Experts... What ELSE do I need to do before I Rust Bullet the undercarriage?

[72Charger-SE]

OK...

I am getting ready to 'Rust Bullet' the undercarriage.  Can someone see anything in this photo that I need to do yet BEFORE applying the 'Rust Bullet'?

Custom Sub-frame connectors - Check
Dual Exhaust Hangers (both sides) - Check

Other things??

Thanks...

[Cooter]

What are you gonna do with it?
Drag?, canyon carver?, street?
Driveshaft loop?
Front inner wheel well braces?

[HeavyFuel]

I'm no 'expert' by any means, but depending how thick the stuff goes on, I'd mask and/or plug about every orifice under there.......beats the heck out of chiseling it off later.

[72Charger-SE]

Cooter..  Street with 1 maybe 2 trips to the strip...  I am upgrading the suspension with firmfeel hardware.

HeavyFuel...  thanks or the tip on sealing it up however I plan to rust bullet the inside as well... 

[b5blue]

  You need to remove more rust. I tested Bullet on my car in a few rusty areas then ground it off to check penetration through the rust. A: That stuff is hard as a rock when full cured and B: Do not think it actually absorbs through the rust to the steel under the rust. Like OSPHO it will bite into the rust but only so deep then you have a layer of rust between steel and paint. The trick is to get that layer as thin as possible before starting any coating as application of Bullet is tricky at best and a bitch to deal with later. Scrub sand blast OSPHO or use their Blaster stuff to really get as clean and etched as you can cuz once you start putting that stuff on you have a very specific recoat window.
  I had to throw half of my QT. away as the clock starts running as soon as you open the can! Hint: You do not want to think "Oh I'll recoat or get that better later."   

[1974dodgecharger]

What blue said....I used por15 and spray paint can it, yes ghetto but yeah it stops surface rust and being in az im happy.

I did it all on my back with jack stands in 110 plus heat....

[Musicman]

  I had to throw half of my QT. away as the clock starts running as soon as you open the can!     

You are suppose to shoot a little Argon in the can after opening it, if you plan to use it later. Argon replaces the oxygen in the opened can, presserving the paint, which is activated by both oxygen and moisture. I have an open QT can here that I have been using off and on for a couple of months now.

[MxRacer855]

I'm almost here with my '68! I've got a few more areas to clean off and then I think I'll be golden to seal it.

[72Charger-SE]

  You need to remove more rust. I tested Bullet on my car in a few rusty areas then ground it off to check penetration through the rust. A: That stuff is hard as a rock when full cured and B: Do not think it actually absorbs through the rust to the steel under the rust. Like OSPHO it will bite into the rust but only so deep then you have a layer of rust between steel and paint. The trick is to get that layer as thin as possible before starting any coating as application of Bullet is tricky at best and a bitch to deal with later. Scrub sand blast OSPHO or use their Blaster stuff to really get as clean and etched as you can cuz once you start putting that stuff on you have a very specific recoat window.
  I had to throw half of my QT. away as the clock starts running as soon as you open the can! Hint: You do not want to think "Oh I'll recoat or get that better later."   

use their Blaster stuff to really get as clean and etched...   Yes, I will do this.  I have two of the containers in the undercarriage kit that I purchased.  I am reading and re-reading and setting time frames to each step they have outlined.   

Thanks everyone!

[72Charger-SE]

After a couple hours of researching last night I determined it was time to apply 'Metal Blast' from the Rust Bullet Undercarriage Kit.  I will wait several hours before doing any more work on the car.   

:brickwall:I did notice that I forgot to finish patching and rebuilding the front driver's side rocker panel end cap.

I will have to tackle that before applying Rust Bullet.

GOAL: Three coats of Rust Bullet and two coats of Black Shell applied before returning to work on January 2nd.

December 28th - Family Christmas 2 Hours away (should be home by 6PM).  Welding front rocker panel cap tonight!
December 29th - Church Responsibilities (The LORD's Day)...
December 30th - Prep the Garage (plastic hung and area cleaned up first thing in the morning.
                       Rust Bullet Day... 3 Coats...  with 3 Hours of waiting between each coat...
December 31st - Minneapolis to pickup someone at the Airport AND they want to go see the Mall of America...  (Day Gone)...
January 1st - Black Shell Day...
January 2nd - Back to Work...

It is a tight schedule but I am confident (unless the LORD decides otherwise) that I can accomplish my goal!

We will see what happens...

[72Charger-SE]

Here are two photos after one hour... WOW...  what a MAJOR difference!!

[Musicman]

Looks like that stuff really works.

[Troy]

I can't see it but is your bracket for the parking brake there and did you drill a hole through your connectors for the cable? Trying to remember what other small brackets are always missing...

Troy

[72Charger-SE]

Thanks Troy...  I will verify...

[troy.70R/T]

get a 4-1/2 inch grinder with a wire wheel, dust mask and face sheild. I know its no fun but it is about the cheapest way to clean under there. also add Torque boxes the help out alot. you will not regret it.

[troy.70R/T]

Also if your car is not an origonal trailer queen u could add some other home made frabricated bracing. especially where the motor frame rails meet the torsion mount frame rails.

[MxRacer855]

get a 4-1/2 inch grinder with a wire wheel, dust mask and face sheild. I know its no fun but it is about the cheapest way to clean under there. also add Torque boxes the help out alot. you will not regret it.

Troy, I have a wire wheel on an electric power drill right now and I'm trying my best to clean it up, but it's not working that well. Sand blasting isn't really an option. My car is complete right now minus the rear end, tank, drive shaft, and trans. So I'm trying to get cleaned up as much as possible with the ca being upright. I scraped a majority of the undercoating off.

Any ideas?

[72Charger-SE]

Troy.70R/T...   What does a torque box do, specifically?  Do you have the dimensions by which it is built?  What gauge of steel and such?  Thanks...

[polywideblock]

auto rust technicians sell them ready made   ,also tells you what there for (structural rigidity)

                                         

                              http://autorust.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=91

[72Charger-SE]

Thanks Poly...  I am thinking I can make some myself and save some $.  I have extra sheet metal and am enjoying the various challenges...  Does anyone have 'dimensions' for the Torque Boxes (Front & Rear)?  If not I'll do some measuring and see what I can come up with...

[Troy]

A trick on the surface rust - spray it down with white vinegar. Keep it wet until you can wipe it off. I sometimes use steel wool or a 3m scuff pad to dig deeper. Rinse it off thoroughly! The vinegar is acidic so you just need a base to neutralize it. I can't stress that enough. It will rust again almost immediately if you don't get it clean. I am generally careful not to let this seep into any seems where I lose track of it since it can come back out later on if that happens. Since your car is apart you can hose it down and blow it out really good with air. The nice part is this method doesn't attack the "good" metal like blasting or sanding would.

For deeper rust, I use 3M Stripping wheels (looks like a sponge with black "grit" impregnated in it) attached to a drill. They come in different sizes and last a reasonably long time. You won't be able to get into tight corners with them until you wear them down. For tighter spots I use a wire brush (looks like a wire wheel but all the wire poke straight forward from the axle). A needle scaler works awesome but you'd have to buy the tool.

Whatever you use, clean the metal immediately afterwards. I use a general prep cleaner like what you'd wipe the car down with before paint. This will remove your body oils (and sweat in my case) which generally aid in "flash rust". Clean metal in a low humidity environment will usually stay clean for a while but lay your hand on there and you'll have a rusty hand print in no time.

Troy

[Musicman]

Another torque box shot for you...
http://www.autobodyspecialt.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=MP-AR2425-1