Does any place sell some DIY black undercoating?

corvetteman

New member
I messed up the underside of a car a bit when a jack slipped and a jackstand created 2 small gashes in the underside of the car. Its not bad but I'd like to improve it. Is there any over the counter black or gray undercoating for sale?
 
OK I just did a search and saw some different DIY undercoatings for sale. Would you guys recommend 1 brand over another? Which is better? roll on or spray?
 
3M makes some decent stuff, its available at just about any auto parts store.
 
Check out Eastwood. They have a bunch of different types of sprayable and brushable coatings. If you are just wanting a good rust protection brushable coating, POR15 is pretty good.
 
Most auto part stores will carry it. My local Walmart carries a 3M undercoat spray, as well as another brand of undercoat spray. Works perfect for touchups and areas the factory missed.
 
spree17- Give a little thought to what kind of undercoating will be best for the application; big diff between the rubberized ones and stuff like Eastwood's Heavy Duty Anti-Rust. FWIW, I generally prefer the latter.
 
What about using some of the roll on Truck Bed Coating like Dupli-Color Bed Armor. That would guarantee protections and you don't have to worry about over spray. I have been kicking this idea around for little while now.
 
TroyScherer said:
What about using some of the roll on Truck Bed Coating like Dupli-Color Bed Armor. That would guarantee protections and you don't have to worry about over spray. I have been kicking this idea around for little while now.



If you go that route, make sure to do whatever's necessary to ensure good adhesion.



Some of the reasons I generally prefer "rustproofing" type undercoatings instead:



-minimal prep required (can even apply over minor surface rust, works incredibly well IME)

-minimal overspray and you can also brush it on (and it cleans up easily if you get it on the wrong places)

-application goes pretty quick and easy and even a half-@$$ed job works out quite well

-doesn't flake/peel off later

-doesn't trap water in places where it gets compromised (chips/etc.)

-easy to touch up (consider the type of frame scraping that precipitated this whole discussion, that'll probably happen again)

-does a *tiny* bit of migrating/"creeping" to get into tight spots and also does (minimal, but hey..) self-healing



I do understand why the bedliner/rubberized/etc. approaches have their appeal, but for a practical approach on a driver I'll go with Eastwood's Black Heavy Duty Anti-Rust every time.
 
I saw some spray on black rubberized kinds at Walmart. Since the 2 areas I'm looking to cover are so small I think I will give the rubberised spray a shot first. I'm not very concerned about rust on these 2 small areas. Its more about it looking normal cosmetically.
 
spree17- That makes sense, no point in overcomplicating this! Just be sure to clean the areas well before you spray and hold the can at the right distance, not too close (some of those products are touchy about that and won't cure/dry right if you mess it up). If the spots are really small, you might want to make a "mask" out of a piece of cardboard with an appropriately-sized hole (that might help if you need to keep the can 18" or so away).
 
Accumulator said:
spree17- That makes sense, no point in overcomplicating this! Just be sure to clean the areas well before you spray and hold the can at the right distance, not too close (some of those products are touchy about that and won't cure/dry right if you mess it up). If the spots are really small, you might want to make a "mask" out of a piece of cardboard with an appropriately-sized hole (that might help if you need to keep the can 18" or so away).



Those are great suggestions. I would not have thought of the cardboard but I will definitely use it now. Thanks a bunch! What would you suggest for cleaning? Rubbing alcohol? :)
 
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