Undercoating - crazy question

[BilboBaggins]

Hey I was wondering if there are any products an amateur could undercoat the bottom of their car with (i.e. say a silicone spray, wd-40, surf board wax, vaseline, vegetable oil, assorted lubricants...) which might actually be helpful for the car. I realize, this may depend on how much one truly 'loves' their thunderbird...

[Chuck]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

I used 3M --> http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...gl95XCS2Q1PZbl Be careful around the cats. I covered them with newspaper and taped newspaper to the aluminum heat shields above them on the undercarriage. This stuff will catch on fire if it gets too hot.

[Sealy]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

Be careful around the cats. I covered them with newspaper . . .

Equally dangerous around dogs? How about small children?

[justjon]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

What's "undercoating"? and what is it for?

[bronzebird]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

What's "undercoating"? and what is it for?

Jon:

go here for info.

http://ziebartnj.com/rust.html

Bronzebird

[Leroy]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

In 1974 I bought a brand new Olds Cutlas S Triple Black and the dealer included Ziebart protection free. When I went to pick up the car in was in the garage area in back because they had just got done Ziebarting it. I got in the car and hit the button to put the drivers window up and when it came up it was black, they had left the window down when they sprayed inside the door. I had to drive my trade-in one more day. Leroy

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[Treken]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

Although I don't drive my Tbird in the winter, I do use Krown because I live in the north...

Krown protection (one of the best, here in Canada) uses a spray that undercoats the bottom...

http://www.krown.com/#default

[Vintage Merlot]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

My opinion is: The udercarriage is the underdcarriage. Unless you are willing to put your Bird on a rack and roll around with cotton swabs and a micrometer to address visual incarnations like dirty areas or non-pristine steel , forget it. You are simply anal and have very little to think about. Sorry, but that is the way I see it.

[justjon]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

I'm with vintage Merlot, but then again I have lived many years in Massachusetts and spent countless hours combating the rust that never sleeps. I finally gave up the idea that your daily driver was going to be a show car for summer and drove beaters in the winter, spring and fall and mostly in the summer when it rained and basically gave up on the idea of having a fine car in that environment. So pardon my current gloat, all cars in Southern California are rust free. Some may not run very well but they all pretty much look great. Goes for us residents too.

[Chuck]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

When I 1st got my bird I planned on using it as a daily driver. If you live in an area of the country where you have real winters undercoating is a must if you plan on keeping your vehicle for its entire life. If you're one of the "car payments are like taxes I'm always going to have to pay them" then it's a waste of time. Had I known that my bird would only be driven April - October and in rain only when Wes has us on a 100 mile jaunt and there’s no escape I probably wouldn't have undercoated it. I didn't and won't undercoat the NM

[tbird6t4]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

I'm with vintage Merlot, but then again I have lived many years in Massachusetts and spent countless hours combating the rust that never sleeps. I finally gave up the idea that your daily driver was going to be a show car for summer and drove beaters in the winter, spring and fall and mostly in the summer when it rained and basically gave up on the idea of having a fine car in that environment. So pardon my current gloat, all cars in Southern California are rust free. Some may not run very well but they all pretty much look great. Goes for us residents too.

I drove my 64 Bird to California in 2002 and one of the biggest surprises that I had was how few old cars (other than at car shows) there were on the roads. And while I didn't see a lot of rusty cars except for the ones that had the paint fried off of them, what struck me most was that I had never seen so many late model cars that were dented all over like they had been thru a Nascar race of banging fenders, especially in the L.A. area.

Rust proofing would do nothing for them, for sure.

I guess my dream of California roadways and all these pristine old cars cruising the highways was just that, a pipe dream. But, I would do the trip again covering Route 66 as much as is still there.

Of course those cars at the car shows we attended from Texas to California there were many beautiful rust free cars, but most that have been restored just like up here.

All the beautiful people were at the beach in their skimpy bikini's with their bodies well oiled with sun tan lotion........rust proofing for humans !

Gord

[justjon]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

This is a complete car culture here. Cars are an absolute necesity to get around. People drive new ones because they are better then the old ones. People keep classics and have garage fulls, street parking fulls, backyard fulls. They are everywhere but not driven on a daily basis. The inbetween cars like retro Thunderbirds, Porshes of all variety, corvettes by the truckload, Mustang GT's and Camaros are daily drivers. Gas prices be damned to this group. You need airconditioned reliable transportation to commute an hour each way everyday.

[joe166]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

I understood that undercoating is no longer necessary or even desirable on modern cars. If it is not done perfectly it traps moisture and promotes corrosion rather than prevents it.

I used to undercoat all my cars, but haven't for many years. I didn't even know Zeibart was still in business.

Most cars have long corrosion and rust through warrantys because they do a lot of rust proofing at the factory now.

[tbird6t4]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

I have found that RustCheck (R) which is a completely clear liquid that goes on and dried clear is one of the best. You don't end up with that sticky syrupy mess all over the car and under the hood and they offer a good warranty as long as you have it done once per year. About $100.

I have used it on a lot of my cars over the year with good results. The one car I did not have sprayed a Mazda Millenia fell apart after 6 year from terminal rust in the front shock towers.

I bought my 02 RetroBird from a dealer in the snowbelt and when I went to pick the car up they were so proud they gave me the one thing for free that I asked them not to........they rust proofed the car with Ziebart then drove it down a freshly tar & gravelled road...........nice! I told them I had no intentions of driving the car in the winter.

Now that I am retired one of the projects on my bucket list is to get under the car and hood and strip all that crud off.

Gord

[luvbirdz]

Re: Undercoating - crazy question

Car bodies have a rust warranty but not all the other things under the car like gas & brake lines, shock towers (as Gord mentioned.) I always thought Zeibart was overrated and overpriced and have always used the oil spray type such as RustChek and Krown.