Rust proofing hidden areas

[ksechler]

Is there an accepted way for rust proofing hidden areas like the inside of frame rails, etc? To give an example, I am replacing my floor pans and the associated frame rails. The rails came tack welded to the floor pan. I don't want to take them off to paint the insides, besides welding them back on would burn the paint off. I know you can get weldable primer, but I'm not sure how much I like it. In my limited experience bare metal welds better (go figure). Anyway the frame rails are bare metal inside and I just can't bear the thought of doing all this work just to have it rust away again in 10 years.

[240260280z]

Not sure how well this works but it fits the requirement: Eastwood Internal Frame Coating

[Mikes Z car]

This thread describes what I did:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/body-paint-s30/40048-two-frame-rails-tc-rod-there-floor-between-them.html

Holes I enlarged or existing holes I used to spray anti rust:

I also made twin holes 2 inches DIA, one under the gas pedal to get to the rear end of the driver's frame rail closest to the driver and a similar one under the forward foot area of the passenger floor to get to the inside of the passenger side frame rail. I used a Transtar Amber spray can as the nozzle for it (purchased separately) has a 360 degree spray pattern. The Eastwood spray can that Blue points out sprays radially which sounds like a similar pattern.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Mikes Z car

[Dr. 240Z]

The Eastwood spray is marketed with a two foot spray hose/nozzle which feeds very nicely into enclosed spaces. Additionally, as I can attest, the spray material adheres extremely well and is resistant to most solvents.

Three cans were enough to do all the hidden areas on my '71 from front to back with a liberal application.

Cheers,

George

[Patcon]

Notes on Eastwood internal frame coating. If you buy some use it they won't stand behind it after just a little while look up their terms, I want to say 30 days. I had a can on the shelf for a while and it wouldn't dispense so that can is full but trash. The cans are not cheap something like $20 each. I used 4 cans or so on my Z. Around the hatch frame, inside the lower part of the hatch. The frame areas on the hood, floor boards and frame rails, areas of the quarters that are hard to paint. Rear subframe. It works pretty good and is top coatable with pretty much anything according to their technical guys. I went over where needed with Epoxy primer. The small hose on the aerosol cans works really well because it will go in many of the smaller diameter factory holes. My car is on a rotisserie so I could rotate it to help distribute the material. Eastwood also sells an under coater gun with a quart of Internal Frame coating included. Don't go that route. I did and the material will not feed through the gun. It dries too quickly and stops up the under coater gun. That was a huge disappointment. The aerosol cans work pretty good though. I would do that again...

Charles

[Bruce Palmer]

Back when I was doing the marketing for Zero Rust I recall a call from a user who told me that he grabbed his toilet brush to do the inside of his frame rails. Pretty resourceful these car guys......

[240260280z]

[Mikes Z car]

Blue,

I have one of those sprayers to use on my z car for possible anti corrosion work, but would it double for a cheapskate paint job? I wonder if you could put thinned sherwin williams house paint in that.

Bruce,

I also am amazed at the resourcefulness of car guys. I wonder what pointers if any the Cuban dudes who don't have replacement parts could give? Lawn mower carbs on a Z car?

The Transtar Amber spray material for anti corrosion I understand has a limited shelf life too. I did use one can after a year and it still sprayed though I don't know how the age might have altered the effectiveness. It looked okay. Right after using it I always soak the 3 foot long tubing in hot soapy water and force water through it though maybe paint thinner or some other solvent would work better. I seem to kink the tubing making it hard to use before any clogging issue, haven't clogged it yet but I don't know for sure if the hot soapy water is helping much.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Mikes Z car

[240260280z]

Not sure for painting. I used it for phosphoric acid in my rails.

[Mikes Z car]

Sorry, I misunderstood. From my experience using the Ace Home and Garden type sprayer for spraying trees I imagine it will spray phosphoric acid quite a ways inside a rail, maybe a couple of feet past the tip of the sprayer.

[Lazeum]

In Europe we have some kind of liquid wax we spray inside hidden areas. It is very liquid, you spray it and it goes everywhere. We call it literally "hollow part wax".

I would be very surprized not to find similar product in the US.

I've got some pieces of raw steel hangging in the air in my yard with different kind of coatings on them, waxed part is clean after 3 years outside (as well as part with only one layer of regular paint bought at autozone - which was unexpected)