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How to protect against rust on an XJ... ideas?

Jeepguy03

Jeepguy03

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Connecticut
I live in CT, where now they salt the roads if there is a chance for rain. Before this winter I wire wheeled some rust off the inside of my doors and painted them with bed liner. I try to wash my Jeep during the winter to keep the salt off, but it usually is covered in salt anyway.


What do you guys recommend for protecting against salt?

I've thought about bedlining my rockers and lower doors, along with the front and rear bumpers. Would this work? How well does bedliner protect against rust? Would I be able to use this on the underside?

How would bedliner compare to a product such as POR15?

My Jeep is pretty much rust free right now, and I'd like to own it for as long as possible.

Someone recommended mudflaps to me, but I'm not sure how well those will work and where I could find some stock looking ones.
 
Move to Arizona or find a "beater" to drive in the winter and keep your XJ off the salty roads. I am originally from northern Michigan so I can sympathize, but I don't really think there is anyway to escape it...most of the cars in my hometown make it about five years before holes start showing up in the body, by ten years they are usually too rotten to drive safely.

When I want to feel good about living in Tucson, I go to the northern Michigan craigslist and look for Jeeps.
 
Mudflaps are just another area for the salt to collect and be held against the sheet metal IMO.
 
short answer: move somewhere else ;)


POR15 is an amazing product BUT be aware it will NEVER come off. if future mods require you to strip and weld to anything under the jeep it ain't happening. the problem with road salting is any time the air gets moist from humidity or anything else the salt re-activates and starts eating the body up again. and any little chip or crack in the paint lets it right back in to start getting under whatever coating you're going to put on there.

rust sucks! good luck.
 
you can't "prevent" it, but regular washing will reduce the risk obviously. water and salt will find any pin holes or chips in the paint and underbody, so the most effective thing is to address the small chips and bubbles as you find them. once the cancer has set in it's a hard clock to turn back.
if you do have to grind, dont strip off too much paint on areas that arent affected. the OEM coating is the best defense you have.
once you strip/grind away the coating you have to do it right, or it will continue.
proper surface prep is key to good paint adhesion, use a good primer and good paint.
if you want to use bed liner, put it over a clean fresh coat of paint that has cured for some time. bedliner goes on heavy, but is somewhat porous, it's designed for damage protection. make sure it is sealed under it.
 
Don't fix the oil leaks. :eeks1:
 
^This.

Spray used motor oil everywhere underneath the vehicle. Pour a bit in the doors as well.

Best/cheapest form of rust protection you can get.
 
Install a "CounterAct" device . I installed one on my 90' RENIX 5 or 6 years ago. I'll let you know in 10 years how well it works. I have a video on YouTube of my installation .
 
I don't think there's a whole lot you can do after keeping it clean, but make sure first of all that the drain holes in rocker panels and doors are fully open and not clogged with crud or sealant. Also, get underneath from time to time and make sure that there are not flaws in the undercoating or finish underneath. Undercoating is great for a while, but when it bubbles or separates, it becomes an enemy, trapping moisture and salt, and contributing to big holes that appear all at once.

When washing, make sure you get the spray into all the channels and holes underneath, so that junk does not build up in the subframe or other hidden spots.

In addition, make sure that your rear wiper does not start slowing down until it stops and burns out. Use it often and keep it limber.
 
akelts said:
Mudflaps are just another area for the salt to collect and be held against the sheet metal IMO.
Click to expand...
They protect in the sense that they prevent rock chips on the rockers in those states that put down salt AND rocks.


Eastwood has a good collection of rust proofing supplies.
 
I think washing and waxing the Jeep frequently seems to be the best option. I try to wash it more often during winter to get the salt off. Besides the rust on the inside of the doors (which I wire wheeled and bedlined) the body is in fairly good shape. There are some tiny spots where the undercoating is peeling, and I'm thinking about wire wheeling and bedlining that as well. I might use Chassis Saver.
 
Spraying all the salt / mag off is the best besides rust proofing. I spend 10x more time and money washing in the winter than the summer.
 
one tip I have - if you remove the lower portion of the back seat, where the stud on the driver side goes into the Jeep, is an access hole to the rocker panel. Spray whatever rust proofing thing you desire in there.

I personally like Eastwood products...but many people also recommend Fluid Film. You can order it online or from Grainger. Some people also use boiled linseed oil (which takes a while to cure, but things under it won't rust).
 
Can't beat an oil-based undercoating. Krown dripless formula works fantastic and won't *COMPLETELY* kill everything nearby if you take your Jeep into rivers and lakes.

Even if you use a product like POR-15, bedliner, rubber undercoating, or whatever under your Jeep on the exposed parts, getting oil everywhere else is key. Inside the frame rails, rockers, pillars, doors, etc.
 
JrTxJ said:
.but many people also recommend Fluid Film.
Click to expand...

Fluid Film is good rust protection, however you don't want to use it any where where your going to be for a while. The smell is horrible.
 
Lift it higher so salt will have trouble getting on the metal. Than bed line the inner fender wells. Or wrap the parts you don't want to get rusted out. Or just move.
 
That lifting it "fixes" problems. I lifted mine instead of repairing floor rust because then it'd be easier to crawl around underneath.

You'd have to lift it 6' to get away from salt spray.
 
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