Rusty FRAME RESTORATION on a JEEP WRANGLER | Budget Crawler Ep. 13
2024 ж. 15 Мам.
1 039 694 Рет қаралды
Rusty and rotted frames are the death of many Wranglers. Fortunately our frame wasn't too far gone before starting the 'restoration' process. Follow along in this episode as we clean up the rust and paint the frame in a shiny gloss black.
Drilling drain holes in a TJ frame:
• Drilling Drain Holes i...
Great details, I think showing a bit of the cleaning and panting process would have been good.
Same, itd be nice to see more of the process
It has been a labour of love for me to paint the frame every autumn. Every spring, I paint also. However, I scrape, prime, sand, and then paint. It has been a labour of love since 1996.
Wellp that was just a video of you talking. Didn’t show one second of rust removal. Misleading title
Welp. This is just a comment of you bitching. Not so much misleading. But definitely a useless comment.
Bewbathis he’s right Wasted much of his time explaining about how to take a Jeep apart Useless information unless you are disassembling a Jeep.
jaybradley100 i mean its pretty self explanatory on how to remove rust when he mentioned the tools he used and he gave good insight on what to do and what not to do. Better than not posting a video at all, right?
I agree, talking and pointing at things, then they magically are painted. But to be fair, he didn't say it was a how-to, just a restoration so I guess the title is accurate, it does the restoration just not it happening.
Using a needle scaler and wire brush is usually pretty self explanatory.
Brother, your vids are amazing. Already saved me a lot of hassle and time. I have a 1999 TJ 4banger and I love it. Didn't get a deal like you but all the guys are amazed when I go up hills and thru ditches with ease. Only mod so far is 31 inch tires
It’s amazing how capable these jeeps are in stock form, I think the 4 cylinder doesn’t usually get the credit it deserves
Hey excellent video and job. I also use the internal frame coat. Worked great on my 89 K5 Blazer. I Waxoyl the undercarriage. That was 11 years ago. Still rust free and daily driver.
Haven't used waxoyl before. How often do you apply it?
Great video! I'm a first-time Jeep owner and just went through a frame restoration on my 1998 Wrangler SE (TJ) a couple weekends ago. On mine, I removed as much of the loose, flaky rust as possible. But instead of wire brushing everything real good, I opted to hit the entire frame and undercarriage with phosphoric acid to kill the rust and convert it to ferric phosphate, which is easy to paint. I then rattle canned the entire underside with Rustoleum Stop Rust Black Enamel. My TJ is going to strictly be a summer fun vehicle for our family. I intend to store in a climate-controlled garage over winter. So, I won't have to worry about corrosive road salt here in the Chicagoland area. Keep up the good work on your budget crawler. I am enthusiastically following along as I would like to make several improvements on my TJ, as well, but am also on a strict budget.
Nice! Haven't tried the acid method on a large scale like this, although I've restored plenty of tools using acetic acid (vinegar). Have always gone with the brute force removal method as I talked about here on anything larger than a hand tool. Tough to have a car and not drive it for 6 months of the year, but keeping this thing out of the salt is my plan as well.
Robb? how did you force the phosphoric acid inside the frame? Thanks "Evapo-Rust needs to maintain contact with your rusted item for the chemical reaction to work. Fully submerging the rusty item in Evapo-Rust is the best way to achieve this. So you will need a container large enough to put the item in and fully cover it in Evapo-Rust."
Robb Walker is
I wired brushed, cleaned scale and then spot treated with Phosphoric Acid over the past 2 seasons, to progressively work admittedly modest levels of rust down, cleaned, the used Rustoleum rust stop and painted. I have nearly no return rust... I used 3 cans of Eastwood internal frame [crossed my fingers] am about to do one last treatment with P.A. will clean, prime and finish paint. I am reluctant to use any rust proofing yet (to seal the surface) I do like the idea of oil based rust proofing either Fluid Film or N.H.O.U. as a finish.
Might as well have just shown before and after pics
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Looks great honestly nice work
Thanks!
How are we supposed to learn from this video if you don’t film the main part which is the rust removal?
I just bought a truck that has no where near as much rust as this and I was worried. This gave me confidence to tackle the job.
Great Vid! Have the same issue with the gloss paint, so, what I do, is use the gloss paint first, then go back over the gloss with a matt coat, that gives you the better rust protection, along with the benefit of the matt finish hiding more of the scaling.
Great tip! I've done that a few times.
How did the combination with the top paint hold up?
wow, i can see why you put it off as long as you could. thats a ton of work! really came out very nicely though.
Thanks!
@@dironaa how did you tackle the internal side of the frame? I did the drain holes as you mentioned, the outside of my frame seems good but there is rust flakes inside. Did you just do the fluid film?
@@ryansremark6983 I duct taped a 3' section of garden hose to a shop vac and sucked out as much as I could. You can tap the outside of the frame with a hammer to try braking loose any flakes on the inside walls of the frame too.
@@dironaa okie. And after that did you just do fluid film internally or a rust converter like corroseal before fluid film? I've heard that Eastwood encapsulator is trash cause of moisture build up.
@@ryansremark6983 Just fluid film. I tried the eastwood internal frame coating years ago but didn't like it for the reason you mentioned.
NICE TJ! Many thanks for taking the time to share your experience. I also find it interesting to disassemble something and realize that I'm the first person to see (X) item since the Jeep was built. Makes me giddy. Your vid will be very helpful while I continue to clean my (recently-purchased) '01 TJ and consider the order of operations and options. I'm with you; I'm not building a show TJ. I just want a nice-looking driver that's gonna last. A huge thanks from Ohio, my friend.
Thanks! I hear you...almos a shame to cover things like that up with new paint!
This is inspiring me to start working on my trucks frame. Nice video.
Thanks, good luck!
Thanks for making this video. I just picked up a 04 TJ that I want to do some rust removal/preventative work on. I've never done anything like this before so your video was very helpful. If you do anymore I'd appreciate your recommendations on rust preventative products. I'll probably do some more research but may just end up going w/eastwood products.
Eastwood seems to make good products but they’re pricey. Speaking from experience I do not recommend their internal frame coating unless you don’t plan on driving your jeep in the rain/snow ever again. Without removing the frame and having it chemical dipped there is no way to properly prep the inside surface, which means the paint won’t stick properly or uniformly. This will result in some parts of the paint job starting to lift, creating pockets that hold moisture and rust out your frame even faster than in had done no painting. In short my recommendation is to prime (preferably etching primer) and paint the outside of the frame then coat the inside with fluid film. If you live in an area where road salt is used and don’t want to paint the frame again is also use fluid film on the outside after painting, but let the paint cut for a few months before coating with fluid film. Also make sure you drill some drain holes in that frame!
I live on the coast and after many year of fighting rust some one told me about boiled lynseed oil. Its the best stuff I have ever used, its cheap doesn't flake off like paint and soaks into bad rusty spots that can't be reached. I recoat my chassis once a year inside and out for and have no rust issues now
Good to know. I've had similar results with Fluid Film.
Nice work! Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching!
Really helpful! I’m about to undertake this project for my LJ. Thanks so much for the details and the video!
My pleasure. Good luck!
+1 on fluid film, I winterize my truck underbody with that yearly, fantastic lubricant as well
Have yet to find a better rust preventative!
@@dironaa Try Woolwax
My 2015 JKU was already showing signs of rust everywhere underneath her, so I’ve already started protecting anything I see by cleaning as well as I can and spraying with industrial strength ant-rust paint. It looks so much better and I hopefully stopped the cancer.
Can be a tedious process but it's well worth the effort in the long run!
NH oil undercoat is the best I have ever found. Saved my 4x4 7.4 L diesel adventure van and getting it applied to my TJ now. IT's an oxygen barrier and flows in-between the body joints, never drys out and stops all rust.
I think that’s similar to Fluid Film, which I use on all my cars and have been very impressed with
Probably one of the most realistic videos on saving a frame from rot.....drain hole and spraying the inside of the frame with an oil treatment is spot on.....I would go through and spray the inside of the frame once a year and touch up any outside frame rust.
That's been my annual fall routine for the past 10+ years since discovering fluid film, best method I've found so far for frame preservation!
@@dironaa seems to be working great for you ,year after year .
Good video! I've done the same thing on some vehicles, and have done some full frame-off jobs (which is a lot more work), and I must say that in most cases what you have done is more than sufficient.
Thanks! Fluid Film works incredibly well on our salted roads up north.
Looks amazing man nice work 👍
Thanks 👍
Was keen to see the rust removal and painting haha, but turned out great!
Thanks!
Doug Yankunas I just put 2 gallons of fluid film into my 2003 fully restored/rebuilt Grang Cherokee. I spayed behind all panels, inside the frame , any little hole I could find inside my doors too. Inside the hood , tailgate etc you get the idea . We’ll see how it holds up The is winter in salty Wisconsin. Btw. I painted everything underneath with Eastwood platinum before the fluid film
Fluid film is some great stuff, I think it'll do well.
Looks great !
Thanks!
I applied hard wax undercarriage and did several coats. Then used inner cavity wax which is a thinner blend lighter weight for rockers, doors quarter panels. It flows in and seeps into the pinch welds. Both hold up really well but once a year you can check undercarriage areas swearing off. Mine has been holding up and barely any touch ups. I usually check every time I have change my oil.
Great to hear. Would be nice if manufacturers used more cavity wax during vehicle production.
Great video!!! I was thinking about Fluid Film and drain holes from the beginning,you covered it. Thanks
Thanks, great minds think alike!
Looks good for what you started with. We use a coating called Rust Mort to paint the frames with.
Cool, haven't heard of that but will check it out!
Haven’t seen Rust Mort in years. Where do you get it?
So much work and no one can appreciate it until they have done it the right way. You really should have used a rust encapsulator especially with all the prep you did. Happy to see you disassembled a lot to get to the areas and into the hidden rust. It takes so much time to do it right not just spray the crap rubberized undercoat. Inside the frame is also just as and even more so to preserve it since it will continue to rusts inside out.
That's for sure. Rust encapsulator would have been a good option too but I've also had decent luck with the rustoleum rattle cans I used instead, since we went down to bare metal and essentially removed all of the rust. Although not always feasible, I generally try to live by the phrase 'do it right or not at all', which usually makes for more work in the short run but the extra work usually pays dividends down the road.
Wow man. Great job. All that rust makes me sick! I live in Colorado and have a little Offroad trailer that I’m going to clean up and I thought the rust was bad on it. You did a great job in this
Do your vehicles have any rust
@@DJR5280 not like this! Just little bit from the winter salt. But here it doesn’t stay snowy all winter, so it will snow and then get warm so I always spray everything off real good after it warms up after a snow
@@Colorado4x4 I actually live in Broomfield. I was just curious if your vehicle has rust. My Tahoe has some frame rust and it's annoying me. Just surface and easily cleanable but still. Not used to seeing a lot of rust here
@@DJR5280 oh cool. We live in Caste Rock. How old is the Tahoe? I haven’t seen too much rust on my vehicles here. Just a little bit of surface rust but I always wash the car after every snow storm once it dries up to get the chemical off of it.
Man that frame looks really good
10 years in California, 8 years in the salty north. Can only imagine how nice it would be with all 18 years in California!
Dirona what gloss paint did you use??
Used Rustoleum "Professional" enamel
Thank you so much...Love from India...Gonna try this on my Suzuki Gypsy (Jimmy)
Great!
use a dremmel and cut into the heads of the screws and you can use a flathead to remove
Hhhmmmmmmm... I'm going to try that on my stripped out torxs on my CJ tailgate hinge.
Thats a good idea....
That's a good idea. If that fails then just use a drill and drill them out. Put regular bolts in after. I hate those things
I kno u received some guff for not showing the details nonetheless I’m glad to see someone who does a job right. So many only care about “visible mods” but u do a complete job that isn’t easy or has glamorous results, but are intended to preserve the life of a vehicle. I for one appreciate the thorough and extra effort! Really helpful. I’ve been following ur build from the start and tho it’s way out of my league, you provide so many great tips that I hope to incorporate. Way to be.. keep it coming and keep the faith!
Thanks man! Can’t build a house without a good foundation.
Excellent video.
Thanks!
Nice job. I'm planning to do the same soon
Good luck!
Thanks for the video
No problem!
Looks good, I want to preserve my frame. Thanks
Thanks. It’s worth the effort!
Never knew a tjs sway bar was mounted on the frame behind the bumper on the top side like that. And was that a brake line running parallel with it!? Sorry i own an xj and a wagoneer and would like to buy a tj like this one eventually.
doing this now. i also had the idea to add some weep holes to the frame and rad support. the few factory drains are cupped up which do not let all the water out.
Sounds like a terrible design from the factory
Excellent video. I have an 02 TJ that needs some frame work. No factory drain holes. What size drain holes did you drill? How did you flush the dirt and rust scale from the frame interior? Thanks for your help!
I taped a section of garden hose to the end of a shop vac hose to suck everything out. Here’s a video showing drain holes: kzhead.info/sun/hpGymbqIm4hto6M/bejne.html
Awesome video great narration! Subbed!
Thanks and welcome!
Thoughts on POR15 for frame preservation?
Fantastic video! Appreciate the details. I'm looking at purchasing a vehicle that came from up north in the salt belt but I will have it down in the deep south where there are no salt trucks or crazy winters. Having said that, the body is in perfect condition but the undercarriage is pretty bad with rust considering it's only 3 years old and 45k miles. Do you see any long term issues with that kind of rust? No perforations, just a LOT of surface rust similar to this video. Thanks for any thoughts.
Having owned rusty vehicles my entire life I'd highly suggest not buying it if you can buy one without rust instead. 3 years isn't too bad but it's long enough that you're probably going to be dealing with rusty bolts for years down the road. Once rust starts there's not stoping it, only slowing it (with paint and fluid film like in this video).
I’m trying to do a similar build. I recently got a killer deal on a 98 TJ 4.0. It’s already has a 3” lift. Right now my plan is to up grade steering and axles. I’m really curious what the exhaust leak you mentioned in a previous video ended up being (if you fixed it). I have an exhaust leak that seems to be coming from the same place but only hear it when the engine is warm and can’t seem to figure for sure if that’s where it’s coming from.
Nice! Haven't fully diagnosed the exhaust leak on this Jeep yet, but it sounds awfully similar to a cracked exhaust manifold I had on a previous Jeep.
Skipping the actual rust removal in a rust removal video has me rustled.
Great video. I love your Jeep. By any chance would Rust-Oleum work for a complete undercoat?
Thanks! I would advise against using Rustoleums "undercoating" spray, but as for regular Rustoleum spray paint it certainly could as long as everything is prepped properly
Rust-Oleum Rusty metal primer works really good it can be sprayed on, but you gotta cut it, just brush it on looks awesome
Nice vid. What did you do for clearing out the rust flakes and debris from the internal parts of the frame?
Cut a 4' +/- section of garden hose and duct taped it to the end of a shop vac hose. The garden hose is just small enough to fit in the factory holes in the frame. Had to stick a screwdriver in the frame to break up some of the larger pieces so the shop vac could pull them out.
Hammer the frame everywhere, an airhammer with blunt end attachment would be better, use screwdriver/prybar and hammer to break up rust inside the best you can, go through holes in the side of the frame, the worst spot on my 04 was in front of the rear wheels before the frame bends up. Then get a flexible magnet from harbor freight, the red one they sell, and fish it back and forth throughout the frame. I probably removed pounds of rust from inside my frame. Also make sure to drill drain holes and oil undercoat inside when done with the flexible spray can wands you can buy.
I am going to do the same thing this summer to my 98 Jeep Wrangler
Well worth the effort!
Hi, this video was very useful for me in the sense that I have a 1995 Mitsubishi Montero sr and they have the same frame style as the Jeep Wranglers. I was wondering where there would be good spots for holes where the water can escape rather then sit inside and cause more rust. I’d love to hear your advice, thank you.
Good to hear. Ideally you’d want drain holes at the lowest points on the frame. Here’s a video where I covered drilling holes on a jeep: kzhead.info/sun/hpGymbqIm4hto6M/bejne.html
Oh God those Montero's like come from the factory rusty lol
@@DanniDezno Yeah
What paint cans did you use?
Looks great. What paint/primer do you use on the exterior of the frame.
Rustoleum "Professional" spray paint off the shelf from Walmart.
@@dironaa has any rust came back through? Also check out KBS cavity wax for doing the inside of the frame.
Va
@@dironaa did any rust come back yet?
Love your videos man. I did the same frame restoration on my old tj here in Chicago. It was rusted out pretty bad that the transmission skid plate fell through and needed to weld new ones. I spent about a whole 2 days laying under the jeep covered in rust and dirt it was pretty shitty. Glad you drilled some drain holes many people still don’t realize that the 97-02 had this problem. Keep up the great content.
Thanks. Yeah, that's an understatement LOL. I've been in your shoes with the rusted frame too...have had jeeps where the trans skid dropped and have also had ones where the rear control arm brackets rotted off. Would like to say I'll never buy one that far gone again but I'm a sucker for a "good deal" LOL.
Dirona exactly lol I got a great deal on it I fixed it used it a couple years and sold it for a 3k profit so I can’t complain
Hard to beat that!
Looks good and thanks for talking about the importance of wearing a respirator, there are so many videos out there with people sanding on cars breathing in dust, not good
Agreed, too many people underestimate the importance of PPE
Very nice job maybe I should keep going on my jeep 01 wrangler .I bought a gallon of chassi saver and paint it on in some spot.i hope it help what do you think
The only way big jobs get done is a little at a time. Keep it up and you'll have the whole thing painted before long
is there a specific spray paint you use that you've noticed works better with preventing rust from coming back?
Fluid Film is the best coating to prevent rust. If you live somewhere with road salt I'd clean up the frame with a wire wheel, coat with Rustoleum etching primer and black enamel, then top coat with fluid film after the paint has cured for a while.
Dirona ? if doing this to a stock TJ, is there a way to temporarily lift the body from the frame, or would a body lift need to be installed and then removed after the paint dries? Thanks in advance
If you watch the video I did on installing the body lift, I don't see why you couldn't temporaryily do something similar with a few small blocks of wood (2x4 maybe) just while you're prepping and painting. But that's just a thought, proceed at your own risk
Corrosion X is the best corrosion product you can buy. The military and Navy uses it, so you know it works, and works very good. It's a fluid thin film oil product, best when spray with air sprayer.
I'll have to look into it, thanks for the suggestion!
I clean the inside of the frame and cross members with a pressure washer sewer jetter. Then it will dry until the next day, and then I spray the insides with a penetrating oil wax.
good job.
Thanks!
would sandblasting be better to remove the rust?
Yes, but the downside is that you may unintentionally blast things other than the frame and remove the factory corrosion protection from the bottom of the body or other components
What kind of spray did you use? Wanting to use the same exact kind on my truck. Thanks in advance.
Used Rustoleum "Professional" enamel from Walmart. I generally prefer to use an etching primer under it.
Man I've was just looking and some people have said that thats undercoating will trap moisture and continue the rusting , do yoi find that to be true ?
Depends what you use. But, even if you encapsulate the rust. It wont have an oxygen supply to rust. POR15 grabs that moisture and prevents further damage. I dont know much, but from research that's what I've acquired.
Did you spray or brush? I'm looking at brushing as you can get into so many more tighter areas and Im not worried about the finish looking super smooth
Sprayed with an aerosol can, gives better coverage in hard to reach areas
@@dironaa Guess Im gonna have to buy some equipment, bought an expensive can or POR 15
3:45 - Notice the "A" parking sticker from the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco? That jeep spent some time around salt suspended in fog! There's also a good chance it was taken up to Tahoe in the winters too. May I ask where you acquired it?
Thanks for he info. Previous owner lived in San Fran for a while before moving to the east coast where I bought it from her
Can’t decide between doing this or waiting to do frame stiffeners and painting it all after on my jeep Cherokee!
Can't hurt to put the stiffeners over clean steel!
@@dironaa it certainly can’t!
Hey man you shod show the details when you make any project .
Could you include links in the description for the products you used? Planning on getting fluid film, but would be nice to have a direct link to the spray and also an appropriate wand attachment
I would buy a case of 6 or 12 spray cans on eBay, my local Napa Auto Parts sells fluid film as well. As for the wand, the one I use came with a can of Eastwood Internal Frame Coating (which I don't recommend using) and I don't think they sell the wand separately, but I bet if you search around in Amazon or eBay you'll find something similar.
So you do recommend rustoleom to coat the frame with?
For the price it's a good option, as long as you put some good effort into prepping the frame before painting. I've heard good things about Eastwoods Chassis black too but have no personal experience with it, and it is quite a bit more pricey than the rustoleum.
@@dironaa I saw another review were the cheap rustoleom rattle can has been most effective to protect so I might just do rattle can. Looks great brother!!!
Heya just out of curiosity how long do you think it’ll take before you need a touch up! Cheers
The answer to that is highly dependent on where you live and what conditions you drive in. If you live in the desert you’ll never need to touch up. If you drive on salty roads for half the year like I do you will need to touch up annually
If you purchase a plumbing pipe cleaning spring, these can come in 3 or 4 metre length's, you can cut this in shorter bits and use it with a drill, you can drill sections of the frame and push the spring inside the frame attach the drill and this will clean inside the frame. Just use a air line in the holes to clean out any crap and scale.
Great tip, thank you!
Rust removal and paint primer methods are always welcome. Sometimes you find new tips
Absolutely!
Yes Fluid Film is Boss.Sprayed my old pickup a few years ago and i can see where it creeped and walked to the outside paint on my rear bumper and other rusted area's.
I won’t use anything else!
Hi whare can buy it the fluid sprayer go old school car need to do it thank s much
@@angelgarcias7328 I got it at Advance Auto here in Massachusetts but you can buyit on Ebay or Amazon easily.
Would love to know how you clean all the rust off after the wire wheel usage.
Wire wheel was the last step before etching primer
Aaron I think what you are asking is how to get all the dust off. If you are able, rinse it off with a hose. If not, air will work too. You dont want to start adding anything till the question in part if fully clean and dry.
I have a 2009 4Runner, and I want to fully redo the frame and metal parts. My concern is the inside of the frame. Since this cannot be seen, nor can I clean it out properly, Im not sure how to do this so I can spray it. Because from what Im aware, you need to clean off the rust inside before applying any sprays - because if you don't, then you'll just trap in the moisture even more, rusting it out faster.
You don’t need to clean the inside if you apply an oil product like Fluid Film or NH oil undercoating. An oil will soak into the crevices and irregularities and prevent water from accumulating
Good thing my Jeep has spent all 21 years of its life in Southern California. No rust. Fender flares are Still black too!
I bet if you pull those bumper caps off theres rust...better check it...pull the front carpet up too...word to the wise
@@smcfall2 I got that covered! About last year, I installed some wider fender flares, like the bushwacker ones that look like oem but wider, and I also removed the Bumper camps off the front and the rear, no rust, but some dirty/sand! Pulling the carpet seems strange, but I'll check it out, why not.
@@rmat9023 jeeps (and a lot of other cars) rust out in two places usually - those bumper caps and floorboard...glad to hear that theres at least one jeep still in premo condition...congrats..now keep it that way...please...
@@smcfall2 Well about keeping that way... This jeep basically sat most of its life, being ocasionally driven, and not much. Its a 4.0 manual, 2000 tj sport with 50,000 californian miles on it. But in the last year, it got a 3.5 inch lift, 33 inch tires, new wheels, skid plates, etc. And I have done some fairly decent trails and crawling with it. The mechanic offered 10K for it but nah!
Just did this to 2 of my tjs Jeeps aren’t meant to be show vehicles just wanted it to be protected from rust
That’s the goal!
Great video!! What paint did you use? Great tip on drain holes and film fluid 👍🎥👍
Thanks, used rustoleum self etching primer and rustoleum “professional” gloss black paint
@@dironaa When using the Rustoleum products u Advice NOT to use the "undercoating" spray correct? Just the regular gloss or matte paint
@@johnnycortez46 Correct. I prefer to use something thin that will flake off in the event that it begins to fail. If undercoating or bedliner begins to fail it’s rigid enough that it will stay attached to the surrounding material and create a pocket for water to get trapped
Normally, you'll see a paint pen mark to show that an item has been fitted, and then checked. For example, someone's process may be fitting 10 bolts and then having to torque them....once done, they will paint mark the bolt. You might see two different coloured paint marks; that is because the bolt may get torque checked again further down the line.... especially if it's a 'safety critical' item.
Very interesting, thanks for the info
What products did you use? Rust converter? Primer? Topcoat?
Rustoleum self etching primer and rustoleum gloss enamel. The price of these pants has more than doubled in the past few years so if i were to paint it again I’d look into using Eastwood products instead
I know you probably said, but what paint did you use?
Rustoleum "Professional" spray paint, right off the shelf from Walmart.
what spray paint did you use? does it matter what kind or what base it is
I used rustoleum “professional” enamel over rustoleum self etching primer, only because of the price point and ease of availability at the time. The price of rustoleum has almost tripled in the last 3 years so I’d probably look at buying Eastwood paint instead at this point. Some Eastwood paints aren’t compatible with self etching primer, but if compatible that’s what I prefer to use.
So you did not apply an etch and metal prep before painting?
I applied etching primer then sprayed the black paint over the etching primer
The issue with painting over the frame is when you go to sell the car and the buyer sees the "repainted" frame and then wonders WHY it was painted over ... and generally its to cover over the rust. Then you dont know if they just painted over the rust or cleaned it down 1st like you did and then painted over. But one heck of a job ...
Exactly. I'll usually walk away from any car that has had a frame repaint. Luckily I don't plan on selling this one!
What is the best paint to use for this kind of job? doing it this weekend
I was wondering the same thing
Not sure what the best is but I usually use Rustoleum brand self etching primer and gloss black paint.
Godspeed to you
Fun stuff...
Dirona looks great
You mentioned you got the paint at Walmart. Can you provide the brand name and if you recommend using it again? How is the frame holding up? Cant wait for the next video!
Its Rustoleum "Professional" enamel, I use it on most of my projects. It works great for the price. Frame is holding up well! Hopefully more videos coming over the winter
Good job what I would have used is Rust-Oleum bed liner spray it's a lot more durable than pain in holds up but living on the East Coast that is what happens to vehicles and that's just one of many reasons I want live on the east coast ever again
True! In my opinion bed liner is actually too durable, meaning that if any of it fails and starts separating from the frame it won’t flake off and expose the steel underneath, instead it will form a pocket for water to sit in
Wow glad I live in Florida not a speck of rust on my 98 wrangler.
Must be nice!
Do you suggest fluid filming the outside of the frame?
Yes
A tip: When jacking, use a a bit of plywood between the bottle jack and the frame. Steel on steel is bad because it can slip off the jack.
Its true, and dangerous
Using a poly disc wheel pad will work well to remove the rust. It does not leave the scars like the wire cup.
Wait really
They work well for stripping paint and removing surface rust but I've had better luck removing heavily pitted rust with the wire wheels. I do agree with you though, they would have been good to use for some parts of this job. The only down side is they seem to wear down much quicker than wire wheels and the ones I've been buying are a little pricey.
High temp paint works well on brake calipers and drums.
Yes, good tip!
So you primed the metal, then rustoleum and then fluid film?
Yes sir. I let the paint cure for a few months before fluid film.
Dirona It looks really good!! Planning on doing it myself. This vid really helped me.
Finally, a person who seems to know how to treat undercarriage rust on youtube. A lot of bad info out there these days. But even you admit that this is not a perfect job and that a perfect job might not ever be possible. In the off chance that you read this, how many years do you think a frame with this level of treatment will hold up against rust?
If the vehicle is driven on salty roads in the winter you're going to see some rust coming through within a year, but it probably won't look like it did in the beginning of the video for at least another 4 or 5 years. But that's assuming you paint it and do nothing else to it...if you coat the frame with a good coat Fluid Film inside and out annually (just before road salt season) I could see it lasting indefinitely. That being said, if you don't live with road salt or large amounts of humidity a paint job like this will last for a very very long time...you'll just be left dealing with the rusty bolts and everything else that's rusted on the vehicle.
Right on! Fluid film is amazing stuff i use it all the time. I also mix a can in a can of antiseize and use it for lubing brakes and when I change ball joints tierods and behind my rims so they always come off easy. I swear by both fluid film and antiseize 👍
Unfortunately both are a fact of life in the northeastern US. Fun fact: I don't use thread lock on exterior bolts, I just install them without antisieze and let the rust do its job.
What paint did you use? Was it Rust-Oleum?
Yes, rustoleum from Walmart. At the time it was around $4/can, but now it’s about $10/can. I used quite a few cans (maybe 8-10 cans?). At the current price of rustoleum I’d probably buy a cheap spray gun from harbor freight and use something like a quart or two of eastwood chassis paint instead.
The joy of living in a salt state! Why go out and enjoy the weekend wheeling or camping when you can spend the weekend fixing rust! Why do we do this to ourselves? Why not just move to a state that does not destroy or vehicles a few years after purchase. Good hard work you did. Have been there before. I also drilled holes in the bottom of my TJ to help clean it out.
If you buy a new jeep, or vehicle, do yourself a favor, do not get it rust proofed with undercoating, it will cause it to rust worse in the long run.. you are better off not doing it and just subscribe to a carwash and run though a couple times a week.. But even better than that, buy a case of COSMOLINE and spend a weekend while your vehicle is new, and coat everything under it in this stuff and nothing will ever rust.... Remove panels and inner fenders and get it everywhere, inside frames , frame holes, doors, anywhere it would rust.... It is much easier to do before it rusts than to remove rust like this and i did later then treat.. it is such a PITA