FTFY
“Can be easily stopped” = “can be slowed”
I agree things can be done to slow it but I would drop the easily out of that. Getting down under the vehicle or putting it up on jack stands and spraying whatever on everything making a mess and getting covered yourself. Not sure I would call it easy. People just don’t do it because it’s a PIA.
I use fluid film and it works.
In the essence of this guy -
“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.” Henry Ford
I'll give you my take, if I save one 4runner with a dedicated owner from the scrap yard, it was worth my time.
Salt belt rust is completely preventable and easy depending your approach. It should be easy, or you'll be burdened with it and say F it and not do it, or half ass it.
Old timers been doing it for decades going back 50 years or whenever salt destruction was finally pissing people off. They would spray on diesel fuel, some would even brush on motor oil, and decades later the rigs stood the test of time and didn't rot. But in this modern age we have better options. Fluid Film, POR-15, WD-40, etc....these are ALL good, just depends on how you do it and how you treat it throughout the season. MOST important thing NEVER drive it thru a car wash, the blast of the high pressure water and soap will take off the coating and totally F up the effectiveness. You should have a constant "full grime" on your underbelly. That's the barrier for salt/water. Salt in scientific terms has high electric conductivity with water and greatly speeds up by many multiples the effect of water corrosion.
Here's what I do to completely halt rust. I am passionate about rust prevention for real.
30 minutes for an application, no jacks, can be a factory lift height in the driveway, you don't wanna be climbing under it with dripping. I do an application just before Massachusetts 1st snow fall in Dec and maybe another around Feb, I don't really need to do a 2nd at this point with my seasoned grime coating, but I do for extra measure and its easy anyway.
- Get a 10 ft wide roll of cheap plastic for overspray, lay on driveway with some wood or rocks to stop from blowing around, drive you runner on top of it, drop your factory spare if you want.
-Your rust preventive of choice, Fluid Film, POR-15, WD-40....I use WD-40 myself, need gallon container and spray can bottle of your pref RP with tiny little WD-40 style hose.
-Wear mask, some spray worthy clothing, maybe Tyvek disposable jump suit, I use a military jump suit, rubber gloves, have some rags or paper towels for spillage.
-Need compressor, hose and cheap auto paint sprayer with no spray tip from AutoZone.
-Have compressor at like 130psi, fill sprayer bottle and get busy.
-Spray thru all air holes on side of frame from back to front angling sprayer as many directions as possible, spray thru round cross tube, the whole inside of frame should be coated nicely.
-Next spray full outside of frame, just reach under and spray everything, reach your arm under, with high pressure it, all hit cross rails, inside of bumpers if you like have those thin chromes.
-Spray complete rear end, springs, control arms frigging everything, just stay clear of brakes, ok shut off compressor.
-Now get your spray can, in my case WD-40, spray thru every drain hole in bottom of doors to coat inside of door bottom, rear hatch bottom drain holes, hood bottom drain holes, rocker panel drain holes (you may have to spread pinch weld holes a bit with a screw driver if your hose cant get in), rockers can hold moisture, also the sunroof drains out thru rockers.
-Ok, done, put stuff away, we're at 29 minutes, still time to crack a beer in under 30.
-Leave rig sitting for a while to drip off, maybe even overnight.
-MOST IMPORTANT DO NOT DRIVE THRU CAR WASH, keep your undercarriage grime salt barrier. Anything that was orange rust before will eventually turn to blackish film, painted stuff should have the grime. That's the protection, rust has been halted if you keep up the seasonal application.
NOTE : See my GARAGE closeup pic of rearend/diff, thats a clear image of a seasoned rust prevention barrier. That grime is on my rig undercarriage, year round, I never wash it off.
