Undercoating??

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Supergus

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So I just moved back to Maine from Texas, and while in Texas I picked up a clean 2018 Ram 1500 Laramie. My wife asked me about undercoating it. My only experience was having my ‘69 Chevelle undercoated in high school in ‘87. Is undercoating still a thing in New England?
 

tron67j

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There are a number of threads on this topic. Suggest a search and read through them, you will find all matter of opinions.
 

GTyankee

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Any spray or coating that is thick, will not get into seams, or inside the frame, or any other place that rust sets in, like the bottom 6 inches of your doors, in where the window channels are & the boxed in area under the doors, & Cab corners.
The thick stuff will never coat those places.
, BUT RUST Will get in them.

Living in Maine, i would think a KROWN place should be fairly close


this guys shop is in upstate New York, he makes several truck videos



 

stenerson

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All kinds of products that work great. The important thing is consistency. I use lanolin based products. My undercarriage gets generous coating of wool wax. That stuff stays on for years and doesn't wash off easily. It is thick and greasy but it still creeps. I have a couple of spray guns/nozzles and I go nuts. I also get cans of thinner lanolin product like fluid film and PB blaster surface shield and spray that inside doors and crevices. Whenever I get under vehicle for oil changes I peek around and touch up areas where needed. I learned my lesson from my old Ram that had serious rust issues.
 
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Rado

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So I just moved back to Maine from Texas, and while in Texas I picked up a clean 2018 Ram 1500 Laramie. My wife asked me about undercoating it. My only experience was having my ‘69 Chevelle undercoated in high school in ‘87. Is undercoating still a thing in New England?
WELCOME back to Maine ! Been here since 1990 !
In the Bangor area we have Fluid Film, Krown and Wool Wax all good to fight that liquid salt crap they use in the roads :O
All those you get touched up once a year or 2 !
 

turkeybird56

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So I just moved back to Maine from Texas, and while in Texas I picked up a clean 2018 Ram 1500 Laramie. My wife asked me about undercoating it. My only experience was having my ‘69 Chevelle undercoated in high school in ‘87. Is undercoating still a thing in New England?
YES YES YES ref undercoating. Just a word of aha. If the truck you bought was original Texas and only ran in the Texas heat, you need to keep a watch on the oil pan/tranny gasket. Those seals are heat burned in, not used to extreme cold. If parked up in Maine extreme cold, you may find some leakage.

CAVEAT: When my wife died, I sold her F150 to her younger son in Wisconsin. Truck was run 100% in TX, ran real hard in summer on IH 35 and IH 45. A couple months up there, 1st winter, the seals on the tranny pan and oil pan gave up the ghost. Just a lil ahem, so U know to take a peek once in a while. IF nothing else, get under there with ratchet and check all the oil pan and tranny bolts and insure proper torque/tightness. Just a suggestion, do as U see fit.
 
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Supergus

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YES YES YES ref undercoating. Just a word of aha. If the truck you bought was original Texas and only ran in the Texas heat, you need to keep a watch on the oil pan/tranny gasket. Those seals are heat burned in, not used to extreme cold. If parked up in Maine extreme cold, you may find some leakage.

CAVEAT: When my wife died, I sold her F150 to her younger son in Wisconsin. Truck was run 100% in TX, ran real hard in summer on IH 35 and IH 45. A couple months up there, 1st winter, the seals on the tranny pan and oil pan gave up the ghost. Just a lil ahem, so U know to take a peek once in a while. IF nothing else, get under there with ratchet and check all the oil pan and tranny bolts and insure proper torque/tightness. Just a suggestion, do as U see fit.
Jeez never thought of that, thanks for the heads up!
 

turkeybird56

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Jeez never thought of that, thanks for the heads up!
Only know about it cause happened to deceased wife's younger son who bought truck. I was incredulous when he told me tranny leaked out on garage floor. But when you think about it, you can figure out why.
 

Zoe Saldana

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So I just moved back to Maine from Texas, and while in Texas I picked up a clean 2018 Ram 1500 Laramie. My wife asked me about undercoating it. My only experience was having my ‘69 Chevelle undercoated in high school in ‘87. Is undercoating still a thing in New England?
Do 2 things:
1 - get under the truck with some rust-oleum. Spray anything that looks like it could use some paint.

2 - Fina a Fluid Film application shop and get it done.
 

GTyankee

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I do not think that any liquid under coating spray businesses can operate in california, especially in Southern California.
 

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So I just moved back to Maine from Texas, and while in Texas I picked up a clean 2018 Ram 1500 Laramie. My wife asked me about undercoating it. My only experience was having my ‘69 Chevelle undercoated in high school in ‘87. Is undercoating still a thing in New England?
What area of Maine you in ? Bangor Area here !
 

62Blazer

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Just another thumbs up for the lanolin/oil based coatings. I use Woolwax on mine and do it myself. But think Krown, Fluid Film, etc... would work just as well. I used a combination of the original clear and the black. The only downside is it does leave a light oily type film on everything which is a little messy when working on the truck underneath. The black is worse because it is tinted black. Only use the black on places you can easily see just because it looks better. But would still rather deal with the film then chunks of rust following in your eyes. Learned my lesson from my previous truck. It still ran and drove great but just rusted out underneath. The body didn't look too bad but started having break downs and failures because of the rust. Brake lines, fuel lines, parking brake cables, transmission shifter brackets, etc... all rusted and needed replaced. My current Ram is a '16 that I bought in '19 and looks immaculate underneath. The first time doing the Woolwax I spent a lot of time on it. Most of the time was getting into all the crevices, inside the body panels and boxed frame, and any other place water and salt could get to. After the main application I usually just spend 15-30 minutes a few times a year touching it up. The only place the stuff gets worn off of is when its under direct spray from the tires. Meaning inside the rockers and such are still well coated. I also don't think you need to put on a super thick layer like some people do.
 

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I apply Fluid Film every Fall of the year and use the gallon containers they sell, along with their spray kit connected to an air compressor. Can do the entire underside of the Rebel (2017) in less than 30 minutes. No rust anywhere. I live in East Tennessee where the roads get salted anytime there is any freezing precipitation.
 

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Any spray or coating that is thick, will not get into seams, or inside the frame, or any other place that rust sets in, like the bottom 6 inches of your doors, in where the window channels are & the boxed in area under the doors, & Cab corners.
The thick stuff will never coat those places.
, BUT RUST Will get in them.

Living in Maine, i would think a KROWN place should be fairly close


this guys shop is in upstate New York, he makes several truck videos



Most in the industry differentiate "undercoating" from rust proofing.

Undercoating usually applies to just underbody coatings, and these are often much thicker than rustproofing materials that are used on inner body panels (doors, quarters, inner fenders, rocker panels, etc.).

Undercoatings rely on barrier depth to prevent penetration by stones and other objects that could reach through the factory coatings. Rustproofing materials are designed to flow more easily into body seams, etc., yet supply enough barrier to moisture.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 125606 miles.
 
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