Cebby

Well, I'm in the snow belt which means I'm also in the salt belt. My rig is pretty much white right now from salt spray (dark blue normally) This will be the 10th winter for my 4R. When I was replacing my front bumpstops (I know, I know...where's the writeup?) I noticed some surface rust on alot of my undercarriage (paint flakes off, but everything under is nice and solid) and even on my Bils. I chipped off the loose stuff, sprayed a rust neutralizer and hit it with black paint - where I could (not on the Bils, they weren't bad).

Is this something I should be concerned about? Can this surface rust escalate to structural problems eventually?

CTB

Ya, I've noticed a little bit under mine as well. Mine is mainly confined to a few small areas on the lower A-arms. Hopefully this isn't anything major to worry about...


Any comments??

getchellad

It's definitly something I would worry about. I have to paint my textured smitty built guards, twice a year to fight the rust off. I try to wash at least once a week, especially during the winter when they are constatly putting that stuff on the roads. After I've washed the salt off, extremely well, because I don't want to encrust it, I wheel myself underneath and spray some undercoating black stuff I got at PepBoys on the underside. It seems to work really great in preventing the rust.
Good Luck

Cebby

I use a Permatex Rust Treatment on all of the rust I spot, then hit it with SEM trim black (semi gloss black) - chassis stuff, obviously. (I had my body rust taken care of a couple of months ago!) After applying this stuff, I've never had any rust come back yet. Funny you mention the Smittybilt stuff. I just got done redoing mine a few weeks ago. I had some bad rust that I wasn't sure how to deal with. I went to my local 4 by store and they said alot of folks had the rust problem with Smittybilt gear. I had the wrinkle finish on mine from Smittybilt (don't even think it's offered anymore). Apparently they don't prep their stuff worth diddly. Anyway, I took the rust off via sanding, chipping, and grinding. Treated with the Permatex - cool stuff makes rust turn black, neutralizing it. My top coat was Plasticote Bed Liner spray (via rattlecan). Looks great, tough as nails and is supposed to be easy to touch up.

metal22lica

did you use the nuts that came with the stops or did you use the ones that were already on your old bumpstops?

Cebby

I used the nuts that came with the bumpstops. I used the Energy Suspension low profile (11/16" x 2"). They came with a nut with a nylon insert so it won't back off. I think the new one is "inch" vs. metric for the OE one anyhow.

Good thing I didn't need the existing one, I ended up breaking one of the studs because the nut was seized on. :mad:

metal22lica

:pat: thanks Cebby!! sorry..i asked a pretty dumb question now that i look at your answer...:rolleyes:

yeah..where is it?

getchellad

I like the plasticot bedliner spray idea. I have the textured finish on my Smitty Built Stuff, and it's a constant battle. I'm going to have to try that.
Thanks,
Adam

Cebby

Metal22ica - I've got the pics, just not the time. It was an easy mod - I've yet to give it a good test, though.

Adam - The Plasticote stuff is great. A few tips:

You'll need alot more than you think. It must have taken me 12 cans to do my brushguard, tail guards and nerf bars. I did two coats min on everything.

Keep the can a good 24-30 inches from the surface. Drys to the touch pretty fast, but let it go 24 hours or so before handling it. After cured, it is as hard as a rock - before then, you can peel it off in large pieces (like a sheet). I found this out the hard way on part of mine. The great thing is that the touchup areas blend with the old VERY well.

Lastly, this stuff is NOT the same texture as the Smittybilt. It is almost like sandpaper when it's cured - when you rub you hand over it, it takes off some skin and makes the paint appear to have a whiteish dust. (This washes off the paint)