How to keep from rusting

[iamgod189]

Hey!



I boght a sweet XJ last year, it was from an older couple who snowbird in FL and the jeep is basically rust free.


Problem is, I drive it in Michigan winters.


Is there anything I can do to keep it from rusting out? This is my favorite car ever, and I want to keep it for as long as I can. I can fix anything on it, but I don't want it to rust.

 

[8Mud]

What I did was spot all of the mud traps, those places that collect mud and salt and are hard to wash, like up near the gas filler, fender corners etc.

I found a truck wash with drive up ramp and I wash the underbody out every couple of weeks, paying special attention to the mud traps. Surface rust doesn't mean much, it is rot you have to watch out for. Check the carpets for moisture, the padding under the carpets stays wet if it gets wet. That padding can even collect salt from you tracking it inside. I have a small space heater with a thermostat that I can leave inside the XJ to dry things out, crack a window or two.

One real trouble spot is the undercoating, no matter how good it is some moisture and salt finds it's way under the undercoating. This is often where rot starts. Knock the loose or blistered undercoating off with a wire wheel on a drill motor. I slap a good coat of paint over the truble spot. Hammerit works well, the new formula flat black works OK the original formula gloss or flat black is better. If you do this every couple of years it can really slow down on rot damage.

 

[Tim_MN]

Wash, wash, wash, and then wash it again. I go to the self service wash so I can spray the wheel wells, the rocker panels drains, and underneath. Sometimes twice, sometimes three times a week. Water causes very little rust, road salt eats Cherokees.

Every spring crawl under and look for loose paint/undercoating and as suggested already wire brush and re-coat. I prefer paint because fresh undercoating hides rust.

 

[Black1990jeep]

they rust around the lower door hinges as they are a moisture/salt trap, likewise the plastic steps on the door sills are a rust spot, not easy to wash those too places well without disassembly or risk of getting the interior pretty wet, dont miss these two spots.

also under the plastic lower trim rock guards if so equiped, salt can get trapped under them.


also be sure to run water thru the frame rails.

Better still, stay out of the salt.

 

[SleeperXJ]

Zinc from your local pool supply, it acts as a sacrificial anode.
Corrodes to prevent the primary material from corroding.
You need to make a good electrical connection between the zinc plate
and the material your trying to protect. (The mechanics of this is left to
the reader as an exercise in chemistry and the workings of valence electrons :attom

 

[Jim Malcolm]

Fluid Film

 

[Ralph77]

Fluid Film

X2.
And liberally. Don't wash under there during the winter.

 

[75SV1]

Fluid Film

Another to look at is Wax-Ol. There are others like it. I'm a bit south of you, so not as much salt. I have two XJ's. One has some rust, the other nearly rust free. So, sort of looking at the same issue. The one with some rust spots, is actually clean with some medium rust spots. The rear rails were packed by some rodent, with nuts, newspaper and carpet fibers. I am having frame stiffeners welded in. I plan to paint the rust spots with Agriguard, and the paint over with POR's bedliner. I might fill the seams. That will probably be in the spring, depending on time and weather in the next few weeks.
The other, a 2001 Silver XJ, has some very light surface rust. Really, have to look for it. I might touch those areas with POR-15 or the Agriguard. Then fill the seams and coat with Raptor bed liner. Scorpion bedliner is on my list too. They sell a DIY version, ALS. That will be down the road though. I want to put in frame stiffeners etc.

 

[4x4JeePmaNthINg]

rp 342

 

[jeep ride]

Fluid Film

Fluid film?

 

[RCP Phx]

I bought the Eastwood internal frame coating for my frame-rails.

 

[Black1990jeep]

https://www.fluid-film.com/

Fluid Film above

I have found Eastwoods coatings to be inferior to the big name makers like DuPont, SEM, PPG, etc..... I have had some bad Eastwood coatings product failures. Eastwood has had to pull defective coatings product from the market. beware, Eastwood a discount mail order tool company. Stick to a dedicated chemical or paint maker, one that has spent many many millions in R and D and testing, who employs vast numbers of really good chemists. For all the labor one puts into rust repair, prevention, repainting, undercoating, it is best to stick with the best materials. Eastwood tools are ok, but some of their coatings are low quality compaired to the big names in refinishing chemicals. I simply do not trust them after restoring two cars with Eastwood coatings. They told me sorry, they were working on a reformulation, they offered me free paint stripper to remove their coating, but all my labor was wasted. really bad experience.

Great experience with the other guys, the big names. better product, tested, excellent application guides, great technical advice on phone, wide range of proven compatible layers, a comprehensive product line they know their stuff.

 

[iamgod189]

These are some great tips, thanks a lot. I will add these as things to do!

 

[joopest]

buy a shitbox for a couple of hundred for the winter.thats what we do up here if u want to save it