Undercoating? Yes again.

[curtis4085]

Just wanted to get the latest and greatest undercoating ideas. And possible down falls. I had very little rust underneath yet i did do some por-15 work. So the problem being is I have black por-15 spots that need to be covered up and also want to protect what I have. My paint guy has a black rubberized product that they use on the bottom panels of cars to protect from rocks and suggest that this would be a great application for the entire bottom of vehicle. I am curious what is the best method for a tight looking undercarriage.
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Special Thanks to:
Headflow Masters - Vista, CA
www.headflowmasters.com

[airkooledchris]

[curtis4085]

[Jalabert]

I sprayed waxoyl into all the open box sections and around seams (anywhere I could get the stuff), coated the whole thing with an epoxy-based stone chip which sounds like what your guy is suggesting, then a traditional underbody wax on top of that. That was nearly four years ago, the underbody wax has almost dried out enough for me to consider stripping it off and reapplying, the stone chip is in great shape, no rust or visible decay underneath of any sort.

There is a guy near me who does underbody stuff who will do that and the cavities with waxoyl again for about 150 - 200$ (NZ), although I reckon that's so low as to be atypical - I can't see how the guy makes a profit, let alone justifies covering himself in shit every day. I know not everyone likes the look of underseal or rustproof on their bus but I guess it depends on where you live and how much you hate rust.
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'73 westy, 1700 type 4 with 34icts

[curtis4085]

[SGKent]

I have been told by several restorers use waxoyl, cosmoline or home brew waxoyl but not the rubber stuff. It can get just loose enough in sections that water will wick behind it and cause rust.
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"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin

[curtis4085]

[Brionp]

I am old school probably to a fault. My bus already has the grey undercoating on it. I am using 3M Body Schultz to spruce up the undercoating. You have to have a special gun and a compressor to apply it. But it dries hard and is paintable. And Rustoleum Semi Gloss Black out of a can everywhere else. Most of the time I apply the Rustoleum with a disposable foam brush. I love those things. Sometimes I will use my touch up gun.

[curtis4085]

[curtis4085]

what about this product... its wax based and they been using in europe for long time and there autos
Noxodol 900


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KkFoS_GdPw&feature=player_embedded
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Special Thanks to:
Headflow Masters - Vista, CA
www.headflowmasters.com

[Busdriver79]

for all those hard to reach areas such as inside the doors and the drain holes in the rocker panels i used a spray product called LPS#3......it sprays easily through a straw tube provided and dries to a waxy finish.....it can be wiped off if necessary and it does a great job of repelling moisture and waterproofing everything it comes in contact with....i have used LPS#3 over the years successfully on many cars with excellent results......it is available in most hardware stores and home depot for about $5 a can.....LPS#2 is a fine lubricating oil,.... and LPS#1 is a good penetrating oil......

[Heliconman]

[Brionp]

[Kirk]

Home Depot has it? I think thats the thing Colin recommends. I'll have to check my notes. What color is it?
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[curtis4085]

[Desertbusman]

Don't just slop undercoating on it. Totally clean every portion of the undercarriage. Scrape off everything loose and get down to good clean metal or the original undisturbed primer. Oven cleaner works fantastic but mainly tons of elbow grease. Take off any original undercoating. Dig out all the seam sealer. That's where the worst rust problems will start at seams and joints. Sandblast any questionable areas. POR 15 on any rust areas. Prime it all with a good rust preventative primer. Then apply new good body seam sealer to all the seams averywhere. Otherwise moisture will get in the seams and joints. Then prime paint all the seam sealer. Then finish with a good heavy application of a good oil based rust preventative enamel.
Then, and only then, put on whatever undercoating you deem best suited. And you can coat inside the hidden area access holes as some have mentioned.
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71 Superbug
71 Westy

[Brionp]

The beam and trailing arms were done with Rustoleum Oil Based Enamel. Semi Gloss Black. I sprayed it on with a Binks 115 Touch up gun. They were sanded and primed first. DBM is correct in his prep but after all of that work you might as well paint everything with the same paint as the top of the bus. Like he did. And park it on mirrors. I would. I used scrapers, putty knives, big stiff wire brushes like you clean a BBQ Grill with and a Makita Grinder with a Braided Wire Cup Brush. The one that goes 10,000 RPM and will shred you in a heartbeat if you daydream. It takes alot of time and at the end of the day you look like a Coal Miner at the end of the shift. But if anything is still sticking on after that. It stays. I plan on driving the shit out of this bus when I retire. And it is the underside of the bus. I'm pretty Anal and have OCD but I'm trying to lighten up. I'm on the downside of things and I don't need it to last forever. Just 10 or 15 more years is all I hope for. I'm leaving some work for the next owner. You know, they will have to put some effort into this also. Just so they don't take it for granted.

[curtis4085]

[Desertbusman]

It also seemed like Rustoleum primer and paint was about the best practical choice for the type of protection that it needs. Mine was color matched the same as the original body and interior paint. But the top is primer and it will remain primer. Underneath where the original undercoating was intact and still good is where the best condition of the steel was. But where the undercoating had come off or was dried and flakey is where the worst spots were.
The choice of what you do probably depends a lot on where you are located. In my case the concern was just being able to keep it clean. Where dirt and junk builds up is where moisture collects and causes the rust. And after these years there arn't any rock chips so no new undercoating probably was the good choice.
What makes it all interesting is that VW kept changing the methods of dipping the body, the type of chemical protection and prime painting and also the type of final protection or undercoating. Earlies had none of the waxy stuff. The heavy tar/rubberized undercoating was either done at the factory after it was all assembled or it was a dealer option. For yours I'd think the main thing is getting it real clean before you paint or coat it with anything.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/338626.jpg
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/338625.jpg
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/338624.jpg
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/440600.jpg
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/718267.jpg

Try some oven cleaner and see if it helps removing your wax, grease, and dirt. The old generic bad smelling stuff works much better. I used many cans of it. Be super cautious of safety breathing issues. That stuff gets real bad.
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71 Superbug
71 Westy

[curtis4085]