Rust Proofing!

D

dshaw

New member
Hi Everyone,



Winter is rapidly approaching so I'm considering getting my new (to me) car rust proofed. I searched the internet and searched this site, but haven't found any satisfactory information. I've got many unanswered questions and I'm hoping the Autopian community can help me out! :) I'm located near Toronto if that's any help.



What makes a good rust proofing product? It's it more technique than product? Is this something I should get done professionally? Who would you recommend? Is there only one application or should I be going back every season? What is a reasonable price to spend on rust proofing?



Thanks!!

Spin
 
I would like to know as well.



For the most part I am just sanding the surface rust away and re-layering some factory paint that came on the underbody.



I hate rust and on a Camaro it looks ghetto.
 
Thanks Tom, now I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.... oh wait, that's just my rage ;)



POR-15 is nice and dandy but it won't match my red underbody so it's out of the question, I want to keep the factory look.



.... you got a Neon R/T?
 
Thanks for the replies! What's POR-15? Who makes it? This something a shop would apply for me or something that is a kit that I can apply myself?





Cheers,

Spin
 
I just got this email from a friend. Any comments?



Houghton Rust Control on Victoria St. just down from

Bingemans. Some places use a thick product, which sticks to the car but

plugs up the drains in the doors, and others use a thin oily stuff that is

great in the doors, but doesn't last on the bottom of the car. Houghtons

use a thick rust proofing material on the bottom and a thin material in the

doors and hood/trunklid. Only place I've ever seen use two different kinds.

They are cheaper too, because Vern has a system which allows him to work

at higher volumes during the busy season while maintaining quality,and he

doesn't have to pay franchise fees. It's quite ingenious, actually. It's

about $50 for a car, compared to $100 or so for Krown.



Vern knows his stuff and has been doing rust proofing longer than Krown,

Rust Control, or Ziebart have existed. He will drill holes in your car.

Don't freak out, it's the only way to get oil where it needs to be and the

other places would do it too anyway. He knows almost every car inside out

and backwards in terms of where to drill in order to get the best effect

with the least number of holes, and plugs the holes when he's done.
 
I doubt you need to drill holes in a car to rust proof it.



Most cars have painted underbodies which prevents rust but the paint obviously breaks down over time.



www.por15.com



POR-15 is a product that people use on bare metal, it looks like black water but once it's dry it can adhere to the surface so well that it can trap water inbetween the paint and POR-15 and allow the rust to devolp. It is also quite expensive, coming in tiny bottles and it only comes in black. Not exactly eye candy when your look at a red/blue/green etc underbody. My buddies have used it on their 12 bolt rear ends in their race cars and I have seen metal with POR-15 fall to the ground, get hit with a hammer or scraped and the POR-15 doesn't look like it was touched.
 
DavidB said:
You guys familiar with Ziebart? They've been drilling and filling for years.



http://www.ziebart.com/default.htm
Click to expand...



just beware with ziebart.... they have a tendency to be sloppy in my experiences.... last time I got my blazer done, they left a mess all over the engine compartment with overspray and coating in places where it really isn't needed. And let me tell ya, that stuff is worse than cosmoline to remove once its on there. :mad:
 
I have 1999 Camaro and I have these little spots of rust I can scratch off with my finger nail. I e-mail POR asking if they can offer a color matching POR product for me.
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
just beware with ziebart.... they have a tendency to be sloppy in my experiences.... last time I got my blazer done, they left a mess all over the engine compartment with overspray and coating in places where it really isn't needed. And let me tell ya, that stuff is worse than cosmoline to remove once its on there. :mad:
Click to expand...





That's what I've heard. :( So I'm scared to bring my car to a chain shop. I've heard bad things about Ziebart, Krown, and Rust Check. So I'm really at a loss! I need to find someone in the Toronto area who knows what they are doing.





Cheers,

Spin
 
So, I've been doing some reading on POR-15 and it seems like a paint-over-rust treatment and not something I'd apply to my car to prevent body rust. I'm looking for something that will prevent my body and frame from rusting. I can see applying POR-15 myself on the frame (what ever is accessible) but not to the body panels.



Any comments please!





Thanks,

Spin
 
If it is just small spots you want to treat, look into Klear Kote's rust converter. First you hit the rusty area with a brush or wire wheel, making sure you leave some rust (IE get the loose flakes off). Next paint on the KK treatment. Goes from greenish-white to black in about an hour. If results are rough, it is sandable. Paint afterwards. Got mine at Pep Boys. Did the differential cover and axle ends on my truck
 
Here's some first-hand info on POR-15; I've used the stuff.



-Gotta prep the surfaces with THEIR products to guarantee adhesion. Other products that SHOULD WORK (like PrepSol, lacquer thinner, normal metal etching products, etc.), sometimes don't- then the POR-15 peels off. Get their whole package.



-There are different colors available, as I recall, besides black they have silver (which I've used) and white, maybe others.



-You can paint over POR-15, just gotta scuff it a little to give the surface some "tooth" for your paint to stick to.



-It WILL stick to unrusted metal, but again, use their prep products and scuff the surface first. It does NOT like to stick to perfectly smooth surfaces. It does NOT need rust to adhere properly, you should still try to remove as much rust as you can.



Eastwood has a similar-but-different product called "Rust Encapsulator" that is also worth a look.



Oh, and *I* never had a problem removing Ziebart. Just used a tar-removal solvent. But I HAVE had cars start to rust where the rustPROOFER drilled holes :rolleyes:
 
So I'm still confused here. Should I be applying POR-15 on my undercarriage and then getting something like Ziebart rust proofing done? I don't need to stop rust since there isn't any there yet.. but in Canada the salt on the roads eats though cars fast.





Thanks,

Spin
 
spincycle said:
So I'm still confused here. Should I be applying POR-15 on my undercarriage and then getting something like Ziebart rust proofing done? I don't need to stop rust since there isn't any there yet.. but in Canada the salt on the roads eats though cars fast.





Thanks,

Spin
Click to expand...



If you're gonna keep the undercarriage VERY clean and want it to look sharp, consider "painting" it with the POR-15. If you're gonna rust-proof it anyhow, *I* wouldn't bother. Most rustproofing materials are sorta "tar" or cosmoline-like and will just cover your POR anyhow. IMO, for MOST people MOST of the time, the rustproofing from places like Ziebart is the way to go.
 
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