rusty bottom...
 

so one thing i noticed after my baby sat for a year while i was deployed that it got alot of rust on the bottom.

it is pretty noticable from behind.. Diff, support arm, and frame.

Today i picked up 3 cans of Rust-Oleum Rubberized Undercoating and sprayed as much as i could underneath without really removing anything.

overall took 2 cans and i covered the whole frame, the diff, trail arms, support arms, trailer hitch, front tow hook area where it conencts tot he frame.

now, i know living in Minnesota, rust will be a issue for any vehicle.. i just hated the thought of someone laughing at my H2 when they are sitting behind me in traffic and not being intimidated instead!

if pics are requested, ill get some up soon. i was just looking for something temporary.. and at some point i know it will have to be professionally coated underneath to really put a stop to it..

but just throwing it out there for anyone noticing the same issues as me.
it works, and works pretty well. was not too hard to reach alot of areas, but i took my time around wires, and actual painted surfaces

Re: rusty bottom...
 

Was waiting for a thread like this! My underbody needs attention..drive shafts are rusted, rear axle needs a touch up, and frame is kinda peeling in some areas. Is there anything you specifically prepped or primed? I'm real close to doing this..thought about POR 15 but it's really expensive and I'm not sure I want to disassemble a whole lot to just paint it. Would really appreciate some pics if you don't mind!

Re: rusty bottom...
 

What you did was just cover up the rust, it will continue to spread under the under coating. You need POR 30 paint, it converts the rust to a paint. I've been slowly doing sections as needed. It's expensive, but it's final. It dries shiny but unless you spray a UV protectant on it will fade to flat black which matches the factory undercoating nearly perfect. Wear gloves cause nothing takes it off your hand, it will be on for your hands for days otherwise.

http://www.por15.com/POR-15/productinfo/1GB/

Re: rusty bottom...
 

Interesting...

I've been using Duplicolor Rust Fix followed by their Aerosol Bed Armor. Their 'Bed Armor' product is a slightly rubberized version of spray on liner. It's not quite as gummy as the straight-up undercoating...the combo seems to work well and may not be as expensive as some other proposed solutions.

Re: rusty bottom...
 

We also did the POR15 to one of our old H2's. Lot's of people in the Jeep forums recommeded it as Jeeps are notorious for undercarriage rust.

It's a multi step process with the degreaser, acid wash, then paint... We used it straight out of the can with various brushes. Lot of work and a long time to do, but results were great. It doesn't look like factory though in the end, its not as smooth, and the color is different...

Re: rusty bottom...
 

I've been researching POR 15 and undercoating for days and it looks amazing after its done..but really seems like a ton of work. Of you guys that have painted, did you disassemble or avoid anything specifically? Can I mess something up mechanically by painting it?

Re: rusty bottom...
 

The wife masked off certain areas, and used a grumbacher artists fan brush for the majority of the work. It has a thin and flexible bristle so you can be accurate with it and get into hard to reach spots... Yes a TON of work!!

Re: rusty bottom...
 

Just did a touch up on my rear axle and driveshaft with Krylon dual primer/paint gloss black spray. All I did was clean the area with soap and rag, sand with wire brush, and spray. Actually covered both areas with one can. I'll conjure up some pics later, but all in all it looks much better than it did!

Re: rusty bottom...
 

I agree with the others. It's best to power wash the undercarriage to remove the road salt and dirt followed by a "paint" that converts rust into a primer coating. THEN cover with a coating of your choice. I have used the shaker can version of this stuff on patio furniture and it works very well.

Re: rusty bottom...
 

Thats just non cancerous surface rust from exposed metal.

All undercarriage should be done in satin black. Gloss will turn dull looking after a while from road debris.

Kmart - Dutch boy Acrylic Enamel - Satin Black. Has to be from there...something different in there ****. Easy touchup. Seen alot of frames painted w that, looks good and its cheap.

This is exactly what started my entire project...if your like me, where do you stop. I should of just yanked the entire cab off the truck from the begenning.

Re: rusty bottom...
 

Great thread. I too have been trying to fight the rust. It gets worse in the winters because of all of the salt and chemicals on the road for snow. I usually get under there and spray everything with Krylon rust protectant enamel, though I know all I am doing is covering up rust that is already there.

I guess I will have to look into the POR 15, or is it POR 30? I just know that every year I don't do it is another year I am going to stare at the underside of my truck and wish that I did.

Any learnings from those of you that have done this already are welcome as I plan for this in the near future.

Re: rusty bottom...
 

It's POR 15, I don't think there is a 30...

Aside from what I wrote above, I fogot to mention, you need a good respirator mask, that stuff has a pretty strong smell!

Re: rusty bottom...
 

I got under the truck today and checked things out as winter is only a few months out. I think that I am going to have more work to do trying to clean what is already there including who knows how many cans of Krylon Spray paint enamel than I will treating it with the POR stuff. Either way, I have a trip to Cali and NC coming up so I won't be able to start until afer that.

Did you say that you used some specific types of brushes for application and did you clean it before applying the POR?

Don't want to be cheap, but...
 

Rustoleum makes a product called Rust Reformer that you can get at any auto parts store. Same concept - converts rust to something inert and allows you to paint it. It comes in a spray, but I preferred the bottle. Put some liquid in a cup and take a chip brush and "paint" away. Turned rust black and I never followed up with a topcoat. 8oz wasn't even $10, and I've done it a couple of times now.

Re: Don't want to be cheap, but...
 

Good to know thanks... I dont think I would go through the por15 preocess again... Spray it is for next time...

Re: rusty bottom...
 

Here's some pics of the bottom as of right now:


I don't have any before pics, but the driveshaft was completely covered in rust, and the rear axle had spots here and there. This is all after a cleaning, a wire brush, and one can of Krylon. It has held up great so far.

Re: rusty bottom...
 

I heard that doing the driveshaft would make it spin uneven because of the lopsidedness of the spray, meaning it's hard to get the driveshaft all evenly coated. I wonder if there's any truth to that, did you notice any wobble or vibration after?

Re: rusty bottom...
 

I have no vibration issues. I've heard that as well.