thoughts on underbody rust protection

[200Plus Club]

my new classic in waiting sunbeam lotus has had a full body restoration, the chassis has been injected with waxoyl, plugs put back into the holes used etc where required. the actual underbody however has been sprayed in metallic blue body colour, same as the upper body, and appears to have had a coat of thicker clear laquer or protection sprayed on.
in some of the creases/joints tho the application is a little thin and less obvious. i'd like to apply some form of underbody wax /protectant overall anyway to help stop stone chips, protect against rust etc, and to get into the joints/crevices.

i'd prefer not to use a black or brown covering that will blot everything out as it looks pristine underneath right now.

any suggestions for a clear hard wearing seal that will last a few yrs, either to be home applied or professionally applied?

have been doing some reading up, like the sound of the bilt hamber uc clear film wax
http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/bilt-hamber-dynax-uc...

anyone applied this themselves, how long does it last and is it easy to apply?

or any other suggestions, want to keep this car and they arent famed for their corrosion resistance lol

[anonymous-user]

http://www.rustmaster.co.uk/

[200Plus Club]

cheers for that, looks like a proper job done there. any idea tho if the underbody wax used is clear or dark? it looks black from the diagrams showing the underbody section of the process.

Edited by 200Plus Club on Thursday 5th April 23:23

[na]

black - I had my Midget do there, next time i'll ask to keep it out of the engine bay as it coated the filter mesh

[200Plus Club]

unless there is a clear coat option with them i'd be reluctant to lose the body colour finish at the mo, it looks so good.

[anonymous-user]

It won't look so good when it's all brown and flaky. I am not very fussy about what the undersides of my cars look like, but I prefer them not to be rusty.

My old Fabboceptor rustproofs its own chassis by chucking oil all over it, but this doesn't work on its body.

[na]

I think the pro stuff is all black but email to check he's very freindly

[200Plus Club]

Breadvan72 said:

It won't look so good when it's all brown and flaky. I am not very fussy about what the undersides of my cars look like, but I prefer them not to be rusty.

My old Fabboceptor rustproofs its own chassis by chucking oil all over it, but this doesn't work on its body.

fair point but thats why i was considering the bilt hamber uc clear, if its reasonably clear after application and does a similar good job. i've used their chassis spray before and thats great but its the usual dark waxy brown finish.

[OldSkoolRS]

I've just ordered some UC myself to use behind the wheel arch liners on my Z3 (there are some body joints that can rust I want to treat them). I'll let you know how it turns out and I'll post pictures if you like as I'll be detailing the arches, etc so don't want them all plastered with black gunge.

This is a trial for my RS2000 as it will have a similar underside to yours (though the car is gloss black).

PS. I don't think your car is a 'classic in waiting'...It's already a classic in my book.

[200Plus Club]

brilliant, looking forward to before and after pictures of that, cheers

[200Plus Club]

OldSkoolRS said:

I've just ordered some UC myself to use behind the wheel arch liners on my Z3 (there are some body joints that can rust I want to treat them). I'll let you know how it turns out and I'll post pictures if you like as I'll be detailing the arches, etc so don't want them all plastered with black gunge.

This is a trial for my RS2000 as it will have a similar underside to yours (though the car is gloss black).

PS. I don't think your car is a 'classic in waiting'...It's already a classic in my book.

i have spent an enjoyable few hrs in the sunshine today liberally coating the inner wings and arches with clear Bilt hamber UC rust protection. i have also stuck my eyelids to my eyelashes with the misty overspray lol
very sticky stuff, if you go steady it goes on thin and remains clear, if you are heavy handed it leaves a yellow waxy finish like waxoyl.
rear to do now and underside to come!

[OldSkoolRS]

Forgot to post back as I did some of mine over Easter. I did behind the arch liners and inside the cover sill (took the opportunity to really clean it out and the main sill behind). The bit showing blue in this picture is coated with UC, but it stayed slightly sticky for a few days so I didn't spray the equivalent exposed parts on the front wheelarch incase I decided to clean it off. As the rear has now fully dried, I will do the front and the passenger side of the car too when time allows. After this 'test' I'm planing on treating my RS2000 with UC once I've completed the welding and recommisioning.

[lowdrag]

When my E-type was restored in 1988 I had the underside sprayed in stone chip of the same colour as the upper side. 70,000 miles later of all weathers there is no rust.

[200Plus Club]

mine is underbody colour with clear laquer, the paint is a little thin in some areas on the chassis edges etc thats all. the clear wax BH stuff certainly does what it says on the tin. crap damp day so far so no further progress on doing rest of car.

[V8 FOU]

I have used Dinitrol products with great success. They do a wax that you apply with a schutz gun that is a very light colour and hardly affects the substrate colour. Can't think of the product no. but I am sure it's on the website.

[woodytype S]

I run Jap imports that are not undersealed from new.I spray the underside with old engine oil,keeps it good as new.