undercoating

[Johnnydidd]

Would you undercoat your old car? I have a very nice 56 merc very sound, very little rust, should I undercoat her, if so what should I use?

[paul2748]

If you don't run the car in winter with salted roads, I wouldn't bother. I'm sure there are a lot of opinions on this, this is mine.

[Ford blue blood]

Nope.

[Paul Bennett]

I reask the question. I just dropped my gas tank for internal cleaning, however in the process half the undercoating has come off in the process. And, is there a good aerosol rattlecan undercoating available?

[Lanny]

Originally Posted by Paul Bennett

I reask the question. I just dropped my gas tank for internal cleaning, however in the process half the undercoating has come off in the process. And, is there a good aerosol rattlecan undercoating available?

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Clean the area free of any oils, dust and dirt. clean it good, then use this.

3M 03584 Professional Grade Rubberized Undercoating - 16 oz. spray can

Read directions on can too.





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[Alaska Jim]

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If you want to undercoat it, I agree with the post made by Lanny. you can't beat the 3M products.

[Daves55Sedan]

Most chain auto parts stores have spray on undercoating on the shelves in the paint/body repair section

[Daves55Sedan]

If rust has already begun, it's too late. Rust will continue to grow behind the undercoating, then becomes a hole, then a bigger hole.
Undercoating is not intended as a sealer. It may provide a buffer to protect the painted metal surface underneath from rocks flying up and hitting the undercarriage.
If you had a perfect undercarriage and proceeded to undercoat it, I think you would be sorry you did later. The stuff looks okay until you drive it, then dirt and mud sticks to it FOREVER and then it always looks dirty. It can't be completely washed off.
Best thing to do is keep after any new rust spots forming and detail them before they become a big problem. Along with that, keep watch of failing body sealer under there. Failing body sealer is probably the largest source of rust problems under these 55/56 Fords and Mercs.
I used Black-Jack roofing cement in the calking tube when I did my body-off-frame restoration of the '55 Courier at all the undercarriage panel seams.
Other areas need special consideration to keep water out. Case in point is the rear cab body-to-frame support structure has a large gap between the U-channel and the bottom of the floor where water always gets in. If you look around, you can probably see a lot of other places the factory didn't care to seal up, but should be. After all, these things were only designed to last ten years.

[Ole Don]

On two cars I have owned, I went in the doors, quarters, under the back seat, and anywhere I could get to, washed bare metal with acetone, then sprayed with red oxide rattle can primer. I don't know if it helped but it made me feel better.

[Lanny]

Originally Posted by Daves55Sedan

Most chain auto parts stores have spray on undercoating on the shelves in the paint/body repair section

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If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. DON'T get just any 'ol cheap
undercoating, Not all undercoating is created equal.
The tar based is NOT nearly as good as the Rubberized undercoating is.

If you clean the area to be undercoated, so it can make a good bond,
it will keep the metal free from moisture and oxidization, which is what
causes metal to rust.


Take two pieces of the same kind of metal, undercoat one piece good
and let it dry..... Now take both pieces and put them in a plastic container
of salt water, then check them out every few months, and see yourself
if the undercoating protected the metal.
Long story short, if moisture can't get to the metal, it will help it from
rusting further.





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[mikhett]

My 62 Ford Galaxie was "Ziebarted" by the dealer when new.When I started a frame -off restore in 2002 there was very little underbody rust.I scrapped off the old UC and used UPol bedliner on it.It stays in the garage from Dec to April due to salted roads in the northeast.

[JeffB2]

Originally Posted by Lanny

================================================


Clean the area free of any oils, dust and dirt. clean it good, then use this.

3M 03584 Professional Grade Rubberized Undercoating - 16 oz. spray can

Read directions on can too.





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And they have that at good old Wally World,