Damn, that picture makes me sad. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
As these cars get older, many of us will find ourselves facing this problem. Getting ahead of the curve will minimise the damage that will have to be contended with.
It looks like your car has led a life in one of the areas that salts the roads, or has just been used as mitsubishi intended, and then not washed up after the fact.
I feel your pain
I've got a shell that is so fawkin clean from the outside it looks like a showcar...
However, underneath it's
covered in unrepairable corrosion.
The 4 wheel steering pump is just a big shapeless blob on top of the diff. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
There's really no cost/time effective way to save it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
With the recent snows, many of us have been out rallying around. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif
For many of us, this has been on "prepared" roads.
I prefer prepared vehicles and untreated roads, but in these new pussified/lawyer dictated times, the local department of transportations feel the need to use huge quantities of salt and/or mag chloride to keep the soccer moms safe.
Anytime you see a white film in the runoff on the sides of the road, you're running on a prepared surface, and that sh*t is getting in every nook and cranny under your car when you pass over sections of road that's wet with the runoff.
Not rinsing this crap off the bottom of your ride after running on these prepared roads will lead to issues further down the line,
gaurandamnteed.
Salt = instant corrosion, but even mag chloride will give you grief, and it corrodes the ever lovin sh*t out of aluminum and electrical systems.
Let this picture be a reminder of what happens if you don't clean up after having fun.
Just rinsing the sheetmetal/outside body off won't cut it. You've got to rinse the bottom of your car thoroughly.
If you don't get all the nooks and crannies, your fuel/brake/4 wheel steering hardlines (and other components) under the car will corrode, making underbody service a f***ing nightmare in years to come.
Hardware will break every f***ing time you want to do a simple little job, and just changing something as simple as brake pads and bleeding the brakes can take all day and fill the air with colorfull adjectives.
In addition, the corrosion will eventually set in and attack the unibody itself, leading to the problems raptorreed is now facing.
There are certain areas of the car that will be worse than others.
The pockets in the front fenders collect leaves and other organic debris that drains down from the cowl. Almost every single vr4 I've looked at has *
some* corrosion there. Killing the corrosion there will prevent pinholes from forming that will allow moisture into the rocker rails. Once corrosion starts in the rocker rails, it's just a matter of time before it's game over from a structural standpoint.
The bottoms of the doors, and along the impact protection beams inside them is another place where corrosion is occuring on the majority of our cars. Just pulling the doorpanels once or twice a year, rinsing down the insides, and cleaning out the drain holes in the door bottoms will go a long way to minimising the problem
Throwing the car up on stands once or twice a year and rinsing out all the rocker panel structures and other underbody structures will flush out the dirt and debris that will soak up moisture and trap it against the metal.
At the very least con one of the chickies at the gas station out of a drive thru (
brushless! ) automated car wash, (with underbody rinse,) after every storm.
There are several rust conversion products out there that will stop the corrosion proccess.
I like the
Eastwood product line, but there are other products that will work just as well at halting the progression of underbody corrosion.
Raptoreed, I feel your pain.
Not a lot you can do but start replacing entire sections of the floor.
I've done this job on a few datsun z cars. It brings the suck in ways you just can't even fathom untill you've been there and done that.
It is doable, you're just going to have to really want to do it.
You will get the best results if you kill it everywhere it's got a foothold.
Before starting the massive amount of work this project will require, I would advise you to look at the
entire underbody, and be sure there isn't any other ares that will require heroic measures.
Many times, it's better to just buy a shell that's being parted and transfer your goodies onto that platform.
Good luck with the project, whatever you decide to do. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
cliffs
Corrosion sucks
Rinse your car after every storm, top
and bottom.
Drive thru
brushless car washes work well several times a month.
Just let everything cool down first, and drive it dry afterwords.
Inspect your car every spring, paying close attention to the hardlines. Anywhere you see pitting or peeling of the plastic coating, clean the area thoroughly and top coat them with something that will halt the corrosion proccess.
Pull the fuel pump access cover in the trunk and clean the top of the tank/fuel pump bracket, and apply some rust preventative product to the hardware everynow and then.
A little time spent cleaning up will make future service much more enjoyable, allow you to keep your car in top form, and it will pay
large dividends if you ever decide to sell your car.