Case study: underspraying with oil for rust prevention

[WmWatt]

Just finished spraying the Festiva with oil to retard rust formation.
Put a description in a web page at www.ag384bn.bravehost.com/Carspray.htm

[Levitan]

Says "inform owner of broken link."

[WmWatt]

Right. Bravehost wouldn't let me change the name so I had to change it here by editing the posting. Works now. Sorry about that.

[el festy]

good write up WmWatt, if we get a winter like last year, that rust protection will defantely pay off! Nice to see another member here in Ontario.

[Mike McKown]

A guy I converse with on another web site bought a new Dodge truck in about 1990. Every year, he sprays the underbody with oil. He says the truck has absolutely no rust in it after all these years. Quite a testimony considering he lives in Conneticutt where they use salt on the roads.

[lessersivad]

Years ago a friend of mine used to use an old spray painting gun with a bored out tip to spray roofing tar thinned with kerosene. I like this idea better. Saves having to take the door panels of to get the material where you want it. Good job.

[CharlieZ]

Nice write up WmWatt. Doesn't water, say from rain & snow in the streets, being heavier than oil, quickly displace the oil application?

[WmWatt]

Oil sticks good. Before they invented oil wells they used to use rape seed oil (canola is a variety of rape seed) on steam engines because it sticks so good to metal. I belive modern motor oil has additives which helps it stick. Oil spraying is supposed to be done every year in the fall, before winter. One year I painted the underside of the car with used motor oil. Talk about messy! It lasted for years but I tend to leave the car in the garage most of the winter.

[CharlieZ]

"Oil sticks good." You're right. Especially vegetable oil. Years ago I had an RX7 that unfortunately had to be parked out during the winter. Freezing rain would seal the doors shut. I thoughtlessly sprayed Pam on the door seals. It lasted a long time. Too long. Attracted dirt and dust on the dry days and deposited same on my clothing. I should have sprayed the entire car with it though. In about 5 years, the car literally rusted in two at the forward edges of the door. Good thing it was rear drive. The drive shaft was probably holding it together :-) Not as bad as a friend who lost the aft end of his '56 Citroen DS/ID-19. Lots of rust and a rough rail crossing when finally those narrow spaced rear wheels finally separated from the rest of the car. Hydraulic suspension and all. Being FWD, he was able to drive it to the side of the road before it died. 2X :-)