Rust, win or lose, it's up to you.

dogtail

dogtail

New member
Heres my 99 frame in salty Massachusetts.
Will do a write up by Fall for the next snow season.
I'm perfecting my seasonal method, quick, cheap, easy to do, no environmental impact when done properly. I'm doing a lot of testing.
Once a yr application impregnating WD40.
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Why not just use some of the proven products like Fluid film or LPS 3?

WD40 in general is a lousy rust inhibitor.
 
I vote that a Sticky thread be made for rust repair, tips and tricks, absolute disasters, and many other things so then we don’t have to have 20+ threads with different outcomes.
 
thegipper said:
Why not just use some of the proven products like Fluid film or LPS 3?

WD40 in general is a lousy rust inhibitor.
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It actually is a great rust inhibitor. I know others that have been doing this for years, I've been doing it for a few. My brother turned me on to it. One thing I thought, it would wash off, it stays. It penetrates and leaves a micro film. Penetrating tiny crevasses and any surface rust or scale and is a barrier to rust forming. In fact it works really great. You just dont want to use soap or degreasers on the undercarriage after applying.
Fluid Film and LPS 3 is a waxy product that is not designed as a penetrator. I totally get what you are saying and what those do.
What I'm talking about isn't for the masses, only certain situations, and those people will know. Those that do it will won't have to worry about rot if they are diligent every season.
 
dogtail said:
It actually is a great rust inhibitor. I know others that have been doing this for years, I've been doing it for a few. My brother turned me on to it. One thing I thought, it would wash off, it stays. It penetrates and leaves a micro film. Penetrating tiny crevasses and any surface rust or scale and is a barrier to rust forming. In fact it works really great. You just dont want to use soap or degreasers on the undercarriage after applying.
Fluid Film and LPS 3 is a waxy product that is not designed as a penetrator. I totally get what you are saying and what those do.
What I'm talking about isn't for the masses, only certain situations, and those people will know. Those that do it will won't have to worry about rot if they are diligent every season.
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Great idea! And yes, WD40 is great for preventing rust, it's one of the things it's actually good at (not as a lubricant like most people use it for).
 
WD40 is more of a solvent than a true RP. It will prevent rust but it is designed for short term rust prevention/water displacement. WD40 makes a long term rust inhibitor that is supposed to be pretty decent.

Many on here use fluid film, I personally am not that big of a fan of it. Having said that, my 99 donor vehicle was treated with fluid film for several years and the frame is pretty rust free. My other gripe with it is it makes a mess and leaves a heavy oil film on everything.

My personal choice is LPS 3 although it does leave a waxy film. Personally, I'd rather have a waxy film than an oily mess that picks up dirt and debris.

We use several RP's where I work because most of our customers require both short and long term protection on certain parts (mining industry, defense work ect). Because of this, I've had to do a bunch of research and look at the testing data from several manufactures (salt spray tests to ASTM standards) and most rust RPs you can find at your hardware store will not cut it for long term prevention, including WD40.

Now again, if you apply WD40 enough times throughout the year, it would probably work.

Here are couple links, one is from the Cortec corporation that makes some excellent RPs but again, nothing you can just buy in the store.

https://www.cortecvci.com/Publications/Reports/reports.php

This is from a machinist forum where he compared fluid film, WD40, and LPS 3.

Protective spray??? - Page 2

If you found a way to make WD40 protect your truck, I'm all ears. I'd be curious to hear how you're doing it and how many times it must be redone per year.
 
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If you google WD40 as a frame RP, you'll see a lot of people are doing it. I was skeptical at 1st. Initially I was doing it to lay me over til a full undercarriage paint job. I think it has it's certain applications. It does good for certain rigs in a particular condition, especially if rust had a head start and you havent got time to do a full out undercarriage restore.
It will leave a slight film, you will get a little grimy dust build up on surface rust, clean painted not as much. Kinda like an engine bay. Seems like it's a protective skin. It doesn't seem to wash off either from puddles and rain all season long, degreaser would I'm sure. I think maybe 1st or 2nd season maybe twice in winter, but I think 1 time right before snow is good for me now cause it's got infused everywhere.
Here is a pic of 2 4runners rear ends a 99 and an 2000 in my driveway just took the pics today. Both driven same state, about same mileage. The rusty one I just bought for parts, the other one is my DD, it had the typical rust belt orange on the rear end, frame was clean luckily. It sucked up the WD40 and it looks like a grimy tie rod end now. Been doing it on this one for a few years. It definitely stopped any progression. Like I said, it's good for certain situations or maybe only one section you think needs attention. One thing I hate is breaking bolts, I break so many 4runner bolts in these parts, maybe that will help that too. I'm an avid 3rd gen fan just trying to win the battle.
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Every time i knee it would snow here in NJ. I would always grab few cans of wd40 and spray the rocker panels, back wheel well, small cracks and anywhere I could. Even if it’s a little bit of protection. However. My whole undercarriage is sprayed with fluid film.
 
Anything is better than nothing, that is for sure.

For a little more money, you can find better RP's though is my general point.

You west coast guys have it so good! Rust is a *****!
 
The frame got no corrosion! congratulations for keeping it in excellent shape.

I just spray used motor oil and about 20% gear oil and then drive on a dirt road to coat the oil with a dust film. Very hydrophobic like a lotus leaf. I continue to do it once every 2 years, the bolts and nuts are so easy to come out after brushing off the exposed thread with a wire brush.
 
thegipper said:
Anything is better than nothing, that is for sure.

For a little more money, you can find better RP's though is my general point.

You west coast guys have it so good! Rust is a *****!
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No kidding, it sure makes me appreciate living in the PNW and buying a 4Runner that has never left the state of Washington. I lived in Montana for a long time and don't miss the winter all that much.
 
The grime that gets picked up when using fluid film acts as another layer to keep the rust out. I might try the wd40 after I wash the frame this year and see if I have any rust yet.
 
Napa up here in Canada sells a BIO based rust inhibitor that is only $30 for 4L. This would be a yearly application and a jug of this is probably good for 2 generous applications on our 4Runners. It's not that much more expensive than WD40 and would be better suited. It goes on thick and has been holding up well for me even after 4 months of winter.
 
nobb said:
Napa up here in Canada sells a BIO based rust inhibitor that is only $30 for 4L. This would be a yearly application and a jug of this is probably good for 2 generous applications on our 4Runners. It's not that much more expensive than WD40 and would be better suited. It goes on thick and has been holding up well for me even after 4 months of winter.
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Brand name? Part number? Picture? More info required.
 
Yea, looking at the MSDS it's just repackaged from Autochem, a Canadian company. What's even more interesting is if you look at the MSDS, you'll notice this stuff is mostly vegetable oil so if anything, $35 is overpriced. I'm really curious what sort of additive they add to the vegetable oil to make it a good rust inhibitor. This stuff actually smells very good.

I'm applying it with an underbody spray gun (you'll need an air compressor). Napa autobody has the gun, or any auto parts store.
 
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