Undercoating my own car..

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Winter is coming in the rust belt that is buffalo, new york fast than I think.

Just for the heck of it I called a couple shops to get pricing on undercoating cars. Both were over 125 dollars for a vehicle.

I drive a saturn ion which has a plastic body, but I want to protect the undercarriage.

My girlfriend drives a 03 pontiac sunfire (cavalier clone), which is notoriously a rust bucket, so I want to keep it from happening to hers.

I'm thinking of just putting the cars up on 4 jack stands, and laying down a few tarps, and spraying TC11 on the entire thing with a little pump sprayer from home depot.

What do you guys think about this product?

http://tc-11.com/

I can buy a gallon of the stuff for 44 bucks, plus about 20 for the spray pumper at home depot.

I can do both cars, and have leftover for under 70 bucks.
 
Good stuff... I've been wanting to use it on my car too.

I think it's available at our local Ace/Diamond store.
 
I believe that this undercoating is the one originally developed by Texaco for the Navy or Army. I have used it years ago and it worked absolutely great. Texaco gas stations used to spray it on while the car was on the rack. I seem to remember $35 per vehicle and a long warranty of XX years.
 
Very interesting stuff. The MSDS indicates that it is only a petroleum base oil thinned with mineral spirits. How can it be safe for rubber?

I wonder how well it holds up with snow and slush? Their site recommends re-application every 4 months on cars.

There is almost no user discussion of this product when googled.
 
Originally Posted By: JustinH
What do you guys think about this product?


It looks to be largely kerosene.

This sort of product works okay on inner panels if you renew it from time-to-time, but it does not do well surfaces exposed to road splash, dirt, and so on.

If you want something that has a bit more body, go with a waxy oil like 3M 08892 3M™ Rust Fighter-I:

http://www.detailandstripes.com/083mrufi1834.html

Or:

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/produ...iProductID=1117

These products are very similar to the original Ziebart and the product called Waxyol.

Even they eventually need to be renewed, but they last longer since they have a bit of body.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Very interesting stuff. The MSDS indicates that it is only a petroleum base oil thinned with mineral spirits. How can it be safe for rubber?...

I thought it was petroleum free.
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Read your owner's manual first.

Added on undercoating may void the manufacturer's rust through warranty.
 
The product is nearly all petroleum. I skimmed through some of the writeup. It seems suspiciously overhyped.

I have 25 years experience rustproofing my cars with Texaco Rustproof Compound L. It's cheaper than TC-11 and is made of wool grease. As far as compatibility with elastomers is concerned, this compound actually helps keep rubber supple without adversely affecting it.
 
Where can the Texaco Rustproof be purchased?

A google search brings up little data on it, besides it being supplied to municipalities who have contracts with texaco.
 
It's hard to find in a Google search. Your best bet is to find a Texaco distributor. I don't know if there's one near you. There's one in Detroit and Chicago. You may have to have it shipped. I use 5 gals (30 lbs.) per vehicle. I spray heavy. Roughly $100 in material per application.

This compound lasts about two or three years. Then it needs to be replenished, especially in the high-wash areas.

Another option - find a shop that uses this compound.
 
Justin, I've gone several routes over the last 20+ years. I bought a JCWhitney kit many years ago, which consisted of bottles of black liquid goo and the spray tool kit to be used with an air compressor. It was a thin, volatile smelling product, made a mess and didn't seem to be all that effective. I then tried a brush on JCWhitney product that was a water based black, almost paste like substance. Not as messy, but it did seem to dry up and flake off over time. I also used a local truck accessory shop once who did 'rustproofing' up on a lift. They used the black rubberized stuff and a setup similar to the JCW spray kit I had. I've also had family members who used Ziebart and Rust-Stop over the years. IMO, the key with which ever process/product you decide to go with is; It's not a once and done process. You have to stay on it every year or two and touch up seams, areas that get 'eroded', etc. I haven't used any rustproofing products the last 8yrs or so and won't again for my DD's.

Joel
 
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Originally Posted By: JustinH
I'm thinking of just putting the cars up on 4 jack stands, and laying down a few tarps, and spraying TC11 on the entire thing with a little pump sprayer from home depot.


If you decide to do this... I would suggest giving the area you plan on undercoating a thorough pressure washing to remove existing dirt.

Another consideration is that road salt can work its way into the smallest of places so if there are any breaks in coverage, even tiny ones, the road salt will work it's way in there... stay there... and eat away.
 
A few people I know that live in "The rust belt", Upstate, NY powerwash the under carriage of their pickup trucks first. Then mask off any rubber, and then spray Bar Oil on the underside of their pickup trucks. Making sure to avoid the exhaust system, and re-apply every 2 years. Not sure how the EPA feels about it, but it works well for them. Leave it parked over the tarp for a day or so while the excess drips off.

Bar oil is cheap enough. On my vehicles I just wash the underside frequently.

HTH,
Frank D
 
I would think so too, but this is what some of the old timers swear by. Years ago some people used waste oil, which worked very well, but is an enviromental nightmare!

I think the key to the Bar Oil, or any oil for that matter is to re-do it every 1-2 years depending on conditions.

I had Ziebart do a van for me in 1988, and I had them touch it up every year for about 5 years, it held up very well (its still near perfect). That was one of two vehicles I had rust proofed professionally. I've had a number of cars, vans, etc. since and haven't had anything done to them and they held up just fine.


Frank D
 
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Yep, or some people dug a small trench around the house and poured in old waste oil to stop termites.

Frank D
 
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