Another Battle In the War On Rust

Winter is closing in so I needed to pick which chassis rustproofing I’d be putting on my new truck before it’s subjected to any salt. I chose to go with Woolwax because it’s a thick, heavy, nasty goop that won’t wash off. Yes, it makes any work under the truck absolutely miserable because you get it all over you, but it’s a worthy trade-off. This truck is going to last, even if it kills me. They sell a kit with the heavy Woolwax and an aerosol can of the thinner stuff to get in hard to reach places. They say most trucks take about 1-1/4 gallons but I’ll save a bit with the aluminum body so I can focus on the chassis. Before the weather gets much cooler, I’ll need to put it up on the lift and coat it. The stuff is so thick that it won’t come out of the gun in cold weather so I’ll have to get it done soon.

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Oct 1, 2026

Reply to Hupp31…

Replies (29)

· 2w

They also sell a product called SaltBuster which can be used to rinse off the salt and neutralize it. The kit comes with a foaming cannon, which probably sounds more fun than it is. Hopefully it works. I’ve learned the hard way that rinsing with plain water doesn’t help any, and might even make it worse.

· 2w

Foaming cannon sounds awesome! Somebody needed to do this to my truck 10 years ago because it is a shame how clean it is other than the fact the bed is rusting out.

· 2w

Travis, it sounds like this stuff never completely hardens?

· 2w

Right, it stays greasy. Dust will stick to it and make it look cruddy after a while but you can rinse it off and periodically recoat if needed. The clear color looks better on new clean parts but they also have a black that’s for covering up crusty old stuff.

(edited)

· 2w

@Hupp31 is there a reason you didn't go the traditional zeibart rust proofing direction? Cost? Perfomance?

· 2w

Yes, I think that the coatings that stay liquid perform better. They wick into small places where regular undercoating can’t get and can self-heal to some extent. Undercoating is good if you can entirely seal a part, like say a floor pan, but one little open crack for rust to start and it will just creep under the coating. Also, the liquids can go inside frame rails and crossmembers where you couldn’t get undercoating.

· 2w

If it remains sticky I suppose not the best product for anyone living on a dirt/gravel road? Would another idea be a sprayable ceramic coating (if that exists)?

· 2w

From what I’ve seen, it just gets a thin covering of dust on it and then it can’t really hold any more dirt. At the end of the day, it’s not something that you’re putting on a show car so a bit of dirt on the chassis isn’t the end of the world. Of course, if you live on a dirt road, the underside of the car isn’t staying clean no matter what you do.

· 2w

I’m not sure if a ceramic product exists that you can just spray on and leave but I may be mistaken. It would be an interesting idea on a brand new vehicle where the parts were clean enough to get it to stick. Once the car is in use, I’m not sure if you could get everything clean enough for it to stick.

· 1w

Travis, does it wash off if you go through a 6" deep puddle? Or does that require some touch up?

· 1w

No, I think it would take a pressure washer to get it off, and even then I think it would still leave a residue. It’s a lot heavier than the thin coatings like FluidFilm.

· 1w

I assume you are not getting it all over the stuff that will need to be worked on eventually? This is going in the wheel wells and rockers and floor panels.

· 1w

Actually, no. It’s going mainly on the frame, springs, front trailing arms, brake lines etc. I’ll also put it on any hardware that might need to be worked on later. It’s messy but the only hope of not having to remove hardware with a torch later. Not too much to worry about on the floors and wheelwells with the aluminum trucks, they’ve seemed to hold up very well from what I’ve seen.

· 1w

Toyota needed this system for their 1995 through 2010 Tacoma frames.

· 1w

Actually Toyota used a very similar product on the Tacoma frames that were inspected for the recall but not rotted yet. They covered them in black goop and called it good. Like you say, had they done it in the first place, it would have saved a ton of money.

· 1w

We have had two of those recall trucks, depending on the truck they replaced the leaf springs and other parts, was like getting a new truck underneath.

· 1w

Somebody mentioned zeibart and my dad bought a new LTD in the 80s and had it Rusty Jones coated. It made quite a mess. No idea if it worked great as I was gone and the car only lasted with my dad a few years.

· 1w

I think we’ve all seen our share of Rusty Jones cars that were rotted up to the door handles.

· 1w

I remember Rusty Jones. I think they went out of business years ago. It was basically tar.

· 1w

I remember that it seemed like their sticker was on every car window in the 80’s. I was a little kid and always wondered why the same sticker was on everybody’s car. 😄

· 1w

Yes sir.

· 1w

Fun fact. I applied to work at Rusty Jones when I was in HS. Didn't get the job.

· 1w

I don’t think you missed much. That would have been a nasty, miserable job.

· 4d

The car show I had planned on going to got rained out so I figured there was no time like the present to get the WoolWax sprayed onto Truck Norris. It’s not that cool today but I stilled warmed up the jug in a bucket of hot water so it would flow better.

Two takeaways: First, the guys who put this stuff on for a living don’t get paid enough. It’s a nasty job, even if you’re very careful not to get it all over you. Second, trying to put it on without the vehicle on a lift would be absolutely stupid.

The straw(clear) color was the way to go on a brand new truck. It looks great, at least until I drive it and get it all dirty. I focused on the chassis because the aluminum body is less of a concern. I did spray every bracket and piece of hardware I could get to, all the brake lines and fittings, and inside the crossmembers. Basically everything but the brakes and exhaust. Since I had a bit left in the cup, I also sprayed the exterior surfaces of the floors. I used 1.5-2 quarts to do that so I have plenty left to do another application in a few years or whenever I think it needs it.

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· 4d

You can barely tell it is on the truck. Do you wear a bunny suit?

· 4d

I probably should have worn a paint suit but I didn’t. Only got a little on me.

· 4d

Here’s the finished product. A little too pretty for a work truck but that will get remedied as soon as it gets covered in dirt and road salt.

YouTube ↗

· 4d

Were you able to get it up on the floor pans and the bottom of the bed? I'm sure you are well aware but it is those corners (at least on Ford) where the rust really goes to town. Probably from poor drainage somewhere.

· 4d

I only lightly coated the floors because the aluminum body makes that issue a thing of the past. From what I’ve seen on the older aluminum trucks, the only potential corrosion spots are on bottoms of doors and hood edges. And even then, you just get a bit of flaking paint and white corrosion. No holes. If this were a GM truck, I would have used the entire gallon doing the insides of the bed, floors, and rockers. And if it were a Ram, it would already be rotted out so I wouldn’t have wasted the time or money on rustproofing.