Rust on floorboards, gas tank, etc

[RageCage]

Just passed inspection for another year !!!

I have an 85 Classic 4 door, which has been a daily driver all these years in the northeast.

I do have lots of rust. What do you guys do for rust on floorboards and gas tank ? I coated the gas tank last year with used motor oil (rubbing it in with a rag), and also by spraying on some "Extend" anti-rust stuff. I sprayed the Extend on first, let it dry, then rubbed on the oil.

I also, last year, rubbed used motor oil all over the underside of the car. SOme areas are pretty crumbly. The mech at inspection actually said I had a hole rusted through already under the driver's seat, although all I can see there is an opening. I'm afraid to stick a screwdriver in there, to see how far it goes, since an avalanche of rust might fall out !!

The good news is that my trans fluid leaks onto the drive shaft, and works its way back, and the spinning shaft sprays the trans fluid out onto a swath about 1.5 feet on either side of the shaft, which is rust-free, all the way back to the differential.

Currently waiting for a warm day, to go out and do this year's rustproofing.

Oh yeah, I have some rust inside the tank too, or gas lines, I think, because I found some rust-colored sludge in the gas filter.

Looking for any new ideas, or just plain confirmation that I'm doing the right thing for the rust.

Thanks

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by RageCage

Just passed inspection for another year !!!

I have an 85 Classic 4 door, which has been a daily driver all these years in the northeast.

The good news is that my trans fluid leaks onto the drive shaft, and works its way back, and the spinning shaft sprays the trans fluid out onto a swath about 1.5 feet on either side of the shaft, which is rust-free, all the way back to the differential.

Looking for any new ideas, or just plain confirmation that I'm doing the right thing for the rust.

Thanks

The leaks of oil and trans fluid is part of the GM design to control the rust...these vehices came with no undercoating because the leaks are the rust proofing..

I have over the years since 1967 only have purchased 4 gm vehicles for my personal use...as a result of this extended time and living in the rust belt worse than jersey I have had good success and have almost perfected my rust control...

with your vehicle ...the interior seats must be removed...any rust holes must be repaired....since this is your winter vehicle don't need to be fancy...with galvanized metal and tin snips and a high quality roof sealant and rivets cover the holes...from the inside...this is very important I have seen vehicles go up in flames because of holes in the flooring....under the vehicle use the sealant or a brush on rust proofing to seal from salt and chemicals...

your gas tank must be dropped find the holes and use marine tex epoxy with a fiberglass cloth and cover the rust hole....after 24 hours clean and coat the tank with the brush on undercoating...

this will take care of your problems for a couple of years if you do it thoughly....the one area of concern that may not be repairable with ease is the support frames for the rear end and the body/frame mounting ...especially behind the rear wheels...body starts to move too much over the frame...

since the tank has rust in it install a large gas filter in addition to the one in the carb..

good luck...

[bobss396]

I go with jcat's recommendations. I have used aluminum flashing with pop rivets and or sheet metal screws. The aluminum forms easier to contours and you're really only buying some time. I used liquid driveway sealer around the edges and it kept the interior dry. I went under and squirted gutter and lap caulk from the bottom too. Some places are hard to reach, like around the transmission cross member.

Another alternative is to use fiberglass. You cut out all the rust, grind down around the edges to bare metal, mix up the resin, coat the edges and lay down the cloth. Let that set up and then coat the fiberglass with the resin. This method is best for smaller holes, not good for big expanses of missing metal. It can be combined with the metal patch method and use strips for the edges and seams.

Bob

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by bobss396

I go with jcat's recommendations. I have used aluminum flashing with pop rivets ..

Bob

THIS ALUMINUM with the steel in the rust belt will not last...as the de-icing chemicals and the electroylysis generated disintergrate these rivets...

I have also used S/Steel thin guage ..like over the cat passenger side front seat area..

[Toymakerz]

Keepin' the ol' beater goin' fer ever!
My favorite rusty floor repair....take a suitable piece of plywood, put it on top of your floor jack and cover wood with a plastic garbage bag. raise wood up to floor board level under car. Put down 2-3 layers of fiberglass mat with resin in the shape of a floor board, over lapping the good metal 6 inches. Let it cure. Remove jack, wood and bag. Admire your new RUST PROOF FLOOR!

Favorite rust hole filler...Great stuff urathane foam, just use your imagination!

Home made spray rust proofing.....Fill an old garden sprayer with used oil.(might have to thin with a little kerosene to spray good) Spray everything under car. Drive up and down a dusty road till the dust soaks up the wetness. Good for another winter!

I consider it a shame to junk a car before 250,000 miles!

[rhandwor]

Some companies like J C Whitney sell new floor boards. You have to remove the seats cut out the old floor boards and use a mig welder and weld in new floor boards.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by Toymakerz

Keepin' the ol' beater goin' fer ever!
My favorite rusty floor repair....take a suitable piece of plywood, put it on top of your floor jack and cover wood with a plastic garbage bag. raise wood up to floor board level under car. Put down 2-3 layers of fiberglass mat with resin in the shape of a floor board, over lapping the good metal 6 inches. Let it cure. Remove jack, wood and bag. Admire your new RUST PROOF FLOOR!

Favorite rust hole filler...Great stuff urathane foam, just use your imagination!

Home made spray rust proofing.....Fill an old garden sprayer with used oil.(might have to thin with a little kerosene to spray good) Spray everything under car. Drive up and down a dusty road till the dust soaks up the wetness. Good for another winter!

I consider it a shame to junk a car before 250,000 miles!

you know its people like you and I , that is the reason GM is going bankrupt,,,I too must get over this amount to feel that I got my monies worth..

[RageCage]

Originally Posted by j cAT

you know its people like you and I , that is the reason GM is going bankrupt,,,I too must get over this amount to feel that I got my monies worth..

By the way, I had 412,632 miles on my Caprice when I parked it on the street this morning at 5:30 a.m. when I got home from my nightly grind. Original motor and trans, only work done has been replacing the bolton parts.

I'm keeping parts stores in business, maybe. Maybe not. I may be bankrupting AutoZone since I have lifetime warrantee on waterpump, rad, brake pads, windshield washer pump, heater core, and a few other parts probably.

I''ve already hosed AutoZone for 2 free brand new radiators, and 2 new waterpumps, 2 windshield washer pump/motors, one (two?) heater cores, several new brake pad sets. All free and they never complain !!


I've got a fascination with seeing how far I can keep the car running and passing inspection, and looking half decent, with a yearly repainting at home.

With gas at $4 per gallon, I was getting pretty concerned, with an 80 mile a day commute, 5 days a week. ( 23.5 mpg on my commute). I had a deal lined up verbally, handshake and all, with a Toyota salesman, for a 2008 Yaris, but he tried to raise the price once we were in the office, and that soured me on the whole new car thing. So the Caprice hangs out in the street in front of my house still, with gas at $1.89 a gallon.

Problems come and go with this car. I had a coolant leak for years, from the intake manifold. I keep the coolant fresh, so it's not clogged, but the leak just stopped on it's own!

The trans started slipping in reverse. I took it Cottman, and the trans wouldn't slip when he test drove it !! Only slips once in a while, not getting any worse.


I drive it 55 to 70 mph to and from work, sometimes drift up to 85 mph if I'm not careful, nice and smooth, and not worried about getting creamed by any other car.

I'm amazed. Who said GM doesn't make good cars?

[bhw33191]

Originally Posted by RageCage

By the way, I had 412,632 miles on my Caprice when I parked it on the street this morning at 5:30 a.m. when I got home from my nightly grind. Original motor and trans, only work done has been replacing the bolton parts.

I'm keeping parts stores in business, maybe. Maybe not. I may be bankrupting AutoZone since I have lifetime warrantee on waterpump, rad, brake pads, windshield washer pump, heater core, and a few other parts probably.

I''ve already hosed AutoZone for 2 free brand new radiators, and 2 new waterpumps, 2 windshield washer pump/motors, one (two?) heater cores, several new brake pad sets. All free and they never complain !!


I've got a fascination with seeing how far I can keep the car running and passing inspection, and looking half decent, with a yearly repainting at home.

With gas at $4 per gallon, I was getting pretty concerned, with an 80 mile a day commute, 5 days a week. ( 23.5 mpg on my commute). I had a deal lined up verbally, handshake and all, with a Toyota salesman, for a 2008 Yaris, but he tried to raise the price once we were in the office, and that soured me on the whole new car thing. So the Caprice hangs out in the street in front of my house still, with gas at $1.89 a gallon.

Problems come and go with this car. I had a coolant leak for years, from the intake manifold. I keep the coolant fresh, so it's not clogged, but the leak just stopped on it's own!

The trans started slipping in reverse. I took it Cottman, and the trans wouldn't slip when he test drove it !! Only slips once in a while, not getting any worse.


I drive it 55 to 70 mph to and from work, sometimes drift up to 85 mph if I'm not careful, nice and smooth, and not worried about getting creamed by any other car.

I'm amazed. Who said GM doesn't make good cars?

Dude i have that same fascination with seeing how far i can make my car last, however i'm only at 49,000 original miles so far :-). And you were really gonna go from a big chevy caprice to that little toyota yaris?

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by RageCage

I'm amazed. Who said GM doesn't make good cars?

If you investigate the GM quality of today it is BAD...MY theory is they gave the experienced auto workers the early retirement ...now you have people that are new and poorly managed, and also you have a two tier wage scale..

this causes big problems....

[RageCage]

Originally Posted by bhw33191

Dude i have that same fascination with seeing how far i can make my car last, however i'm only at 49,000 original miles so far :-). And you were really gonna go from a big chevy caprice to that little toyota yaris?

Yeah. I've always hated paying a lot for gas. For some reason, the only decent jobs I can find are always a big commute away (even though I live in a small city and there are plenty of jobs around here, just not decent jobs).

So, with the big commute, I was freakin' out even way back when was gas was "only" $2.35 a gallon. At $4 a gallon I was really getting tired of giving my money away.

I used to drive an 84 Sentra, which was OK. Got 40 mpg hiway.


When I got this job 2 years ago, I told myself I would either get a more fuel-efficient car, or find a job closer to home, if gas prices were too high, but now I don't want the hassle of a new job.

We'll see how long gas stays low. My God, I saw it for $1.69 in NJ a few days ago !

[bhw33191]

Originally Posted by RageCage

Yeah. I've always hated paying a lot for gas. For some reason, the only decent jobs I can find are always a big commute away (even though I live in a small city and there are plenty of jobs around here, just not decent jobs).

So, with the big commute, I was freakin' out even way back when was gas was "only" $2.35 a gallon. At $4 a gallon I was really getting tired of giving my money away.

I used to drive an 84 Sentra, which was OK. Got 40 mpg hiway.


When I got this job 2 years ago, I told myself I would either get a more fuel-efficient car, or find a job closer to home, if gas prices were too high, but now I don't want the hassle of a new job.

We'll see how long gas stays low. My God, I saw it for $1.69 in NJ a few days ago !

Yeah i know what you mean. I just saw a record of 1.87 over here. I actually had vivid flashbacks from when i saw that price on the signs years ago! Its amazing, but yeah we'll see how long this lasts. I'm horrified of seeing a future of all electric cars BLECK! Times they are a changing.

[RageCage]

Thanks guys for all the advice on rustproofing / repairing the Caprice. At this point I plan on just rubbing used motor oil all over the gas tank, and everywhere else underneath that looks dry. It only takes about 3 hours altogether. I'll do the gas tank first.

I waited too long this year. Every day is wet or cold now. Hoping for a warm weekend. I was spending all my free time looking at used cars, plus my other endless chores, so never got around to rustproofing the beast, since I was thinking of selling it or trading it in.

BHW, if that's your Caprice in the pics, it looks mighty nice.


RC