Getting ahead of rust

Mitsubishi Delica L400 production commenced in 1994 -- After much anticipation, the L400 arrived on Canadian Soil in 2009!
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austin.hager
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2020 6:28 pm
Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
Vehicle: 1994 Delica Space Gear CL Exceed
Location: Penticton

Getting ahead of rust

Post by austin.hager »

Hey everyone,

Just got a 1994 SWB CL in July with only 134k on it! It looks great but the rust scaling has started, I don't think there are any major problem areas but want to keep it that way. I just took off the side steps, guard and bumper tube and took my drill with a wire brush attachment to it. I spray painted it gloss white with a rust paint and It looks way freaking better.

Next step is tackling the undercarriage.

I want to basically sand/grind almost everything underneath the vehicle and coat it in a rust inhibitor. Has anyone done this? Did you use an angle grinder? I don't have one but was thinking about picking one up to tackle the whole job.

Also, any suggested rust inhibitors? I don't really want to paint on top of it.

Any tips would be appreciated!
kastles
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2018 5:32 am
Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
Vehicle: Vera, a 1999 Chamonix
Location: London, ON

Re: Getting ahead of rust

Post by kastles »

Watching, I have just moved to Ontario and was going to start looking into the same thing
jbourne
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2019 1:01 am
Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
Vehicle: Unicorn L400 with no miles
Location: The North

Re: Getting ahead of rust

Post by jbourne »

I got one with 14K kms on it and it was basically off the factory floor. So I covered it with CorrosionFREE (NOT at Canadian Tire!). Let’s see how it does in its first winter ...
Ralph in Winnipeg
Posts: 239
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Vehicle: 94 Strada
Location: Winnipeg

Re: Getting ahead of rust

Post by Ralph in Winnipeg »

I wouldn't grind - wire wheel is all that's really needed. In my experience, this is a wildly difficult and demoralizing job. The open areas that won't rust you can easily clean. The convoluted spots where rust starts are impossible to get at. My last 3 imports I have done a really thorough pressure wash of the under carriage, let dry for a few days and then spray with a rust inhibitor. I tried Fluid Film in the one gallon size with an under coating gun and that really sucked. On my new Nissan I bought 6 aerosol cans of Rust Check from Canadian Tire on sale and hosed the under body and engine bay down. I coal the wheel wells with black asphalt undercoating first - its really tough. Good luck - this is an unpleasant job!

Ralph in Winnipeg
Xerty
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2021 9:50 am
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Vehicle: Mitsubishi Delica Coach
Location: 80331

Re: Getting ahead of rust

Post by Xerty »

A dirty car is a problem for many motorists, especially if you have children. I know that a car trim steamer can reach even the most inaccessible places and parts that would otherwise be completely inaccessible to a pressure washer. I clean my car once a season as how to get stains out of car seats , there are so many effective cleaning methods.
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