Calling All Rust Professionals and Experts

[Bad Luck]

I've handled the majority of the maintenance that my 4Runner has required of me, and now it's time to figure out what to do with my frame. For the most part the frame is what I would consider to be in great shape. Light surface rust on weld seams with the occasional surface rust in other areas. From the rear lower control arm mounts forward the frame is in great shape and still has the majority of the paint on the outside and inside of the frame.

From the lower control arm mounts back is where it gets much worse in comparison. The inside and outside of the frame are covered in scale rust, but are solid. I haven't found any areas that a screwdriver can penetrate or a hammer can dent. The rear axle also has a good amount of flaky rust. Both the rear lower control arm mounts still feel really solid.

I'm planning on removing the rust as much as possible, coating with rust converter, applying some frame/chassis paint, and then coating all that with wd40. But i have no idea what to do about what's in the frame.

1) Does anyone have any suggestions on rust converter's and frame paint? (I know POR15 come's recommended from most people, but I really hate using it.)
2) How do you deal with rust in the frame?
3) Any tips/tricks/etc that have made this easier for you?

Any help or input is greatly appreciated! I hope I can upload these pictures correctly :help:

 

[Bad Luck]

More photos

 

[rdruss]

Well, it's ugly, but the mounts for the rear axle bars seem to be in fairly good condition as compared to many that have been posted on here, they are not rotting away! The rest of frame really does'nt look that bad to me either. I think I would go under it with a ball peen hammer and tap around with the ball all up and down the frame and see if it "sounds" solid.
If so, and you don't find rusted through holes or ones that can be made to grow by tapping around them with the ball on hammer I would say go for it if this is your major concern. Once it's yours you can address the surface rust with drill powered wire brush, etc. and treat it in various ways: primer, paint and rust preventative Fluid Film or whatever you choose.
The axle housing is ugly too, but it just needs the same treatment.

 

[brillo_76]

I have some ideas for you bad luck. I will post my thoughts later on tonight.

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk

 

[nobb]

Luckily, that looks only to be surface rust. Definitely do a POR15 treatment, but make sure you take the time to clean and prep the surfaces first.

When I POR15'd my frame, I only put in a moderate amount of effort with the prep, but it's still holding up very nicely 5 years later. If I recall, my steps were:

1. Soap
2. Rinse the inside of the frame
3. High pressure wash
4. Dry
5. De-scale with a wire brush ALL surfaces.
6. Apply POR15.

There's a special POR15 de-greaser/cleaner that you can use if you want to do a better job. Every season I also apply an oil anti-rust to the surface, as well as the inside of the frame.

 

[Kanoe]

I'd also highly suggest the POR-15 for the outside. I know it's a pain to deal with but nothing lasts as well. I did mine 8 years ago and it still looks like the day I did it, just dirtier.

I have used paint too but it is temporary compared to the POR-15 properly applied and followed up with the POR-15 Chassis coat. Once and done as they say. No paint is going to keep that covered up for long.

As for the inside, I would garden hose flush it out as well as possible and then for ever more keep it wet with oil/fluidfilm/rustcheck. The WD-40 works too but on such heavy rust you'd be doing it several times a year to keep it wet.

 

[Iron duke]

What the previous owner of my truck did was in the rocker panels the rust was cut out and treated the entire rocker with POR sprayed inside the on both sides after a thorough cleaning and drying. He also drilled large drain holes in the frame rails, used a rotary chain to loosen any rust inside the rails, airgunned and flushed it all out, let it dry and then filled the frame rails with POR as well. Once you loosen the stuff inside you take a strong magnet or air compressor to flush all the rust flakes out. It's a laborious process, but you will have no problems inside or out.

 

[RandyBobandy]

After you clean it off and coat it, hose it down inside and out with oil, wd40, fluid film, etc. I like wd40 and a gear oil and atf mix, or fluid film when brillo_76 lets me use some of his stash. My frame was much worse than yours, I’ve cut out sections and welded them up, and the oil coating has pretty much stopped the rust in its tracks.

 

[brillo_76]

All very good ideas. Also Bad Lucks rust isnt too bad

First thing to do is to descale the entire underside as much as you can.

You can loose about half the steel thickness and still be mosty structural sound. If the rust takes 3/4 of the thinkness of original steel. It needs replace d

This descale process will show you if your rotted through. Any questionable spots test with a hammer to make sure.

Once that's done. Clean the steel as good as you can.

Then coat the entire underside with corroseal 2 heavy coats. Its non toxic and is an excellent primer.

This can take the place of por15 or kbs seal. If you dont wish to use those products.

I actually quit using por 15 for its cousin kbs seal as its a newer formulation then POR 15 and less expensive.


I did a complete frame in por 15/ kbs seal and in some places it rusted again. Which was most likely my fault but wasnt happy at all. As the rig never left my garage yet

From my experiences. The paints [ including por15 and kbs seal] are indicators.

The corroseal is a rust inhibitor if you descale the frame and dont use acetone to degrease the frame. You can coat everything with it.

After that's dry you can paint the undercarriage with whatever strikes your fancy. I mostly use rust oliem as like I said paint is only an indicator. Then coat Everything with your favorite liquid rust inhibitor fluid.

All the doors, inner rockers fenders with this liquid rust inhibitor.

Clean the inside of frame of all the debris as best you can. Then go crazy with extremely heavy coating of your favorite liquid rust inhibitor.

For me my favorite is Fluid film. However it will not stay in wheel wells because it washes away from the power washing effect of the tires. So something else like cosmoline would be better in the wheel wells areas.

If you have rot holes in the frame. Then you have to cut the rot out and replace it. All kinds of ways to do that on my build thread. I perfer the inner frameplating as it eliminates the frame factory holes and gives you steel to weld to if brackets need replaced etc. It also keeps the frame the same dimension [ excluding the bottom rail] and just does a better job in the long run. Once your factory holes are gone when you coat the inside of the frame it cant rot out again ever.

This is just how I do it. From my experience of living in the rust belt all my life.



Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk

 

[Bad Luck]

Thanks everyone for the input and suggestions! The thing that concerns me with POR15 and other rust encapsulation paints is scraping through the paint and it allowing it to start rusting again. I drive by braille off road in my other vehicle which leads a lot of sliding and scraping. Once I start off roading the 4Runner I don't want to have a problem with having to touch up the frame paint every time I wheel.

RandyBobandy, have you had any problems with wd40 washing off?

Brillo, I've never heard of corroseal before. It's a rust converter, correct? Have you had any issues applying it over clean frame paint? I've heard some rust converters really only bond well with rust.

How is everyone cleaning and coating the top of the frame rails?

I also came across a post on a jeep forum about a guy using a flue brush to clean inside the frame. He linked this product: Amazon.com: Gardus RPS204-B Pellet Stove Cleaning System, Cleans Pellet Appliances & Vents up to 9' with 3 Flexible 3' Rods, Includes 2 Propeller Brushes: Home Improvement It won't get it super clean obviously, but I think it would loosen a good amount of the rust scale off and I should be able to park on an incline and wash it out from front to back

 

[RandyBobandy]

In my opinion the key with any coating is to do an oil coat over top of it and keep it well oiled. For the most part after a nice coat of grime builds up over your oil coat it doesn’t wash off very easily. The main areas are like Brillo said in the fender wells if you decide to coat those, it washes off pretty quick, I fluid filmed mine like a week ago and it’s already mostly gone. Another area is up front like the shock towers and control arms, that seems to wash off eventually too. I just like to get an undercoat gun and use it to spray all sorts of old oil products over everything and it works great, no worries about scratching the por15 or anything it won’t matter with a good oil coat

I wouldn’t worry too much about your frame as long as you take care of it now, around here that would be listed for sale as a southern vehicle with an immaculate frame lol

 

[brillo_76]

I believe Dogtail is the expert in the WD-40.

Corroseal I been testing for 6 months. I am content with corroseal thus far. It binds to the rust and really slows down rust. It turns the metal black as it dries.

They use it on ships in salt water and I was looking for a better alternative to por 15 or kbs seal

Corroseal you can just paint over again to seal the steel. For 30days. You cant with kbs or por15 without sanding the crap out of it to get a new coat to adhere to it.


Whatever you decide. It best coat a liquid rust inhibitor all over everything. This helps stop the rust as the top coat

You could even just clean off the scaling and liquid rust inhibitor coat it if you wish.

I use all paint as only an indicator. You see it coming off flaking etc. You know something wrong with the steel.


We also have serveral threads on what's the best rust inhibitor liquid and that's entirely up to the owners of the rig.



Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk

 

[brillo_76]

An example of a welded up hitch with used steel. Descaled with an air descaler. With about 5 to 8 coats of corroseal and a coat of FF on Top

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk