Old -timer tricks for preventing rust

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shadango

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So some folks have told me that I should use chain-wax spray or oil and spray the seams where the stainless steel wheel moldings meet the paint, inside the wheel wells and areas like that to help protect our 81 Dippy from salt and dirt issues to some degree.

Any truth to that? Other suggestions?
 
I know someone has commented on the rust prevention before.... hmmmm let me see if I can find it.
JW
 
Best way is to not drive it in winter but,,,,,,,,,,,,most important is to keep it clean, especially the underside and all the nooks and crannies. Easier said than done, I know. At the very least, an automatic car wash that has an underbody flush. Where accessible, you can spray WD-40 into the seams such as the door bottoms, in the rear wheelwells (go in through the trunk), etc. Before doing that though, you may want to look into a product to rust proof the seams first. Eastwood makes a product that is fairly thin and will seep into the seams and pinch welds and seal the metal.
It's kind of stinky for a while after spraying but the odor goes away eventually. It's not a bad smell, just a smell.
Heavy-Duty Anti-Rust in Amber - Rust Proofing Products - Eastwood

There's also this, for inside the frame rails, rockers, etc.
Eastwood Internal Frame Anti-Rust Coating, 14 oz. Spray
 
volare 77 said:
Fluid Film. You can buy it at Lowes.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Fluid-Film-1-oz-Lanolin-Based-Petroleum-Oil/50335157
Click to expand...

That looks like what I was told about......have you used this? Safe for paint etc?

It says its petroleum but "lanolin"based...."will not readily wash off".......hmmmm...wondering if it can be sprayed into the cracks and crevices where the wheel well trim meet the body, etc?

The car is already "dino-koted" from the old days befroe we became owners...still bears the sticker on the window.....and the under carriage should be good.....its inside the doors etc too....though the drivers door STILL ended up swiss-cheesing a bit on the bottom inside shell.......

"not driving it in the winter" isnt an option ,as much as it pains me. It wont see tons of slush and snow on the roads, but it will likely see some salt spray etc.

I was watching traffic the other night...brand new camaros and mustangs and challengers out in the salt and snow......one day THEY will be "classics"......pains me to think of the salt....LOL.

But I guess they are meant to be driven.
 
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all those camaros/mustangs/challengers/chargers runnin round in the slush just means a steady supply of engines for conversions in a few years....lol

sides, they all look the same these days.
JW
 
I can remember seeing muscle cars of the '60's and early '70's being driven in the salt, snow and slush all the time when they were fairly new, and then when they were just considered used cars in the late '70's. You know, when a '70 Cuda 340 could be bought and driven home for $500 as an example. Nobody thought anything of it,,,,,,at the time. Thinking about it now, I almost cry.:(
 
Justwondering said:
all those camaros/mustangs/challengers/chargers runnin round in the slush just means a steady supply of engines for conversions in a few years....lol

sides, they all look the same these days.
JW
Click to expand...
Yeah, though I recall back in the 80s, our beloved FMJs were considered disposable too...some STILL feel that way now...(NOT ME!)
 
Fluid Film is not watery like WD40. It would somewhat seep into cracks but kinda stays where you spray it. It`s not hard to wipe off and it shouldn`t do anything to paint. Up north a lot of cars get there underside sprayed with products like that. I sprayed a lot on the wheel wells of my Ram. I`m going to spray more in the frame etc. when the weather gets nicer.
 
Oil spray is extremely effective. Around here they use a mix of hydraulic fluid and rust inhibitor of some sort. The less popular product is used motor oil, but that is very messy and smelly. My brothers wife has a 92 olds that she drives all through the salt and it has no rust.
 
We drove them old muscle cars as winter beaters for $50-$300. They all had holes in the quarters, rockers and floors. Big blocks cars were cheap due to the OPEC oil embargo. People paid me $35 to tow them out of their yards and driveways. Nobody cared or understood what they were.
 
I can second a 50/50 mix of hydraulic fluid and rust preventative (like Evap-o-Rust ) we used to use it to spray down, ground service equipment and our service vans/trucks at the airport during the winters. The glycol and salt spray they put down destroys everything otherwise
 
50/50 mix of acetone and transfluid makes great penetrating spray too lol
 
I once bought a 65 4dr dart from an old timer. He offer to put it on his outside lift and undercoat it. He used gear oil and cut it with K1. Afterwards he asked “Do you know of a good, long dirt road?” Yes, I said. He told me to tie a pine branch to the front bumper, and keep driving up and down the dirt road. The dirt made the oil permanent. He yelled “come back next summer when it’s good and dry”
 




Krown undercoating will do this if you don't want to yourself. It's important to pop the body plugs out and get this stuff in the lap joints as well.
 
Always heard good things about krown. As a kid, we switched from ziebart to this white/tan waxy stuff I thought was great. It held up well to NY salt and snow. That was the late 70s.
 
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