Rust Proofing

PathfinderDriver

New Member
Hi all, im going to be rust proofing my car in the next few days and i wanted to know whats the best and easiest way to do it. ive looked at a few things and repco recomended Tectyl 506. has any one used this. how do you think it would go with regular beach work.

thanks in advance.

Matt
 

MagicalG

Member
Underbody protection

.. I'm going to be rust proofing my car in the next few days and i wanted to know whats the best and easiest way to do it. ive looked at a few things and repco recomended Tectyl 506 ... Matt

I've got the same question.

I've been told it would be a good idea to protect the underbody of my BT-50.

Is it a good idea?

What do I use?

I'd be grateful for any help here.
 

Big Rig

4x4 Earth Contributer
Well i've been a sceptic .. I've never believed in all these fancy rust prevention coatings so in all the fourbys I have ever owned (and thats a lot)I have never used it. I have never ever had a rust problem however I don't take beach trips lightly. Rarely will I go for a quick day trip BUT if I do I is still rip the car apart and wash it thoroughly..... You can't beat a proper clean.

Every one talks about underbody protection but really how often do you see the under side of afourby rusted out.. It is generally the body and more the point the sills. This is where the salt seems to get thrown to by the tyres. So we know this - clean it out properly. Drill the sills and fit grommets. After fill the sills with fresh water and drain it out.
But thats only my 2c worth.
 
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MJB

Member
first thing I do when I get a vehicle is give all the panels a good dose of fisholene spray, on the inside that is. Some of my vehicles have spent some time on the beach and have had no real problems as long as you give them a good clean when you get home
 

Pure Yobbo

Moderator
Maybe start here http://www.4x4earth.com.au/forum/body-chassis/4992-rust-proofing.html

Is 506 the underbody spray? I can't remember there are ones for underbody and also inside the body.

This is my current Project on my old GQ I am pulling off the inner guards cleaning and rust proofing all inside. Next will be in the doors sills and so on - why cause she is an old truck and I intend on doing dome beach work.

I have the underbody spray and the internal spay plus ERPS on my GU cause I want to keep this car a very very long time ask me in 15 years time if it worked.

I think the key is to let this stuff cure before going in the sand if not the sand sticks and is a pain to clean.

Cheers
 

NickE

New Member
Tectyl 506 made by Valvoline. I haven't heard of using separate products for inside and out, but I know Tectyl does both jobs quite nicely.

My family has been using it for years on our 4-bys, and for obvious reasons we still use it.
I did mine 2 years ago - its one hell of a job if you want to do it properly! I stripped the vehicle down (short of pulling the engine out!) to get into the places salt can reach.
You can special order Tectyl from Supercheap in 5L and 20L drums - you need at bare minimum of 5L to do a vehicle. I have a dual cab, and we used about 8L.

This is how we do it anyway...
Use a hand spray bottle, and coat the underneath and all your panels paying particular attention to weld seems, bolts, joins etc. You will need to mix some petrol with the tectyl to thin it out making it easier to work with the squirt bottles, and to let it seep into those finer areas.
Just try and stay away from your exhaust - get it on there and you'll be smelling it burning off for at least 6 months! (I can still smell mine after 2 years!) No harm done, it just gets to your head after a while! :)
My cousin has made an air spray with fine tubing and a 360 degree nozzle to fit down chassis rails, through door sills to reach the weld seems, down pillars, and anywhere you cant reach with a squirt bottle. It works a treat and coats the areas.

Tectyl over time cures to a relatively hard wax, although you will still get sand and dirt sticking to it.
Depending how often you travel on the beach depends how often you respray. I go up a couple times a year, and I don't expect to redo it until after 5 years, but I guess if you spend more time on the beach, then perhaps its worth doing it more often.
I suggest doing the job 2 months before heading up the beach, as it takes a while time to harden to the wax. I guess doing in summer time would speed up that process.

When doing a full spray, use a chem suit or some old clothing (long), as the stuff can be pretty horrible stuff. It made me a bit sick a few days later - but perhaps that could have been dehydration, heat and lack of food since it took an entire day just to spray!
 
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