Your gladiator after a year or two in the rust belt

[ShadowsPapa]

I will need to touch-up the underside of my truck this spring. There are spots like where some of the welds are and other areas - oddly, this 40 year old car is as good rust-wise. Gotta keep up with the treatment.

You can see where it needed to be "touched up" but still no rust -

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[chorky]

at least within the first several hundred miles preferably in summer, not after your first winter or even wet sandy road driving is the best way.
I think I had 400 miles on mine. For me that’s like 2 wee

First thing I did, at about 200 miles, was wash it (already some dirt and dust) and do a nice thick coat of HD metal protect. Except the inside of the frame. Dont have the right tools to do that yet. Today it's raining, and I drove it maybe 10 miles. But its the end of winter. I highly doubt there will be any more road salt spray... I am hoping the metal protect does a good job until next winter when I can re-do the metal protect, and a layer of fluid film over top of it.

There is no place within a reasonable drive time of me that does zbart or any 'warrantied' treatment. Heck even within 200 miles I can't find anybody to do a undercoat. So it looks like sanding and painting any rusty areas, then a layer of metal protect, and finally a layer of fluid film will be the ticket.....

I did paint a couple spots that were scratched down to the metal from the transport truck. Either that or a tech kicked the lift bars under the rig without lowering them enough.... Did that right away when I got it home, had barely 90 miles on it. I think I got it as early and good as possible given my access to things. Hopefully it is good enough.

 

[Rusty PW]

Ziebart has 2 different coatings to say. One is an undercoat, which they just spray under the vehicle. The other is a rust proof, which they spray everywhere. You have to take the vehicle back every year for inspection and touch up. This is with both coatings.

My JTRD, I had Ziebart undercoat a week after I picked it up. My '08 Power Wagon was undercoated too. I didn't take it back every year like I should have. It got a rust hole on the driver's side, rocker panel under the seat. That area had all of the undercoating blasted off by the rocks kicked up by the front tire. It was bare metal almost.

My '99 Dodge 1500 4x4 shortbed is still running around with no rust on it. Not a straight piece of sheet metal on thanks to a meth head.

I haven't seen too complaints on Ziebart undercoating. But a lot on their rusting proofing. Mostly before 2000.

 

[Blade1668]

Was this vehicle band new when applied??
Did you go back every 12 months for the inspection and reapplication of chipped and or warn off coating ?? It’s not a one and done product. My paperwork states that I must come back for the inspection every 12 months to maintain there warranty. They chip off any loose stuff and reapply where needed. They re-spray the inside of all the body panels with a oily/ waxy film every two years for free.
If you don’t take it back and just roll with the one time application then you open up to all the possibilities of rust and rot working against you.
Z Bart is as good a product as any and the trick is to maintain the protection.

Done at factory before delivery, the first inspection by zebart ended up a week or two after the one year mark due to me being deployed. So voided warranty. Yes the Army had deployments at odd times and unknown duration back in 90s too. It was back in the day when about every company and body looked to screw over each and every S.M. they could. I'm kinda jaded with Zebart it was based on whenI was supposedto pickup my MJ not on actual delivery date.
Post Zebart's b.s. I still cleaned and did touch ups. Plus no Zebart's in Europe that I know of 95-98. On under coating the rust started inside frame not on flat panels from being chipped off. I have seen other vehicles that had Zebart undercoating fail being in the Midwest Rust belt. A technique I learned of from someone from New Hampshire is chainsaw bar oil sprayed in and on after though pressure washing at almost steam cleaning temperature. He had a few collectors cars, Bill and him would have been either good buddies or hated each other. I met up with him in Europe back in 2000 he was doing some contract work.

 

[Blade1668]

I haven't seen too complaints on Ziebart undercoating. But a lot on their rusting proofing. Mostly before 2000.

I'm one of them.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My 70 Javelin had "undercoating" applied before it was picked up from the dealership. It was sold in PA and I have a copy of the original sales slip that lists undercoating, gear ratio change and some other stuff. It spent its first few years in PA, then was sold to a guy in NE to moved to MN and I bought it from him.
The underside of the car was not rusted, in fact the coating did such a good job most of the driveshaft was rust-free when I cleaned it up, the part number tags were still on the front springs and they had almost no rust.

 

[Rusty PW]

I'm one of them.

I remember people bitchin' about having rust holes on the body panels. Go back to Ziebart about the warranty. And Ziebart would refund the money they spent for the rust proofing. But hardly anything about the undercoating.

 

[Blade1668]

I remember people bitchin' about having rust holes on the body panels. Go back to Ziebart about the warranty. And Ziebart would refund the money they spent for the rust proofing. But hardly anything about the undercoating.

To many years have passed I'd think for mine especially with the screw ups with GA. DMV on my title too. My MJ became cursed in GA. it seems.
I'm hoping to use sheet metal from my 90XJ to replace metal in MJ some time.

 

[cleatus]

i have done about every "rust treatment" there is
with the ziebart type thick paint undercoating it WILL eventually get under it or rust in a spot they missed and get under it
the only thing i see that actually stops rust is the oil undercoat. messy but works....and has to be applied yearly.
NH oil undercoat is what i have used (black) and i have had good results. i bought a spray gun with extension so i can get inside frames and doors

 

[Maximus Gladius]

My neighbour is from Afghanistan. He said what they use over there is to spray diesel under there. Not sure how much salt they use though. But he sprays diesel on his Tacoma.

What I did for mine was to have the dealership undercoat it before I took possession in February 2021. I then ordered 3M Cavity Wax with the spray wands and did the frame internals, inside my door panels and anywhere else that had holes the wand would fit and gave everything the “3 pass” wax application.

I also ordered CRC Heavy Duty marine corrosion inhibitor wax and sprayed all the parts that couldn’t get undercoating and sprayed another layer over all the welds. I still have no rust.

 

[jac04]

First thing I did, at about 200 miles, was wash it (already some dirt and dust) and do a nice thick coat of HD metal protect. Except the inside of the frame. Dont have the right tools to do that yet.

Take a look at 3M Cavity wax for the inside of the frame. That's what I used on the inside of the chassis when it was new. Check out 3M 08852 cavity Wax and 3M 08851 Applicator wands. https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40066669/

I have used Fluid film in the past, but I didn't use it on my JT because it never dries, and it creeps seemingly forever. Now, that may seem like a good thing, but it attracts dirt, can creep onto places you don't want it and makes a general mess.

The 3M Cavity Wax is non-hardening & self-healing without the long-term continued creep. So, as long as you get the surfaces thoroughly coated you are good. Note that the 3M Cavity Wax is not suitable for exposed surfaces.

For exposed surfaces, IMO stick with the HD Metal Protector that you are currently using. I am using a similar product, CRC Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor, on all my hardware & brackets. It does a great job of penetrating and it then dries enough so that it doesn't attract dirt and it doesn't make a mess. I even use a light wiped-on coating of it to keep my brake calipers & brackets looking new.

It's not really an option for you now that you have used the HD Metal Protector, but I find that a nice heavy coat of oil-based RustOleum brush-on semi-gloss black paint works wonders. It is a lot of work to do at first, but it holds up well. I did both my front & rear axles and exposed areas of the chassis in the rear wheel well areas.

Instead of posting some pictures of un-related vehicles, here are a few pics of my Mojave after a CT winter (and I haven't even done my spring undercarriage cleaning yet):

 

[seanmh72]

IMO - yes. I would much prefer to chains up on all 4's and take 3 hours to get to town than deal with this crap they use on the roads. It's pathetic. Not to mention the ecological harm it does but cut a tree and everybody is all up in arms for damage to fish streams.

Anyway, yes, I would prefer dealing with ice and simply driving slow than destroying a vehicle in 10 years.

Its salt and sand. First world problems….

 

[chorky]

Take a look at 3M Cavity wax for the inside of the frame. That's what I used on the inside of the chassis when it was new. Check out 3M 08852 cavity Wax and 3M 08851 Applicator wands. https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40066669/

I have used Fluid film in the past, but I didn't use it on my JT because it never dries, and it creeps seemingly forever. Now, that may seem like a good thing, but it attracts dirt, can creep onto places you don't want it and makes a general mess.

The 3M Cavity Wax is non-hardening & self-healing without the long-term continued creep. So, as long as you get the surfaces thoroughly coated you are good. Note that the 3M Cavity Wax is not suitable for exposed surfaces.

For exposed surfaces, IMO stick with the HD Metal Protector that you are currently using. I am using a similar product, CRC Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor, on all my hardware & brackets. It does a great job of penetrating and it then dries enough so that it doesn't attract dirt and it doesn't make a mess. I even use a light wiped-on coating of it to keep my brake calipers & brackets looking new.

It's not really an option for you now that you have used the HD Metal Protector, but I find that a nice heavy coat of oil-based RustOleum brush-on semi-gloss black paint works wonders. It is a lot of work to do at first, but it holds up well. I did both my front & rear axles and exposed areas of the chassis in the rear wheel well areas.

Instead of posting some pictures of un-related vehicles, here are a few pics of my Mojave after a CT winter (and I haven't even done my spring undercarriage cleaning yet):

wow man that looks stellar considering its already gone through a winter. I'm truly shocked how well that held up. I can only hope to do a good job and have mine looking that good next year.

I'm thinking of washing everything with a low pressure wash and doing another treatment of HD metal protect... I just got 3 more cans in the mail yesterday...

How is the 3M stuff different? Also - what skid is that you have? I really dont like how the super small oil pan is so exposed.

Its salt and sand. First world problems….

True. However. Considering how expensive these vehicles are, especially for those of us who aren't millionaires - it is extremely irritating that the DOT knowingly destroys them (and causes environmental harm) all because impatient people feel the need to drive too fast in the middle of winter.

I say let those dummies run themselves off the road and leave the roads be... plowing and sand is one thing. salt is pure garbage and you'll never change my mind on that. Not to mention the damage to the road surface itself - causing higher taxes. Everyone knows darn well that if any of us purposefully caused damage to a roadway we would be in deep s$!t. But the DOT can do whatever they want and claim 'safety' when in reality it causes even a bigger safety problem because then you have people flat out expecting roads to be perfect and capable of 90mph. Maybe they should be paying all of us for vehicle damages. I will forever complain about salt on roadways. ?

 

[jac04]

I'm thinking of washing everything with a low pressure wash and doing another treatment of HD metal protect... I just got 3 more cans in the mail yesterday...

How is the 3M stuff different? Also - what skid is that you have? I really dont like how the super small oil pan is so exposed.

That's a good plan, and should serve you well.

The 3M Cavity Wax goes on fairly heavy and stays soft. The application wands give 360 degree coverage inside the frame rails. It doesn't stay wet like Fluid Film, and it doesn't set up firm like HD Metal Protector. If you do a Google search, you should be able to find several videos showing application of the 3M Cavity Wax to see what the stuff is all about.

The skid is an ASFIR aluminum skid. I installed it because I did not like how exposed the oil pan, exhaust crossover and transmission lines were. Plus, I'm using a Stahlbus oil drain valve, and I don't think I'd be comfortable using it without protection.

 

[chorky]

That's a good plan, and should serve you well.

The 3M Cavity Wax goes on fairly heavy and stays soft. The application wands give 360 degree coverage inside the frame rails. It doesn't stay wet like Fluid Film, and it doesn't set up firm like HD Metal Protector. If you do a Google search, you should be able to find several videos showing application of the 3M Cavity Wax to see what the stuff is all about.

The skid is an ASFIR aluminum skid. I installed it because I did not like how exposed the oil pan, exhaust crossover and transmission lines were. Plus, I'm using a Stahlbus oil drain valve, and I don't think I'd be comfortable using it without protection.

how many cans did you need and did you do a single or double coat?

also curious how it works being sprayed over (yes, yes i know) some dirt. I imagine getting the inside of the frame cleaned completely even though it has under 500 miles would be difficult. Its too cold to pressure wash the inside of the frame it could take 2 weeks for any water to dry out.

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