how to protect your rig from salt damage??

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

blackelky

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2023
Posts
586
Reaction score
769
Yep. True rust issues start from the inside of the body panels…rockers, fenders, doors, rear hatch, and cab corners of trucks etc. Salt water from driving on the roads gets in all those nooks and crannies and never gets washed out, no matter how much you go through the car wash or spray the underbody.

I bought my power wagon brand new, and have applied fluid film to the entire underbody, as well as inside the the rockers/cabcorners/fenders/doors etc. using a small flexible wand/spray gun that i purchased online. She just went through her 8th northern michigan winter…no signs of rust yet!!!! Put her up on the hoist and spray away!!!

View attachment 423231

View attachment 423230

View attachment 423227

View attachment 423228

View attachment 423226
I do this once a year in the frame, door drain holes, rocker panels everything every fall
 

BlaineBug

Full Access Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2019
Posts
1,179
Reaction score
668
Location
Clown World
Undercarriage rubber coating is the best way. It can be expensive, but it is worth it. If you are more on a budget, undercarriage washing is the best.
I'm surprised I see this as a recommendation to combat salt. Typically the water and salt still get beneath the rubberized undercoating eventually because it doesn't adhere all that well, and still rots the frame and body even worse than without the coating, with the exception that you or some unsuspecting buyer has no clue what is going on and think the undercarriage looks fantastic. I think a fluid-film type waxy coating and/or diluting kerosene or diesel with used engine oil is probably the best way to prevent rust and corrosion.
 

olyelr

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Posts
1,708
Reaction score
848
Location
Elk Rapids, MI
I'm surprised I see this as a recommendation to combat salt. Typically the water and salt still get beneath the rubberized undercoating eventually because it doesn't adhere all that well, and still rots the frame and body even worse than without the coating, with the exception that you or some unsuspecting buyer has no clue what is going on and think the undercarriage looks fantastic. I think a fluid-film type waxy coating and/or diluting kerosene or diesel with used engine oil is probably the best way to prevent rust and corrosion.
I 100% completely agree with you.
 
Joined
Apr 11, 2018
Posts
7,124
Reaction score
14,365
Location
St. Louis
PB Blaster Surface Shield.

It's a lot like Fluid Film, but a different composition which I can't remember off the top of my head. It stays on longer then Fluid Film and doesn't wash off as easily by road spray or car washes
 

mountie

Supporting Member
Joined
May 9, 2018
Posts
4,675
Reaction score
8,574
Location
Wellington, Fl., (formally Kalifornia)
PB Blaster Surface Shield.

It's a lot like Fluid Film, but a different composition which I can't remember off the top of my head. It stays on longer then Fluid Film and doesn't wash off as easily by road spray or car washes
Before I replaced my front shocks, I used my small electric powerwasher to degrease/ clean the suspension areas..... After the old greasy film was removed, I sprayed the area with the Blaster Surface Shield.... It seemed to work fine,...
But I read that their spray nozzle is a piece of crap... It clogs, etc. ( so be aware, but I didn't use the 'extension......
They also have an optional " 360 degree " spray attachment, so you can spray " backwards"....
 

Attachments

  • 20240311_125240.jpg
    20240311_125240.jpg
    157.4 KB · Views: 1
  • 20240311_130154.jpg
    20240311_130154.jpg
    252.5 KB · Views: 2

mountie

Supporting Member
Joined
May 9, 2018
Posts
4,675
Reaction score
8,574
Location
Wellington, Fl., (formally Kalifornia)
Back in 2006, I went to the Bonneville Salt Flats.... I had a pump sprayer and loaded the underside with 'Joy Detergent'... It coated the underside. It 'attached' salt onto the clingy surface.....but not against the metal and crevices .
After the week, I used a circular lawn sprinkler under the truck and it rinsed off the underside, nice and clean. ( That's what the racers suggested )
 

Attachments

  • Bonneville start.JPG
    Bonneville start.JPG
    167.1 KB · Views: 2

nonickatall

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2022
Posts
711
Reaction score
1,301
Location
Germany
From my understanding, the product was invented on the west coast of the usa and is still a family owned business.

So yes, its here. Like i stated in my post above, ive been applying it to the truck i bought new in 2016 and after its 8th northern michigan winter its still showing no signs of cancer. Fingers crossed!
Well obviously it is really a american product. :oops:

I thougt allways that it comes from the company i buy it but on their webpage is written that it comes from
Eureka Chemical Company, San Francisco

:thumbsup:
 

vcode

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2015
Posts
394
Reaction score
268
Fluid Film is great but is not compatible with the wax frame coating. It can actually dissolve the wax. The factory uses Daubert Nox-Rust X-121B on the frames. You can get it in a spray can. It's what is called for in factory service procedures. Undercoating in a Can also makes a product that is compatible with the factory coating. Do not use rubberized coating over the frame wax as they dry out. Fluid film is good for painted items and door seams, but Surface Shield is even better.
 

Vladimir2306

Full Access Member
Joined
May 18, 2023
Posts
499
Reaction score
495
Yep. True rust issues start from the inside of the body panels…rockers, fenders, doors, rear hatch, and cab corners of trucks etc. Salt water from driving on the roads gets in all those nooks and crannies and never gets washed out, no matter how much you go through the car wash or spray the underbody.

I bought my power wagon brand new, and have applied fluid film to the entire underbody, as well as inside the the rockers/cabcorners/fenders/doors etc. using a small flexible wand/spray gun that i purchased online. She just went through her 8th northern michigan winter…no signs of rust yet!!!! Put her up on the hoist and spray away!!!

View attachment 423231

View attachment 423230

View attachment 423227

View attachment 423228

View attachment 423226
If this is a photo after 8 winters, then why do the untreated bolts not rust?
 

Stbentoak

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2020
Posts
1,697
Reaction score
1,953
I Ziebarted my 2004 RAM when new, never did another thing to it in 20 years and not one spec of rust when it sold last summer for a premium. Spray in bedliner helps a lot too.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
132,677
Posts
1,872,426
Members
97,482
Latest member
kielyr
Top