Technical Rust - prevention

[Reg 65]

Waste oil isn't so bad on cars because it doesn't cover such a big area, and when you are in it you are moving to blow the stink away. But in a motorhome there is more of it, and you are sleeoing right above it breathing it in.
And I would rather do it with a paint brush to avoid it going everywhere - although modern 'rubber' seems much more resistant to oil than the old stuff was.
Plus of course the brakes were invariably drum brakes then, so it would have been easier to keeo the spray away from the brake linings.
Certainly don't want oil on the brake discs

 

[Reg 65]

Reg's tip reminded me that many years ago my local garage offered an 'underbody oil spray', a win-win idea; the garage got rid of their waste oil and the customer got to keep their car a little longer (this was back in the early 70's when underbody stone protection and cavity wax injection were still twinkles in designer's eyes)

I did have this done at the time and, coincidentally or not, that car is still with me

An old-timer told me he took his first car into the village garage when he put his foot through the floor - leaving a big hole showing the road below.
They told him - leave it here and come back in an hour
They repaired it with wood, nails, and creosote
Them were the days
Although probably not as dangerous as it sounds because cars still had a chassis then, so the floor was not structural.

 

[Crossingkeeper]

An old-timer told me he took his first car into the village garage when he put his foot through the floor - leaving a big hole showing the road below.
They told him - leave it here and come back in an hour
They repaired it with wood, nails, and creosote
Them were the days
Although probably not as dangerous as it sounds because cars still had a chassis then, so the floor was not structural.

Lol, I seem recollect that one of my early cars had small wood panels in the floor at the front (maybe the same one where the jack had to go through the floor in order to latch on the chassis )

 

[jimboy]

ACF-50 has rust inhibitors among other ingredients, while engine oil does not. My restoration mechanic of senior years recommended this stuff, he’s impressed, so I’m fine with that.

When I was a young apprentice in the early 70s the service bay was run by Old Broon, among servicing the cars he used to spray the underneath with a mixture of old oil and paraffin, it went on like very fine white foam then settled in. If you rubbed your finger over the cars underside, it would reveal clean shiny metal. It was a messy process though. Broom never wore a mask or any other protective gear, health and safety was in its infancy in those days.

 

[Reg 65]

ACF-50 has rust inhibitors among other ingredients,

Do you understand how they work?
I don't - so am at the mercy of advertorials and boosterism. Most of the stuff on the web will be directly or indirectly promoting the stuff they make most profit on.
Wheras even I can understand that gear oil keeps water away from the metal, because oil and water don't mix, and that has stopped it rusting.

 

[Reg 65]

Best rust inhibitor I know is galvanising - which is why post 2006 Ducato bodyshells are lasting so well. Even where self tappers have gone through the floor, laving exposed steel in wet conditions around the screw, the galvanising has still stopped it rusting because it works like the sacrifcial anodes bolted to the hull of a steel boat
But if you haven't got that, then brushing oil underneath is the next best thing I have found.

 

[jimboy]

It was originally designed for the aircraft industry. That alone is a very good start. It starts work straight away killing off rust, it also neutralises road salt, by all accounts it does really work. No I don’t work for them....

 

[jimboy]

Obviously you will choose something that suits your needs. Some thing need a lot of effort and some things are costly, I’m only suggesting a relatively easy option and in my book not too expensive.

 

[jackwhoo]

Ah rust it brings out strong opinions....
Let's all gang together to fight it ,using all our weapons, instead of allowing it to divide us.

 

[Reg 65]

It was originally designed for the aircraft industry. That alone is a very good start.

Why is it a very good start to be designed for something else?

It starts work straight away killing off rust, it also neutralises road salt,

Just wondered if you could explain how?
Because I don't know

 

[Reg 65]

Ah rust it brings out strong opinions....
Let's all gang together to fight it ,using all our weapons, instead of allowing it to divide us.

Yes indeed
By learning from each other which weapons work best

 

[jimboy]

Why is it a very good start to be designed for something else?



Just wondered if you could explain how?
Because I don't know

I really don’t have strong opinions at all I’m only trying to help by offering an option I’m certainly no expert, but something designed for the aircraft industry even at a guess, they wouldn't use something that didn’t work. As I said earlier the mechanic that restored my car recommended it.

Look up the their site for more detailed information that I cannot give you


This is a friendly message....

 

[Gman88667733]

Been stripping the van out this weekend. The rear of the chassis appears to be reasonably crusty. Can someone suggest the best course of action for this?

 

[jimboy]

Erm! I don’t want to comment Things became across as a wee bit confrontational last time Best of luck what ever you choose.....

 

[Gman88667733]

I've got a disc cutter with me currently. Going to try one of the flap wheels on it and see what sort of finish I get. It is all solid (so far) just crusty edges

 

[jackwhoo]

I've got a disc cutter with me currently. Going to try one of the flap wheels on it and see what sort of finish I get. It is all solid (so far) just crusty edges

It's not that bad.

Eye and ear protection and a mask.

Try not to make any more holes.

 

[Reg 65]

I don't mean to be confrontational. But Ive become cynical about the claims for some of these rust treatments because I've tried some in the past and they didn't work. It no use me reading the advertorials for these products because I'm not a chemist so I don't know whether there is any real evidence to support their claims. When I was young and dafter I took them at face value. But now I try to establish whether anyone an really explain how they work.
I know oil works.
As far as paints go the best I have found for vehicles is Hammerite - its not a rust cure, just good paint. I have used it on wheels, which is probably the best sort of test for road vehicles, and its lasted longer than anything else I have used. But I can't say its the best because I haven't tried all the others- only a few.

 

[Reg 65]

Been stripping the van out this weekend. The rear of the chassis appears to be reasonably crusty. Can someone suggest the best course of action for this

Well, based on 50 years ecxperence of rusting vehicles and 'magic' rust treatments, I'd just brush it with gear oil. It will get into places nothing else will. Places where rust grows.
You won't get into the most important little plasces with your power sander , but can soon grind through thin metal elsewhere.
And the dust and flying debris is not too bad in a workshop, but I wouldn't want it whilst laying under a van.
I value my health more than that.

 

[jackwhoo]

Well, based on 50 years ecxperence of rusting vehicles and 'magic' rust treatments, I'd just brush it with gear oil. It will get into places nothing else will. Places where rust grows.
You won't get into the most important little plasces with your power sander , but can soon grind through thin metal elsewhere.
And the dust and flying debris is not too bad in a workshop, but I wouldn't want it whilst laying under a van.
I value my health more than that.

Did you enjoy the you tube video of an independent test?
Even though he didn't try gear oil?
I thought he was very thorough , he put an awful lot of effort into his testing.

 

[Gman88667733]

Well, based on 50 years ecxperence of rusting vehicles and 'magic' rust treatments, I'd just brush it with gear oil. It will get into places nothing else will. Places where rust grows.
You won't get into the most important little plasces with your power sander , but can soon grind through thin metal elsewhere.
And the dust and flying debris is not too bad in a workshop, but I wouldn't want it whilst laying under a van.
I value my health more than that.

Definitely can't reach it all with the disc cutter.
Will gear oil stop/greatly slow the rust? I don't know how far off that is being bad.