Frame Rot Prevention

[FrontyFlyer]

What is the best way to keep a 4wd's frame from rusting apart?

Oil based coatings, krown, coat&protect ect. work great on street vehicles but driving in dusty muddy conditions they seem to build up a nasty black grease / dirt coating that holds on to moisture and doesn't rinse off easy.

I've been using a rubberized undercoating for a few years, it doesn't last very long but the mud washes off easy and keeps the frame clean.

What do you guys do to prevent your rigs from rotting out? (or what could you have done to save your already rotted out truck from getting scrapped?)

[deeker]

The old school Land Rover guys use POR-15 on their frames and bulkheads. It's a two-part brush or spray on metal treatment and sealant. Lots of other products similar to it, as well - Rust Bullet, Masterseries, and others.

The hootus thread...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/sho ... adid=18595

[Snafu]

I use the rubberise coating on the outside but a lot of the DIY stuff does not get inside the frame rails. The best I can do for the inside is spray it out with water to get the debris out of there to reduce the amount of water it can hold.

I made two tools to help clean out the frame rails. The first is a curved pressure wand that I can hook to a pressure washer. The wand curves upwards so I can spray under the truck.

The other tool I made is a piece of 1/2" copper pipe that I connect to the hose. The other end of the pipe has a right-angle facet shut off valve with a section of 1/4" flexible copper pipe (the same hardware used for bathroom sinks and toilets). The small pipe is flexible and can fit into the frame to blast out the debris. I just keep the water to the frame until is runs clear.

There is a pic of the tools on here somewhere

[Adam]

I use a mix of washing it religiously, tons of fluid film and rubberized undercoating on the outside. My old pathfinder still rusted out :lol

[klbeans]

Krown's the way to go. It's a yearly application which can get costly but it makes a difference with rust prevention. The liquid gets into the panels forcing any moisture out. Apparently this is the best time of year to do it... temperature hovering around 0 degrees and cars being moist with salty water promotes rust. Also acid rain this time of year doesn't help.

The other benefit of Krown is the ease of working on vehicles. The spray works its way into all the nooks and cranny's making snapped bolts a thing of the past.

I'd recommend the guys in Richmond Hill as they do a thorough job and don't complain if you ask them to pay special attention to a particular area.

I typically spend an hour pressure washing the undercarriage after every run. My truck is like a well seasoned cast iron pan. With the mutliple applications of Krown along with washing the dirt religiously, the dirt washes off easily, right down to the frame. Keep in mind, my truck isn't a daily driver so other than mud runs, it stays clean otherwise.

Snafu's idea of using specialized tools is a great tip. Very important to get all the mud out especially in the frame rails. Wet mud just sits there and promotes rust further. Also be sure to wash all the mud from around the wheel wells, especially the rolled parts where mud collects and is allowed to sit. Keep rinsing until the water runs clear.

Another thing to consider... rubberized coatings do a decent job of keeping the water out. But when water makes its way in, it keeps it there too.

Good luck.

[Snafu]

Definitely wash out the frame before adding any rust inhibitor...there is no sense coating the dirt that's in there

[CruiserRomey]

I've heard of some guys that drill holes at certain key points (that wont affect structure) in the frame to allow it to drain properly. but this was with older trucks and not sure if it can apply to newer frames. I like the oil spray and just keep it cleaned and hosed down after runs method, simple, and no coatings over anything that can trap moisture and breed rust. for what it's worth, there are no coatings on the frame of my '78 cruiser and it's rock solid to this day.

speaking of krown, I've heard from the guys I use (awesome fellas to deal with) that july/hottest month of the year is the best time to apply as the metal expands and you can get that much deeper into the nooks and crannies (or he's saying that cuz business might be slower that time of year... lol, kinda makes sense though). it's a once/year application so you want it on when it's dry and clean before anything else get's on it ?

[PiDGE]

Known for the win! Been treating two Nissan trucks with the stuff and it's the greatest I find. My old Harbody was minty mint when I sold her . I do like Snafus idea o the wand attachment and will try that this summer (think boxed frame collects dirt). I usually get it done in September, but have heard April/May is the best time due to the salt on the roads getting turned up from rain, drying, and starting to rot stuff. I've seen first hand those eltroinic rust preventers do absolutely poop on a Ranger so I'm not so sure if I'd go that route. My 2 cents

[xrover]

Actually old school land rover guys use Waxoyl which can be tough to get here. I did that to Breta years ago and it seems to be holding up. And old landy's are notorious for frame rot.
Step one was to scrape and clean the frame. Just like painting, the more time spent on this the better. It was dirty, crap falling in your eyes and hair, but the necessary evil.
Then I started spraying..........
But now, i'd Krown it annually.

[Miner]

Avoid mud like the plague.
Keep the frame and the backside of body panels clean.
Don't buy cheap vehicles. (2001 high mileage Volvo is spotless even underneath, 2001 low mileage Nissan had holes through the body)