POR 15 (Question concerning)

[jrallan26]

I am going to get some of this stuff for the frame of my Tacoma. How much should I get to do the frame and underneath? Gallon? 2 Gallons??

[tulsa_sr5]

Oh gosh, a little goes a long way and trying to reseal the cans sucks. I like the little 4 or 6oz cans they have in 6-packs. I think I figured one of those 6 packs was going to be enough for two coats on the whole frame. Especially if it's humid there, the stuff will start to cure in the can or cup you are painting from. Great stuff, doing my frame right now with it, a little at a time.

[jrallan26]

Great advise thanks. Where should I buy it? I am guessing the net...

[tulsa_sr5]

this is where i have been ordering

http://www.stoprust.net/shop/product_info.php/cPath/24/products_id/145

they are pretty quick, couple days to my door. I *think* there's another forum that has a 10% off coupon code floating around too, lemme look.

edit:
http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55735

not sure if it's still good or not

[jrallan26]

great thanks, just ordered some....

[Rock Slide]

I did my underside in 2 coats and it took 3 quarts of POR. Can't seem to find any pics of my underneath from before, but click on the link in my sig to see a picture of the finished product.


I hope you know what you're getting yourself into...

If I had to do it all over again, I'd definitely go with an aerosol type undercoating and here's why:

Had a YT member ask me this a while back about undercoating and here's what I responded with (glad I saved this by the way). I know you already purchased it, but at least read I have told others:


QUOTE:

Everything you see black in the above picture was orange before (see my profile for picture). As soon as I got back home with it (here in Alabama), I quickly researched undercoating methods.

Since my runner had endured 4 years of harsh winters in NY, the underneath had a ton of surface rust. Granted, it only had 22k miles on it when I bought it and the paint was in near show quality condition, but the underside looked like it had multiple nukes exploded underneath it.

Check out: POR-15 (http://www.por15.com/?gclid=CJWUkbfI8IwCFRj9gAodYUL2Cw). Contact them and get as much info about the product as you can. Then ask them for a dealer in your area (you cannot buy from them directly) and they will be able to sell you the product.

POR-15 is a popular name in the undercoating business...as this is the stuff I used. You simply have to "paint" it on w/ a paintbrush...unless you're able to get an air gun and spray it on. It is a PITA to apply and the entire process is very labor intensive. Plan to dedicate an entire weekend to this project if not more - this includes the application and drying time. However, if applied properly, por, will probably outlast your vehicle and protect your vehicle from the formation of rust and stop the spread of any existing rust.

I have a set of ramps that I used for this project. After you've got your 4Runner up in air, it's time to remove all the loose rust. I took my cordless drill and hooked a metal brush attachment to it and went to town sanding down the entire underneath. Oh yeah, if you don't already have a mechanics creeper, get one. Mine came in very handy.

Then you begin to apply the product in stages. There is a "prep" stage with one product and a "finish" stage with another product. The finish coat should be done in 2 coats. You also have to apply the finish coat rather quickly, because when you go to apply the 2nd coat, you don not want the 1st coat to be dry. The 1st coat still needs to be some what "tacky" to the touch when you go to apply the 2nd coat or it will not adhere properly. Once you are done, the vehicle has to sit for 24 hrs to dry.

Like I said, just call por's customer service and they can give you better info than I can about it. Just be careful not to get any of the stuff on your skin. If you do get it on your skin, it will not come off for at least 7days. Trust me, I know. Wear multiple layers of clothing from head to toe. (Kinda sucks you've decided to do this in the summer. That's probably one reason I did not wear enough clothing.) I wore jeans and a long t-shirt and after I was done, I was covered from head to toe in this stuff. The bad part was, some of the larger spots soaked through my clothing and got on my skin. I had big black spots all over my body for a week. (Looked like a milk cow for a week!)

Now, for the "quick-n-easy" fix that works just as well IMO, check your local auto parts stores...ie Napa, Auto Zone, Advanced Auto or something similar. They stock many different varieties of undercoating in aerosol spray cans. Cannot think of any brand names off hand, but if you go this route, buy a few different varieties and test each one before you decide on a final selection. Some cans go on thicker, while some produce a "brown" colored undercoat and others produce a "black" color. I prefer black myself. Do get something in a "rubberized undercoating" if you go this route. I've had the best luck with this type. (Again, if you'll check my 4Runner profile, you will find a picture of the underneath of my driver side slider. There you will see a picture of this rubberized undercoating I'm describing.)

I've used both por and aerosol spray cans as mentioned above on the underside of my 4Runner and truthfully, the rubberized undercoatings found in spray cans are just as durable and are much easier to apply. Touch ups are much easier if needed as well. Less mess too!

Here is a third option - You can even go to some Toyota dealers and they will undercoat your vehicle for you with their own product and equipment. Granted they will charge you and it will probably look lke crap when it is done, but I am just making you aware of this option. I looked into this before deciding to do it myself.

Also, Google the following phrases:

1. Vehicle Undercoating
2. Rubberized Undercoating
3. Aerosol Undercoating

That will turn up even more ideas than what I have mentioned. I have heard good things about the 3M Rubberized Undercoating. Be sure to look into that one.

Now if you have a spot on your frame that rust has completely eaten through, then that is a different story...can't help you there. But if you simply want to keep the surface rust from spreading and/or forming, the ideas I've listed above will guide you along the way.

END QUOTE


Good luck though! :thumbup:

Bill

[jrallan26]

I had my previous Toyota undercoated and it didnt help at all. I am going to try out the POR15.

I am going to brush apply it, is there a favorite brush to use?

My friend who owns a body shop recommends using a brush, I forgot to ask what kind....

[Rocketman]

personally I like Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator better AND it comes in an aerosol too. Their Extreme Chassis Black is great.

Look at their stuff, you need much less prep with Eastwood products than POR-15. I have used both extensively and prefer EW.

www.eastwoodco.com

[tulsa_sr5]

jrallan - i've been using the cheap bristle brushes from home depot. I don't think there's any way to clean por15 off a brush, and I find that i'm tossing brushes pretty often as they get to gunky from the por curing. Only thing that sucks about them is they drop a lot of bristles as you go.

[fustercluck]

I haven't used Eastwood's product so I can't comment on it's value. I have used POR15 extensively throughout my build-up. As was stated earlier, a little goes a long way. I've sprayed it and I've brushed it. Believe it or not, it lays down the same regardless of application method. The stuff is nearly extra-terrestrial when applied to metal. It behaves like no other coating I've used. In fact, if you get some on the rim of the can and place the lid back metal to metal, you will have to destroy the lid to remove it next time. The label suggests using a plastic film between the can and the lid to help seal out fresh air and to aid in re-use. As one might guess, I followed directions the second time around.

An interesting note: When exposed to direct sun light for a few weeks, POR loses it's glossy luster, though that doesn't seem to affect it's performance. When applied by brush, it dries glossier than when applied by sprayer. It cleans up nicely with lacquer thinner, though unless you want to wear black stains on your body for weeks, wear glove when applying and during clean-up. It does NOT come off of your skin, nails, clothes, hair or breakfast bagel, even with lacquer thinner...

As for over all performance, I don't know. I double coated a piece of bare sheet metal with POR and soaked it in a concentrated saline solution for an extended period to evaluate it's limits. I nearly forgot about my sample in the bucket. When I retrieved the piece, there were no visible signs of oxidation......For what it's worth. As such, I elected to use it to coat the runner's undercarriage.

Hope this helps. I think three quarts for double coating the entire under-carriage is about right. wire wheel and chemically clean the surfaces first.....that's the messy part. :hillbill: