TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu Feb 16, 2017 4:31 pm

hi there

i am preparing my 65 beetle - which has lasted 50 years in London UK with only 1 previous owner - for a new life in Australia. normally it is the other way around, as people tend to import dry rust free cars from Australia.

before i ship it over i need to get it all steam cleaned for quarantine. this got me thinking about rust issues under the car.

currently it has had underbody sealant applied to the floorpan, it looks pretty old and caked on, and is flaking off in places probably leaving rusty metal underneath. in the past i have just touched up these areas, as the dynotrol will slow down the corrosion process. the drums have surface rust (not an issue but doesn't look good), front end has sealant badly applied and is greasy. gearbox is covered in oil, probably a leak somewhere.

basically it looks like crap and would like to do something to improve it. in an ideal world i would like to take the whole lot apart, get it all sandblasted and start again with fresh por-15 and sealant as i have done before. however this is not practical as i am still using the car and also the cost.

what are some suggestions to clean it up? is steam cleaning under the car advised or will it lead to more rust? is steam cleaning effective for removing caked on grease around the gearbox and king pins? is it a good idea to remove this? guessing the grease is probably protecting it somewhat.

not aiming to have a show car but would like to get it more tidy underneath.

thanks
rich

Thu Feb 16, 2017 4:53 pm

The steam cleaning is not going to add to the rust situation much if the car is put back in a dry environment soon afterwards. De-greaser breaks down undercoating so that will be an issue.

You could acid treat your rusted areas by phosphatising ,applying zinc,self etching primer, and then get a coat of paint on the "spot" areas, as in 'spot cleaning'.