Frame & undercarriage advise!

[Fode140]

Hello All! I've been looking around and reading and there are a lot of good threads on the forum about this subject! SOOO many and SOOO many options that my head is about to explode! LOL. Anyway, to get down to specifics of my project, it is a '91 last year square body Suburban. Relatively clean as although Chicago based, spent a lot of winters vacationing in AZ by the previous (and original) owners. It is a light resto (mostly mechanical and cosmetic) project for my 2 young sons and I to make it their first vehicle in a couple of years. I do however as part of the project want to scrape, clean, and re-spray the undercarriage while I have the opportunity and have all the brake and fuel lines, exhaust etc. off as they are all being replaced. This will by no means be a frame off restoration. I've heard anything from simple Rust-O-Leum to POR-15 and Eastwood products to spray on bedliners. I've always been mechanically inclined, was a mechanic and restored cars before, but never much on body work, mostly the mechanical and cosmetic, and I do not own a paint sprayer and would be more comfortable with a spray can application. Being that this is a light resto and will be a driver, any suggestions??? Thank you!

 

[bucket]

Imho for a driver, just keep it cleaned fairly often and hit it with spray paint, as needed.

The heavier and stronger coatings tend to retain a lot of dirt and moisture when they inevitably gain some surface imperfections, which can cause major rust that could go unnoticed for a while. Then it's either too late to save the metal, or you've got one heck of a chore to remove the failed coating.

 

[RattleSnack]

Imho for a driver, just keep it cleaned fairly often and hit it with spray paint, as needed.

The heavier and stronger coatings tend to retain a lot of dirt and moisture when they inevitably gain some surface imperfections, which can cause major rust that could go unnoticed for a while. Then it's either too late to save the metal, or you've got one heck of a chore to remove the failed coating.

I'll second that.....and take it one step further, and suggest a rust preventive like Fluid Film. I use it on all my vehicles and had pretty good results. I spray the undercarriage, inside the doors, fenders, tailgate, etc.

But I also keep my squarebodies hibernated in the garage for the winters!!

 

[bucket]

I'll second that.....and take it one step further, and suggest a rust preventive like Fluid Film. I use it on all my vehicles and had pretty good results. I spray the undercarriage, inside the doors, fenders, tailgate, etc.

But I also keep my squarebodies hibernated in the garage for the winters!!

Do you use the regular Fluid Film or the black?

 

[Grit dog]

Wauconda! Small world. I grew up in Grayslake.
If you’re cleaning it up then it makes sense to paint it.
May as well get a paint gun. You’ll be buying stuff by the case if you rattle can. But up to you.
Pressure wash. De grease. Wash again Completely.
Get any flaking rust down to solid metal. Anything that is more than surface corrosion I’d do Ospho or Por 15 etc. Then paint it all with chassis paint. Some good hard single stage paint.
If it’s not going to be a winter rig, that’s a 20 year resto for fair weather. If the kids are gonna wheel it all winter, spray the under carriage every year with whatever your favorite oil is. Fluid film Krown whatever.
If you’re not down with doing all that, I’d rattle can everything that isn’t oily and send it.

 

[RattleSnack]

Do you use the regular Fluid Film or the black?

I prefer the regular. I buy a gallon bucket and use my spray gun...then I'll use spray cans for touch-ups.

I've seen the black Fluid Film used before, and I didn't really care for how it looked....it seemed to have a messy wet-look.

If you're looking for a nice satin/flat black look, then I'd suggest using RP-342. I never used it personally, but I have seen some videos and it looks pretty good.

Here's one that someone put on there CUCV...

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...and another one that someone put on their Dodge...

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[TotalyHucked]

When I did the LS swap on my truck, I wire brushed and painted the front half of frame while the drivetrain was out. I used VHT Chassis Paint from the parts store. It looked great and has held up very well after 4yrs/50k miles. A simple wipe down and it looks nearly as good as it did when it was fresh. The only thing I've found that really hurts it is brake clean, I've hit the frame here and there doing other jobs and it streaks it/tries to wash it off. But I just scuff it with a scotchbrite pad and respray that area, good as new

This was freshly done. I used pieces of cardboard boxes set on top of the frame rails to keep the paint off the bottom side of the cab and did small sections at a time

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And here's a year or so ago during the T56 swap. There was ~30k miles on it at this point, you can see how nasty dirty it is. But a good wipe down and it looks near cherry, I'm very impressed with this stuff

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[Scott91370]

Wauconda! Small world. I grew up in Grayslake.

I'm from McHenry and have family in Island Lake.... Crazy the people you meet on the internet.

 

[idrivea2002golf]

Wauconda! Small world. I grew up in Grayslake.

I was in Gages Lakes for about 2 years while working out there. It was a nice area to be.

I'd recommend against POR-15. it's a great product and does well. But it really requires effort to install. My brother is pretty religious about fluid film on his FJ and that seems to hold up nicely (we don't have much in the way of rust issues in CA though).

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Grit dog]

Do you use the regular Fluid Film or the black?

Ha didn’t know they made black fluid film. Thats like Midwest chassis resto in a can! Lol

 

[RattleSnack]

Ha didn’t know they made black fluid film. Thats like Midwest chassis resto in a can! Lol

That's another reason I'm not fond of Black Fluid Film...it could make it look like you're "hiding" something.

 

[bucket]

That's another reason I'm not fond of Black Fluid Film...it could make it look like you're "hiding" something.

I had bought a couple cans of it, but kept forgetting to hose down my van with it like I intended.

I guess I'll just use it inside the doors and rockers now. I like the looks of that RP 342 stuff.

 

[Craig Nedrow]

My 85, used Duplicolor, go here:https://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/new-for-me-1985-silverado-20-6-2-diesel.32359/page-6 post 8. On the 73, used chassis saver, also rust converter. before and after K20 frame, chassis saver.

 

[Craig Nedrow]

Here is a link to the 73 and what it took ME, not you to do what I did,

https://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/1973-k20-350-to-454-swap.29840/page-11

starts #164, can just scroll by the text and look at the pictures.