Getting the new Hampshire undercoating done on my '14

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JExpedition07

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Agreed Toby, I’m all fine and dandy with our modern vehicles. But I’m not going to claim they are built as solid, original, or cool like they were in the 50’s and 60’s. They truly don’t build them like they used to.

More steel, more design element, etc. Driving a 50’s Lincoln or Cadillac is a magical experience.....it also shows you how terrible our cars ride today. You don’t feel a pair of train tracks on those old caddies, now our vehicles jump ten feet in the air. Our vehicles are all carbon copies with different plastic fascias now, no cool factor or originality. I’m relatively young, but those cars built before my time are just magical to me....so much cooler.

My aunt has a 1964 Lincoln Continental with suicide doors.....there is nothing like driving that car down the road. Turns heads everywhere and rides like your driving your living room sofa down the road.
 

bobmbx

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Agreed Toby, I’m all fine and dandy with our modern vehicles. But I’m not going to claim they are built as solid, original, or cool like they were in the 50’s and 60’s. They truly don’t build them like they used to.

More steel, more design, etc. Driving a 50’s Lincoln or Cadillac is a magical experience.....it also shows you how terrible our cars ride today. You don’t feel a pair of train tracks on those old caddies, now our vehicles jump ten feet in the air. Our vehicles are all carbon cooys with different plastic fasciae now, no cool factor or originality. I’m relatively young, but those cars built long before my time are just magical to me....so much cooler.
The exhaust smelled better, too.
 

cmiles97

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I want Pete Rose in the Hall, and my left-foot high beam button back.

I have changed many of those out over my late teens, early 20s. Lets put a metal switch where the salt will get on it from the snow on your shoes melting.

No way I'm going back to carburetor, no cruise control and lack of AC cars. My dad said AC was for rich folks and we didn't need it in norther NY. Then when it was standard he got every car with it after lol.

My sister had a 90s chevy cavalier with manual roll down windows. When her daughters friends were in it they had to ask how to put down the windows as they had never been in a car with them and had no idea how they worked.
 
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HawkX66

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In the case of our Expys, I'm going to disagree with a few of you that say they don't make them like they used to. The boxed frame on an Expy is tough! I've never seen such a solid setup. If you don't agree with me, try pulling one. I mean pull like bend one back after an accident.
And for what it's worth... cmiles97 is correct about the high beam switch. I still have one in my 69 Camaro.
 

TobyU

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In the case of our Expys, I'm going to disagree with a few of you that say they don't make them like they used to. The boxed frame on an Expy is tough! I've never seen such a solid setup. If you don't agree with me, try pulling one. I mean pull like bend one back after an accident.
And for what it's worth... cmiles97 is correct about the high beam switch. I still have one in my 69 Camaro.

Yes, some of the trucks at least up to 2005 or so maybe later are beefy in frames.
the Excursion has one of the beat frames I have ever seen!

Remember when in "the old days" they got cheap and started with sub frame...gravel pan my dad always called them.
Chevy II had them. I think Mustang, and Camaro wasn't much better IIRC.

Then even in the 80s they started doing L shaped frames...I know there is a different name for it though.
but open instead of a complete box square or rectangle.

Trucks and SUVs are awesome in the frame aspect. I miss cars being that way too.
I never liked the X frame on Buicks though. Looked odd.
 

1955moose

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Good thing about old classic cars, is buy or build one for the weekend or special trip, but drive that new heavy metal, plastic trimmed 2000 something for your daily driver. Like I've said before, it's ok to look back in the rear view mirror, but just don't stare too long. Your dreams at night, are your window to the past. It's a good 10-30 minute visit. Then you wake up.

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Brent Harward

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Yes on the coating. No on the safety of old land yachts. See YouTube of 59 Chevy in a crash test. Malibu walk away. 59 Chevy didn't walk away.
 

1955moose

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Metal dash, no seat belt, no air bags. All the steel in front of you ain't gonna matter, when your heads catapulting through the windshield!

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TobyU

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Yes on the coating. No on the safety of old land yachts. See YouTube of 59 Chevy in a crash test. Malibu walk away. 59 Chevy didn't walk away.
Exactly my point! A 59 had no seat belts but they compare tests.
My argument is not that old cars were safer, but that big cars with thick metal would be safer that little cars with thin metal.
Imagine the injury if a newer car had no seatbelt or airbags!
 

1955moose

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That happened to the Prius accident two Fridays ago in Pacifica. The Prius went head on into a Chevy Silverado. Both guys in the Chevy were fine. The Prius driver in critical condition, the two passengers, Muerte!

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oldpaddy

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Had the coating done today. They said there was very little rust Just surface rust. I get nervous about rust considering where I live. I'd still be driving a first generation if they hadn't of rusted through.
Some oil got on the exhaust and he told me not to worry if it smokes, that it'll burn off quickly. I pull out of the lot and I started smoking like I was on fire! I'm surprised no one tried to wave me down. After a few miles the smoke was gone. I'm happy.

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oldpaddy

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And the tech noticed I'm missing my splash guard under the engine. Must've been the previous owner. I'll have to hunt one down.
 

TobyU

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I'm losing my mind on what to try to do this..OCD big time.
I just got two vehicles one 16 and one almost 20 years old that are like new underneath.
I can't believe the condition. They look maybe 6 month old.
One is 03 Nav and I don't see anything applied and frame looks just painted from factory.
The other is custom ford truck and looks like the custom shop undercoated (probably rubberized) the frame rails but I will have to look again but I don't think the floor pan etc.
I mean the thing is so clean you can read the grease pencil marks on the driveshaft like they were yesterday.

A buddy told me his dad used to spray kerosene!!! on his truck underside every year.
I have hear of used oil and wd-40 and wtc but never kerosene. It is a bit flammable, but I'e done worse.
I guess you could mix kerosene and oil or even do the beeswax add in to try to make a good one.
I hate the look or Fluid Film but I hate rust more.

Usually I just Extend spray any visible bad rust, then Black Rustoleum spray then undercoat.
I have used tar like non drying add rubberized but like rubberized a bit better.

I like the wet black look but these trucks are so nive underneath I want to preserve them against the weather they will see.
 

jkayca

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I always thought that if you were going to get the undercoating done you had to do it almost immediately after the car left the dealership. I.e. the car had to be almost brand new. Otherwise you'd just be covering up any rust that has accumulated over the years and it will still be a problem.
 

TobyU

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That's why I'm at a conundrum with all the different opinions and stories and products out there. If you use some sort of rust converter like the spray extend or Ospho phosphoric acid they maybe you can safely seal it back up. And those cases I would certainly use black Rust-Oleum first and then undercoat but regardless, existing rust or not, there are serious that any type of undercoating will eventually get cracks in it or chips and allow the moisture to get in and rust as much if not worse than leaving the frame alone. But what about paint? Doesn't it in theory do the same thing? But we don't leave metal exposed. We paint metal. Even then, it get small nicks and chips and the moisture does work into it and start to rust but it doesn't spread near as quickly as if you would have left the entire piece unpainted.
Then there's the theory of no painting or sealing at all and just coating with something like fluid film or some sort of petroleum product or a homebrew mixture. This doesn't leave the nice pretty appearance but preventing more rust is more important than appearance. You also have to do these on a more regular basis. It's quite a hard decision to make. I really want to keep this one vehicle rust free for the next seven or eight years because I really just can't go out and replace it at least not without searching all over the country and paying a lot of money for one.
 

TobyU

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It looks like the sticky tar-like undercoating that I used to see years ago. Tar is a petroleum product I believe. It stayed tacky and pliable and you could always push your thumb into it and leave an imprint of your fingerprint.
 
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oldpaddy

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It looks like the sticky tar-like undercoating that I used to see years ago. Tar is a petroleum product I believe. It stayed tacky and pliable and you could always push your thumb into it and leave an imprint of your fingerprint.
Nope. Not unless it has to dry further. It's like a thick oil. It's pretty wet. Similar to lithium grease.
 

TobyU

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Then definitely not the old tar stuff. It was sticky not oily.
 
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