Living in the rustbelt, I’ve found that spraying light grease on EVERY metal surface stops rust.
I went to a guy just outside Montreal that sprays a yellowish oily grease that a petroleum scientist identified as Pennzoil rustproofing grease.
Since this fellow is hard to connect with, I tried another shop which uses KROWN oil rustproofing. I had my 1984 K5 diesel Blazer done there, but even though the tech was very thorough, the oil was too light to “stick” to high air flow areas.
So my issue is I’d like to buy the equipment and products and do the whole job myself, and touch up the dry areas as car washes and time cleans the grease off. I checked eBay, and the GRACO pump and applicator is $1500. Seems too expensive. Any ideas??? I even tried aerosol cans of White Grease… Not a bad idea!!! But I’d need dozens of cans to do the ENTIRE undercarraige. I made a video of the KROWN application.
http://www…kjjks2N69Y
About 20 years I went to an auto body supply shop and bought a gallon of whatever the sell to body shops, I think it was caller RustFREE. It was black in color and I removed the door panels to brush it inside the doors and used a brush and rollers to apply it to the underside of the car. I had enough left to do the fuel lines,brake lines and gas tanks on subsequent cars. If you are going to do the gas tank wait until it is almost empty and drop the tank down enough to do the top also because that’s where they rust out first.
Well, brushing it on sounds like WORK!!! I’d think that SPRAYING it would be faster and get into more hidden places… Were you able to watch the vid? The fellow sprayed on top of the gas tank. I even removed the tailites to have him spray in there…
Here’s pix of the grease sprayed on my Suburban. It’s yellowish and really hangs on!!!
Back in the late 70s and early 80s I owned a SAAB 99 (still own it) and I used to belong to the SAAB club of America . . . don’t know if they’re still around. But anyway . . . they published a monthly newsletter and there was a section dedicated to the old SAABs . . . the two-stroke cars from the 50s and 60s. I recall a number of articles on rustproofing the old SAABs . . . I believe that it was factory recommended . . . it involved removing rubber plugs placed all around the body and spraying used motor oil into the openings and allowing it (after misting the inner panels) to drip out of the plugs. This was recommended service a few times a year. I’ll look for my old articles and see if I can post some of them, if you like. Seems like a decent way to rustproof . . . but the differences I see from your method would be first that they recommend using cheap used engine oil and second spraying the oil into strategic spots . . . shouldn’t be a problem determining the areas you need to address, you simply need to look at old’84 K5 Blazers and see where they rusted. Your method seems to me to be overkill, but that’s my opinion. Good luck! Rocketman
I actually have a '91 Blazer in my yard. It’s RUSTED hunk of JUNK, and I own several of these so-called Square Bodied TEERUKS. My 1st was an '86 Sub, also a 4x4 Diesel. I named it MixMatch, for the mismatched rear doors. It’s ROTTED behind belief, and I’ll be scrapping it this spring… So I’m well aware of where they rust.
I now bring ALL my trucks from out West, so preserving them is a Priority!!!
I don’t think the oil or grease rustproofing is overkill, as the salt put on the roads in not to be believed. I bring my Blazer to the car wash after a salty drive, and a few days ago spent 40 minutes with a pressure washer cleaning out the SALTY sandy YUK!
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?pi=0&ps=20&sf=added&sa=0&sq=%20mixmatch&dm=1
No, sorry . . . I didn't mean you attempts were overkill, just your method. Your video shows you spraying into and onto stuff and areas that usually I don't see as rust problems . . . . like an air cleaner? Good idea to treat the problem areas, good effort and hopefully your efforts will be worth your time. And time spent, when you're enjoying it . . . as you seem to be, is good time. RocketmanAround here, EVERYTHING, I mean E V E R Y T H I N G (metal) rusts. the grease guy thought I was nuts to spray the engine. I have no regrets!!!
Here’s some pix I just took. The grey RUST bucket is a parts Blazer with a Turbo Diesel. The Gold K5 is from Eugene Oregon, and the white grease dripping is on an '84 Sub I bought in San Francisco. It took 1/2 a can to cover just the fender trim…
Farmers sometimes spray their equipment with drain oil…They use a $20 pump-up garden sprayer. The oil quickly attracts dust which forms a fairly dry but oily film…After several coats, a fairly thick coating develops. Also works as a wood preservative for fences and sheds…
I like the dust part, and the pesticide sprayer… Hmmm… Here’s more pix from this AM…
More Rust VS Rust-free West Coast stuff
Maybe so, but it didn’t cost me $1500 for the equipment.
To avoid this kind of problem in the future. 2000 Toyota Tundra’s have a real problem with rusting out, I use the marine product called “Salt-A-Way” and rinse my truck on every time I get in contact with salt. i.e. going to ocean, salted streets. They also sell a adapter that’ll make it easy to spray under the vehicle. The nice thing about this stuff is it will also help retard salt. Leaves a real light coating and leaves the vehicle looking like nothing as been applied. My vehicle is a 2000 Tundra with over 150,000 miles, kept outside and still looks like new along with the underside. Believe me, this stuff really works. It’s as easy as washing a car.
I think a pump up orchard sprayer would work just fine. They are cheap and I’ve used them for opaque wood stain that’s sort of thick. In New England years ago we used drain oil, and poured it into the rocker panels through little drill holes, but I’ll bet you could get it to spray with an orchard sprayer. Your yard will become a hazardous waste site, but with that old GM iron rotting in into the weeds you are on the way to that already.
Is an Orchard sprayer the same as a pesticide sprayer?
Many years ago, cars needed after market rust proffing. Today, most owners would be better off not trying to mess with it. You can end up causing more rust by blocking drains etc. Really controling rust is a job that starts in the design shop at the car makers. They are dong a good job, so I suggest that you don’t mess up what is there.
That said, trucks don’t get new designs as often as cars and there are still a lot of trucks out there that don’t have designed in rustproffing and in that case it is a good idea to have it done or do it yourself.
In any case good luck and drive safe.
I really disagree, because I look at all cars and trucks, and bare metal RUSTS. Some cars have galvanised panels here and there…
I was just looking at a 1982 Chevy Suburban brochure I just purchased, and it talks about all the faboulous rustproofing, etc… what a JOKE!!!
Things have improved, but SALT is a killer… Rambler blabbed about dipping their cars in rustproofing vats…
I don’t mean to pick a fight, but I’m going to remove the fender trim from my blazer and Sub now and spray white grease in there…
The problem with rust-proofing was NOT the product…it was the way it was applied. You find a GOOD shop that takes their time applying the rust-proofing carefully and in every possible spot…that vehicle will NOT rust out…Salt has no effect on the rust-proofing material. Those rust proofing franchises popped up everywhere in the 70’s. People bought the franchises and made a killing (at least until the warranty claims started to come in. The guys that did the job right stayed around…the others closed down and moved on.
Here’s one example…My sister’s 80 Datson 510…the hood rusted out badly after only 2 years…It was rust-proofed by the dealer. It was a joke. Sister filed a claim and got a check for $300 from the dealer. I bought a new hood…Applied 2-3 cans of rubberized undercoating on the underside of hood…Then had it painted…When she sold that car some 8 years later…that hood was in PERFECT-LIKE-NEW condition. And this was in the middle of the Rust-belt in Pulaski NY…the rest of the was a rusted piece of junk…Engine ran great though.
I agree… When I was selling new Chevys in 1980, a couple bought a new conversion van, and I paid the rustproof guy $20 extra to soak the van with tar. What a better job he did!!! the grease I like washes off in the wheelwells. I’m gonna get my own gizmo/sprayer/applicator to touch it up…