Undercarriage care

[2016Bighorny]

That's incredible lol

Thank you!

 

[chrisbh17]

No offense to anyone here but the paint on stuff scares me. Looks great at first, but if you're lucky it will just start to flake off. If you arent lucky, it will trap moisture and rust, until there is so much that the paint starts to flake off and reveal the rust.

Clear oil-based undercoating is your friend. Water doesnt stick to oil, and clear means you can see whats going on under it. Yes its greasy as hell, but call it the price paid to keep your truck from rusting out.

I can go outside right now and pressure wash off my Corrosion Free undercoating....under it will look like the truck did on Day 1. But I dont bother washing it off because its protecting everything the way it is. If I ever go to sell the truck, Ill wash it off right before showing it.

 

[gixxer]

Use a wire wheel for the rust. Also, recommend using POR15 for the paint. It is phenomenal. I also recommend pulling out the wheel well liner and getting the crap out of there and painting with POR15. There is a terrible spot for collecting dirt in front of the driver and front passenger door and behind the wheel well behind the tire. I had mud and debris filling the whole thing. Good luck on the project and enjoy the truck!

 

[gixxer]

No offense to anyone here but the paint on stuff scares me. Looks great at first, but if you're lucky it will just start to flake off. If you arent lucky, it will trap moisture and rust, until there is so much that the paint starts to flake off and reveal the rust.

Clear oil-based undercoating is your friend. Water doesnt stick to oil, and clear means you can see whats going on under it. Yes its greasy as hell, but call it the price paid to keep your truck from rusting out.

I can go outside right now and pressure wash off my Corrosion Free undercoating....under it will look like the truck did on Day 1. But I dont bother washing it off because its protecting everything the way it is. If I ever go to sell the truck, Ill wash it off right before showing it.

The POR15 stuff is the far better stuff to use. I agree, any hard coating like regular rust paint or under coating is useless as you can't tell. I've had the POR15 on for several years with no ill effects. I do have experience with undercarriage coating and using tremclad. It rusts under neath and all the paint or coating falls off.

I did yearly applications of krown and after seeing several reviews I wasn't too impressed with it. I will probably do a light coating in certain areas of ATF as that stuff doesn't allow rust but I will do it close to winter. Crc rust inhibitor worked really well from reviews so I might give that a try over top the POR15.

 

[chrisbh17]

The POR15 stuff is the far better stuff to use. I agree, any hard coating like regular rust paint or under coating is useless as you can't tell. I've had the POR15 on for several years with no ill effects. I do have experience with undercarriage coating and using tremclad. It rusts under neath and all the paint or coating falls off.

I did yearly applications of krown and after seeing several reviews I wasn't too impressed with it. I will probably do a light coating in certain areas of ATF as that stuff doesn't allow rust but I will do it close to winter. Crc rust inhibitor worked really well from reviews so I might give that a try over top the POR15.

Ive used Por15 in other applications. Great product as long as you do perfect prep. I dont trust myself to be able to do perfect prep underneath my truck. I dont have a lift so I cant see myself putting in the time and effort (and frustration) of getting every nook and cranny ready for a good Por15 application while rolling around on a creeper.

 

[gixxer]

Ive used Por15 in other applications. Great product as long as you do perfect prep. I dont trust myself to be able to do perfect prep underneath my truck. I dont have a lift so I cant see myself putting in the time and effort (and frustration) of getting every nook and cranny ready for a good Por15 application while rolling around on a creeper.

I used the ramps and jack and stands. I pressure washed and degreaser underneath. PIA but let it dry and painted as much as I could reach. Ideally I would pull the bed off the truck and flip it to reach more. It was well worth it. My undercarriage looks better than a lot of the trucks just sitting on the lot up here in Canada.

 

[chrisbh17]

I used the ramps and jack and stands. I pressure washed and degreaser underneath. PIA but let it dry and painted as much as I could reach. Ideally I would pull the bed off the truck and flip it to reach more. It was well worth it. My undercarriage looks better than a lot of the trucks just sitting on the lot up here in Canada.

Yeah the bed is the most important part to me....after watching my 2001 Frontier bed disintegrate over the wheel wells and back wall. The wheel well was the worst because you couldnt really see it until it was too late.

IMHO the rear wheel well liners help A LOT and am glad my RAM came with them.

 

[Felt]

@gixxer would the POR-15 work on a new truck. Like brand new 21 miles on it? I'm looking to paint/protect/coat the frame/underside/axles of my 2019 Ram but it isn't rusted and I've been reading it needs rust for it to stick. In your opinion would it work? Maybe if I roughed up the surfaces with some steel wool or fine sand paper? Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[odinjunior]

AZ guy here 3 year old truck still looks new under there. I'll be spending time in PA this winter who should I look up to treat my truck

 

[meu_21]

Great topic. I too was surprised how fast my truck started to rust underneath. One thing no one mentioned here is that you will come across a lot rubber and plastic grommets, bushings, shields, and enclosures that should not be sprayed with petroleum products (i.e. just about all the sprays in the video above). I use a 3in1 silicone spray that does the trick. I can spray it just about anywhere without a worry, it is hydrophobic, and forms a film that doesn't come off with water or petroleum based product. It is also safe on electrical components. Pick up 2 cans for $4 each and finish the whole underside.

 

[gixxer]

Yeah the bed is the most important part to me....after watching my 2001 Frontier bed disintegrate over the wheel wells and back wall. The wheel well was the worst because you couldnt really see it until it was too late.

IMHO the rear wheel well liners help A LOT and am glad my RAM came with them.

I highly recommend removing that weather strip piece between the cab and bed. I had so much rust under that piece on both sides. Also, check your front fender behind the front mud flaps. So much build up there.

I agree the wheel liners help so much!

 

[js12278]

Woolwax. Black Woolwax on the chassis and Straw (clear) inside door panels. If you have an air compressor buy it in a kit. It will come with all you need.
If you do not have a compressor you can buy Woolwax in aerosol cans. You can also get Fluid Film the same way.
You won’t regret using the products.

 

[gixxer]

@gixxer would the POR-15 work on a new truck. Like brand new 21 miles on it? I'm looking to paint/protect/coat the frame/underside/axles of my 2019 Ram but it isn't rusted and I've been reading it needs rust for it to stick. In your opinion would it work? Maybe if I roughed up the surfaces with some steel wool or fine sand paper? Thanks for any suggestions.

I've attached a couple links, it doesn't like shiny surfaces so you want to rough it up a bit and make sure its cleaned after any sanding. It is UV light sensitive so anything in exposure to light will need some kind of a top coat. They recommend using the metal prep to etch any coating off. My buddy wire wheeled his project truck, 78 ford f150 then did the metal prep and POR15 after. It looks fantastic and he drives it in any weather.

I still think this would be the route to go, and ocassionally spray some silicone on rubber components to keep them from breaking down. Another great product for rubber is at205. I put it in a spray bottle and spray boots, and joints. Do not spray brake hoses though.

https://www.por15.com/POR-15-FAQS_ep_61.html

https://www.por15.com/POR-15-4-Quart-Special

From one of the faq link:


WHAT IS THE BEST SURFACE ON WHICH TO PAINT POR-15?
POR-15 likes rusted surfaces best. Seasoned metal and sandblasted metal are also good. POR-15 does not adhere well to smooth, shiny surfaces, but will adhere well to those surfaces with the proper preparation.


WHAT IS THE 'PROPER PREPARATION'?
We make a product called 'Metal-Ready'. It's a rust remover that leaves a zinc phosphate coating on base metal, the perfect preprimer for POR-15. NOTE: New steel is coated with a protective oil finish at the mill. This finish must be removed before using POR-15 or Metal-Ready. Clean metal first with POR-15 Marine-Clean, then rinse with water and dry.


Also, wear a respirator, and cover up, this stuff doesnt come off your skin, only time when you shed your skin does it come off. Olive oil or paooking spray helps but only for thick dried stuff. It soaked through my overalls and I looked like a zebra for a couple weeks.

Take your time with the prep as it will make the painting process so much easier. I recommend looking at rusted trucks for ideas where to pay close attention, fender wells, rocker panels, the rubber strip between the bed and cab. I even sprayed the screws and metal clips on the liner with a thin film of black paint (not por15) to slow down those from rusting. I sprayed silicone on the wheel wells to rejuvenate them as well. Feel free to message me if you want more info.

 

[gixxer]

Great topic. I too was surprised how fast my truck started to rust underneath. One thing no one mentioned here is that you will come across a lot rubber and plastic grommets, bushings, shields, and enclosures that should not be sprayed with petroleum products (i.e. just about all the sprays in the video above). I use a 3in1 silicone spray that does the trick. I can spray it just about anywhere without a worry, it is hydrophobic, and forms a film that doesn't come off with water or petroleum based product. It is also safe on electrical components. Pick up 2 cans for $4 each and finish the whole underside.

View attachment 215196

Another great product for this is at-205. Put it in a spray bottle and spray boots and rubber joints, tierod ends.

 

[gixxer]

@gixxer would the POR-15 work on a new truck. Like brand new 21 miles on it? I'm looking to paint/protect/coat the frame/underside/axles of my 2019 Ram but it isn't rusted and I've been reading it needs rust for it to stick. In your opinion would it work? Maybe if I roughed up the surfaces with some steel wool or fine sand paper? Thanks for any suggestions.

This is what it looks like now after several years. I didn't paint the u joint and you can see how it compares. I did the driveshaft with no balance or vibration issues. The one pic that looks all clean is the rear fender removed.

 

[tomb]

Hello,
I recently purchased a 2018 RAM 1500....I am now a first time RAM 1500 owner. Very excited about using this truck with my family for camping trips and other excursions. In taking a look at the undercarriage, I definitely see some surface corrosion from when the truck was used for the first two years in Michigan (I am in Colorado). I just washed the under side of the vehicle to remove a lot of the caked on mess. My plan is to spray the frame with Rustoleum Rust Reformer. Please take a look at these pics after the wash down.

First, any major issues you guys see that I should be really concerned about? I was going to go to town with a 60 grit pad on my angle grinder, but that seems a little rough, you can see where I started that at the front of the vehicle. My thought now is to just go over it with a steel brush first and then hit it with the rustoleum. Is it OK to just hit the whole frame with this, including where the bolts and nuts are? Any other advice you guys can offer?

Thank you in advance.
Perfecto

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My recommendation would be to fluid film or krown it.

I would do the rust eliminator spray, then a full treatment of rust proofing.

About $200 with tax, stop rust in its track.

My 11 gets it once per year, I have zero rust.

I have driven nation wide in salt and snow, no rust.

 

[tomb]

I do Krown every year too. Truck undercarriage looks great but its messy as hell if you want to do anything under there. Fair trade-off to me. If you dont mind them drilling holes in some panels, they will spray that it to the areas that are more prone to rusting from the inside. I have this done and have with every truck I have owned-well worth the price of $150. You wont notice the black plugs and you know the stuff is repelling corrosion from not only the undercarriage but also inside fenders ,under-hood-etc,etc...

 

[George Airday]

Hello,
I recently purchased a 2018 RAM 1500....I am now a first time RAM 1500 owner. Very excited about using this truck with my family for camping trips and other excursions. In taking a look at the undercarriage, I definitely see some surface corrosion from when the truck was used for the first two years in Michigan (I am in Colorado). I just washed the under side of the vehicle to remove a lot of the caked on mess. My plan is to spray the frame with Rustoleum Rust Reformer. Please take a look at these pics after the wash down.

First, any major issues you guys see that I should be really concerned about? I was going to go to town with a 60 grit pad on my angle grinder, but that seems a little rough, you can see where I started that at the front of the vehicle. My thought now is to just go over it with a steel brush first and then hit it with the rustoleum. Is it OK to just hit the whole frame with this, including where the bolts and nuts are? Any other advice you guys can offer?

Thank you in advance.
Perfecto

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[George Airday]

Terrible corrosion made my F150 into a charity case and 2004 well maintained Navigator into $500 trade in! My 2019 RAM Immediately GOT A FULL ZIEBART treatment With annual checkup.

 

[TomB 1269]

AZ guy here 3 year old truck still looks new under there. I'll be spending time in PA this winter who should I look up to treat my truck

Yes, or it won't look perfect when you get back to AZ.