec of rust on the front of the rear axle. The only thing cosmoline is susceptible to is being physically rubbed off by sticks or rock chips.

Cosmoline does seem to hold dirt and grime unfortunately well. Seems like the only way to clean it with a stiff bristle brush.

















No issues with the cosmoline melting off areas around the exhaust. The drips were present when I applied it...super heavy.












Cosmoline seems to be fully intact on the rear axle which is definitely the highest wear area.






Around the u bolt shackles show the most affect. I drive a fair amount of gravel roads and I believe this is the cause.






The crossmember support bars show "scratches" in the cosmoline, but it's held up great!






Forgot the spray the inside of the tire jack mechanism...









Front end disassembled to complete the rustproofing



Battery and tray removed.




A bit of rust already starting in front of the rad (normal for where I live)










I washed the underside of the truck best I could without having a hoist.

Scrubbing a few areas with a hard brush was the only way to get the dirt off. Not gonna do that for the entire underside..










These were really the only bits of rust on the truck...which is pretty miraculous for a vehicle in this area. I've had the privilege of owning multiple new vehicles including VW's, Rams and Toyotas. All of them showed a fair amount of rust within the first year. Just how it is with the climate in this area.












I then spray down the front end and touched up all the high wear areas. I definitely went excessive...but I've got no shortage of product.



































The spare was even starting to rust, so I gave the rim a good coating.











And for the record, I don't necessarily think Toyota's paint is any better to worse than any other manufacturer. This has been my experience with every vehicle I've owned. They all rust at an extraordinary rate.

I am certainly satisfied with cosmoline thus far. For what it's worth, I have not noticed any adverse reactions with plastic or rubber. Cosmoline seems pretty benign once the solvents flash off.


Lastly, I certainly acknowledge that the underside of my truck is not "clean". A cosmoline coated frame is very difficult to clean. I use my truck as a truck. While it may not be clean, it is protected, and thats what matters to me.

Cheers

 

Man that looks like a ton of work. I hope it pays off for you.

I really need to do something for my truck before it's too late.

 

Thanks so much for your reply and the pics. Now I won't hesitate to spray the whole thing with cosmoline, except of course the brake rotors. I will try to wipe it off exhaust afterwards so I don't have to breath it as it burns off.
Your truck looks awesome and rust free!