<VV> Rust Proofing

[Vairtec Corporation]

I live in New Jersey, a state that loves to salt its roads.  I have had 
two experiences with rustproofing that proved successful. 

The first was on a year-round daily-driver Greenbrier in the early 
1980s.  The truck came to me directly from southern California and had 
no rust.  I fashioned a siphon spray wand out of brake line tubing, and 
sprayed used motor oil into all the body cavities.  Messy, and 
environmentally unsound, but it worked.  I drove that Greenbrier until 
it had had 229,000 miles on it, then I sold it, and I saw it again some 
years after than, still no rust.

The second was on a brand-new Chevy S-10 pickup.  Drove it directly from 
the dealership to Bill Ableson's shop and, using a similar brake line 
wand, we sprayed black zinc chromate paint into all the body cavities.  
Sold that truck a decade later with 150,000 miles on it and no rust.

I should point out that finding and accessing all the body cavities on 
the Greenbrier -- or any Corvair -- requires diligence, patience, and a 
little ingenuity.  For example, I needed to drill a coupe of access 
holes, but I wanted them to be inconspicuous.  So I drilled one-inch 
holes, and used the stock-appearing one-inch grey Caplugs found in 
Greenbriers to plug the holes.

It was also necessary to clean the body cavities on the Greenbrier 
before starting the process.  I used homemade nozzles on a vacuum 
cleaner, and compressed air.

While I have never undertaken to rust-proof a Corvair car, every Corvair 
car I have owned has undergone the body-cavity-cleaning process.  
Leaves, twigs, pine needles, dead mice etc.

The S-10 job required two people.  As the paint was being applied it 
would emerge from unexpected places, and the second person had to wipe 
it up before it dried.

Today, I think I would go with a combination of the paint trick and the 
commercially-available body cavity waxes. Like others have said, I would 
stay away from undercoating products.

--Bob Marlow