Unibody Pinch Weld Rust

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I noticed underneath my car today that the pinch welds on the rocker panels are starting to get crunchy. I now see why Canadians swear by Krown and other forms of rust treatment.

Has anyone attempted to slow this process down? There's no way to really strip all of the rust off and add something like POR15 inside of a pinch weld. For surface rust on a panel, maybe, but this is in between layers of metal and is already beyond surface rust.

My plan of action is:
1. Wire wheel all visible spots on the body (non-undercarriage places like inside the doors and wheel wells). Apply Loctite Extend Rust Treatment. Topcoat with body color paint and apply clearcoat on top of the color coat.
2. remove loose rust flakes on the undercarriage with a wire brush. Apply a coating of fluid film to all rusted areas.
3. Apply paint sealant to painted surfaces.
3. Rinse vehicle once or twice every two weeks using fresh (non-recycled) water to keep salt off the finish. Wash in garage with Optimum No Rinse and warm water.
4. Re-apply fluid film in the spring and touch up areas on the body.

The car also has plastic rocker moldings that i'm sure trap a bunch of dirt and water. I was thinking about pulling these off and cleaning/waxing behind that area as well.

Hopefully this keeps the car solid for another five years. I really like the vehicle so this is my attempt at keeping it as long as possible.

What do you do to fight corrosion? And don't say live in the south/garage vehicle for the winter or any other smart [censored] remark.
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Sounds like alot of work, if it was mine...I'd drive to your closest Krown location, perhaps in Canada and get the car sprayed.

It costs $139 CAD for a car, $159 for a minivan and I think $169 for a large pick-up or SUV. Keep in mind that your USD will allow you to knock at least 25% off these prices. Bonus: you can get the real Molsons or other Canadian beers - not the stuff that is made in USA and labelled as Canadian beer.

If I recall correctly, there are some Krown dealers in Western NY, but Canada is more authentic for our knowledge of rust and beer :O)
 
Originally Posted By: KGMtech
Sounds like alot of work, if it was mine...I'd drive to your closest Krown location, perhaps in Canada and get the car sprayed.

It costs $139 CAD for a car, $159 for a minivan and I think $169 for a large pick-up or SUV. Keep in mind that your USD will allow you to knock at least 25% off these prices. Bonus: you can get the real Molsons or other Canadian beers - not the stuff that is made in USA and labelled as Canadian beer.

If I recall correctly, there are some Krown dealers in Western NY, but Canada is more authentic for our knowledge of rust and beer :O)


Closest one is an hour away and $120. That also doesn't touch up the exposed metal on the doors/wheel wells. A can of fluid film is $10. I'd do it on a new car but one that's almost 10 years old and already rusting it doesn't seem like it would be worth the expense.
 
Where are you in NY? Lowes sells cans for $10 around me.

Buy a few cans, or better yet, a sprayer that hooks up to an air compressor. The compressor sprayed FF is a lot thicker than the stuff in the cans.
 
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Where are you in NY? Lowes sells cans for $10 around me.

Buy a few cans, or better yet, a sprayer that hooks up to an air compressor. The compressor sprayed FF is a lot thicker than the stuff in the cans.


Capital District.

Advance also has the spray cans for 9.99, plus you can use their 20 or 30% discount.
 
I got the fluid film Pro gun & 2 gallons of material. Jacked the vehicle up on all 4 corners, removed the wheels & tires, removed the wheel liners, then hammered the stuff on thick.
 
How much does Fluid film cost in gallon cans?

I have only ever seen the aerosol cans in Canada, and they are pretty pricey.

If you want to go cheap, melt a few wax candles in chain saw bar
oil pour it in the sill box section while hot. It will set to like a thick grease.
Bush it on anywhere else you feel you need it.
 
Originally Posted By: stevejones
I got the fluid film Pro gun & 2 gallons of material. Jacked the vehicle up on all 4 corners, removed the wheels & tires, removed the wheel liners, then hammered the stuff on thick.


I like the pro gun and wands I purchased. It makes the job a,lot easier.

FF in gallons is about $40-50 shipped. I got a 5-gallon pail for $200 shipped. It keeps, so I'll be set for the next few years.
 
I'll just add a word on some prevention=keep your unpadded floor jack away and try the same when your car goes in for service. At least touch up the paint if it gets abused.
 
I've never touched the pinch welds with a jack - always used the subframe. As for touching up the paint, it's a little too late for that.
 
Originally Posted By: expat
How much does Fluid film cost in gallon cans?

I have only ever seen the aerosol cans in Canada, and they are pretty pricey.

If you want to go cheap, melt a few wax candles in chain saw bar
oil pour it in the sill box section while hot. It will set to like a thick grease.
Bush it on anywhere else you feel you need it.


And/or diesel fuel with engine and/or vegetable oil in it. Penetrative, easy to spray, and (almost) free. Could perhaps use above procedure as a more durable follow-up, but with the annual treatment regime the OP is proposing (really?) the fuel/oil alone is likely to be more than adequate.

Also seems to repel mosquitos.
 
Today I got under my Honda and attacked it with 2 cans of fluid film. I was able to hit all the pinch welds I could see and the front and rear subframe. I bought my cans from AutoZone because I get one point for every 20 I spend. On the light rust I did find I just scraped it a little and let the ff do its job. Depends on how much your time is worth. If you like doing the job yourself the cans of ff are good but it will take a couple hours.
 
Despite your visible rust, rockers rot from the inside out. Best bet is to drill a couple holes in the door sill area (protected by/ inside of the weatherstripping) and spray an oily preservative of your choice down in there. Then cap said holes with little rubber/ plastic caps you can probably get from Lowes in the "weird fastener" bin.

If you drill a 5/8 hole you might be able to get a camera lens and flash in simultaneously, to inspect the pending horror.
 
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
Originally Posted By: jcwit
This is what I use, my car is 13 years old, it has zero rust, very satisfied. BTW the use of salt in my area is very high!

http://www.corrosionfree.com/home.html

No idea where you live in NY, but here are a few dealer in your state.

http://www.corrosionfree.com/find-a-dealer-1.html


Closest one is in VT. Did you use this stuff since your car was new?


Nope, started when the car was 3 years old. Let the job up to the pro's, they know how to tackle the problem areas for your car and have the equipment to do the job correctly. I'm also a fan of fluid Film and sure helps to apply it yourself. I do have both the spray and the bulk in gal. cans. The bulk stuff in gallon cans is much thicker. I will say this the Crossion Free will not wash off from rain splatter.


STAY AWAY from zeibart, not even worth the gas to drive there.

I should add I've also used Krown.
 
Fords are horrible for this. Usually the floor pan where two or three levels meet. They did cover up the rocker panel rust with plastic trim though on the '96-2004 Taurus. Give them a kick and the rust will start falling out usually.
 
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