The way Metros Die - rust out in the control arm / underbody area (PHOTOS)

[DOCTORBILL]

OK.....Good Photographs only!

I have seen this said in so many threads and posts...."rust out in the control arm / underbody area...."

You cannot fix it......

So - if it is THE way Metros Die - why have I never seen any GOOD PHOTOGRAPHS of this problem ?

To alleviate said issue, I am starting this thread for the express purpose of having
as many photographs of "..rust out in the control arm / underbody area..." posted
as is possible.

SHOW us your rust!

Show us your dead Metro's malady.

Show us where to look!

Is mine dying?

I am from Missouri, I need visual evidence - proof!

DoctorBill

[Johnny Mullet]

Mine is rusting and has already been sorta repaired by the previous owner. I will get the car on a lift and snap some good shots for you.

Here are some photos posted from TeamSwift.................

[mtran2000]

Several pics of Metro under body rust if link works.

http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh254/mtran2000/

[DOCTORBILL]

mtran2000 - some of the photos did not want to load, so I put the cursor
on the beginning of the "Direct Links" and copied it, then pasted that into the
'Location" bar of my browser and they came up.

I copied (right click on photo then crtl-C) and pasted (ctrl-V) them into a directory
on my computer, using a graphics program, just to keep them for myself.

Same with yours, Mr. Mullet!

Holy Crapola!

Were those cars dumped into the Ocean and left for a year?!

They looked like they'd been dumped into ACID!

I've never seen such rust!

Now (7:40 PM) I'll go outside and have a good look at my '93 Metro for such
rust - in the morning!

Now I understand why you can't just weld some metal over them to fix this stuff.

How can one prevent this from happening?

Undercoating just traps the salt in place and makes it worse I'm told !

One guy once told me to place a lawn sprinkler under one's car in the spring and
let it spray for an hour while you slowly pull the hose along the length of
the car to wash out all the salts from road ice melting spray applied to the roads
all winter.

I tried that once, but haven't paid close attention to doing it.

But - Now I will - Truly - "A picture is worth a thousand words" ! ! !

What a hideous and degrading way to die....its just not right !

DoctorBill

[DangerDude]

I couldn't agree with Doctor Bills response more! What a terrible waste of a nice efficiant sensible car! Lost to corrosion alone. These are the cars of the times NOW! There must be a way or a method to engineer some brackets or channel or something to restore safety and integrity to the front sub frames (?) My 1999 had some rust in the rear wheel wells, between two layers of unfourtunately thin tin. Removed the rear interior side panels and found it.
Drilled the little stiffening channels and shot them full of rust converter and enamel paint. So far the back of the car is still attached! There is an engineering lesson in here somewhere! Corrosion control, materiels and design!!! Maybe it's the (cheap) grade of steel used in Metro construction too. Maybe if we could get them re-introduced and made out of a little heavier grade of STAINLESS STEEL! Yeah baby! Like the Delorian!! A brushed stainless Metro!!! Oh hell yeah!! with leather interior .. darn .. I gotta get Started! More later .. gotta send GM and E-mail!!! (hah)
DangerDude the delirious

[DOCTORBILL]

This is rather funny and strange....nature finds a way.

My Metro's rubber valve cover gasket leaked from day one after I did my overhaul.

Not a lot - just a steady minor leak - maybe one cup each month.

Never could get it stopped.

Oil leaked out and the wind has spread it all over the engine compartment and
underneath the body.

Johnny Mullet recommended spraying used motor oil mixed with Mineral Spirits
all over the underbody!

My Metro (The Phoenix) did it all by itself - is it alive?!

Is this evolutionary adaptation by machines to survive?!

Survival of the fittest....maybe oil leaks are a car's way of surviving our road salt
insult.

Oil Leaks are not a bad thing! They are natural - organic even!

If you don't want to mix up used motor oil and mineral spirits, then go to a
Farm Supply ( or Shucks or NAPA) and buy a can of "GUNK Cycle & Farm Equipment CHAIN LUBE".



Sticky oil for Motorcycle Chains and Chain Saws. Nice spray can you could use
underneath in those rust-prone areas!

How about mixing Chain Saw Chain Oil with the Mineral Spirits for a spray-on? - very sticky stuff !

Clean 'er up an' Hose 'er down! "Gitter done!" as Larry the Cable Guy would say.

Just a thought at 5:30 in the morning when I can't sleep...

DoctorBill

http://www.gunk.com/CAT_ML2S.asp
http://www.agrisupply.com/product.as...cd2=1209474727

[mtran2000]

Originally Posted by DOCTORBILL

mtran2000 -

Undercoating just traps the salt in place and makes it worse I'm told !

DoctorBill

I put rubberized undercoating on critical under carriage areas of my Metro. I wire brushed metal clean. I am thinking a barrier can't hurt anything. I stored my Metro last winter. As long as my other winter beater car holds up I plan on storing Metro during salty season.

Eventually I may end up driving Metro year round so I am interested in any ideas to prevent rust.

Mark

[cubano112266]

Has anyone ever used POR-15 or rustbullet?

[Johnny Mullet]

Originally Posted by mtran2000

I put rubberized undercoating on critical under carriage areas of my Metro. I wire brushed metal clean. I am thinking a barrier can't hurt anything.

That undercoating is not a good idea because it actually (in time) will trap moisture and make the rust even worse. I have tried it all including rustoleum paint and some other crap (majic in a can) but nothing works better than used motor oil mixed w/mineral spirits to thin it out. There are even places around my region that charge you about $35.00 to save you the mess. If you have a rack and can get the car into the air, you can use a paint sprayer, but this makes one hell of a mess. Also make sure you spray into the frame areas where possible, because otherwise they rot from the inside out.

If you have a rust-free frame, the yearly spraying will prevent the rust from ever becoming rot. If you have rot already, the oiling will slow it down considerably, but cancer does not stop once it gets going.

I am seriously debating on removing the engine and trans so I can really get in there and develop something permanent and not just patching steel over rot. Anything to save a car with this kind of fuel economy would actually be worth it even if it means paying a pro to do it after you strip out the engine and trans to make the job easy for him. These cars are so easy to rip apart.

Hell, once the engine and trans are out, you could probably crawl under the hood, lift the bumper and walk it to the weld shop to save a tow

[GM Line Rat]

Originally Posted by cubano112266

Has anyone ever used POR-15 or rustbullet?

Yep! One word for those who have rust on the underbody of there metros, and plan on keeping them........POR-15 Treatment.

POR-15 Website

Use it per directions and it will never rust thru! My 1995 Chevy Caprice got the full "POR-15" Treatment on the frame a few years ago when I was doing a complete makeover on it, and I dont live in the "Rust Belt either!. Here's a few pics of what POR-15 Looks like when applied to a frame.

[mtran2000]

Originally Posted by GM Line Rat

and I dont live in the "Rust Belt either!.

How would you know how well POR 15 worked if you don't live in rust belt? True test would be usage in an area where salt is heavily used.

Mark

[GM Line Rat]

Originally Posted by mtran2000

How would you know how well POR 15 worked if you don't live in rust belt? True test would be usage in an area where salt is heavily used.

Mark

Did you bother to read the POR-15 Website before responding? That's exactly what POR-15 was designed for: to STOP rust and seal out and protect all moisture and outside elements (Salt) from collecting on metal surfaces and corroding it. BTW, our 94 Chevy 1500 trucks frame / underbody had also gotten the POR-15 Treatment on it 5 years ago, and we make an average of 6 trips to Mich and PA in the Winter time every year in it, and drive in the road salt for days at a time........It's still spotless!

[mtran2000]

Pics from a Metro off another forum.

[91Caprice9c1]

GM: I've given you kudos before on your POR-15 job. I just can't help it man... It looks so good, my Caprice and I are jealous.

-MechanicMatt

[GM Line Rat]

Originally Posted by 91Caprice9c1

GM: I've given you kudos before on your POR-15 job. I just can't help it man... It looks so good, my Caprice and I are jealous.

-MechanicMatt

Thank you Matt......You know the B-Bodys are a labor of love, mine was no exception. Its a "Garage Queen" now and sits next to the Wifes 93 Roadmaster....68K Original miles on Her car....another garage queen. Here's a pic of the LT1 in my 95 Caprice, right before we dropped it in.........Mike