I've searched past posts but haven't seen much about what to do to protect our car if we make it to bonneville this year.Is there some type of spray on salt blocker, rust inhibitor, thanks
I used WD40 in a garden pump up sprayer that worked ok but I also washed my truck every night in wendover and re applied every morning and still had rust on bear metal by the time I got back to San Antonio.I also have a bicycle that I road around the pits that the chain has gone solid with rust in 12 months,forgot to spray WD40 on it. doh
If lake salt is anything like ocean salt, the only cure is fresh water and lots of it. A couple sprinklers run for a few hours every time out. Find a stream or lake to drive around in
When I took my Studebaker out there, The old hands advised me to get a gallon or so of diesel fuel, put it in a spray bottle (a cheep stray bottle from the dollar store will work and you'll only use it once). Then spray down everything underneath the vehicle. Be sure to get wheel wells, frame, suspension, etc. Pay special attention to the seams, and door jams. The diesel acts as a barrier to the water and salt mixture that is getting on the vehicle. Obviously this isn't the most envirnomentally friendly idea, but it protects the car. You'll also want to use a gas can to put the diesel in at the pump, because it's probably illegal to put it straight into the spray bottle. Once you take it out on the salt, don't wash underneath till you are home. YOu can and should wash the paint off daily, so you can style in town, but leave the under side alone. When you get home, put the car on jack stands, take the wheels off, and put a sprinkler under the car. Soak each spot for half hour or so, then move it. You'll see big glops of salt falling out. Check your work while moving it around, to make sure you've gotten everything out. Next put on some kind of soap dispensing, car wahs type hose nozzle device and wash the thing. Again pay special attention to all seams. You never want to use pressure washers or the wand at the car wash till after youve done this proceedure. The pressure will force the salt up into the seams and then you're screwed. I drove mine on the salt for a week in '98, then drove around the country for another week, before returning to Michigan and finally doing this cleaning proceedure. No rust problems here. Don't forget to also protect the interior. I used sheet plastic, and duct tape to cover the carpet, then put a towel on the seat to protect the upholstery. Good luck and have fun.
How long does the diesel treatment work? ...how far in advance can you coat everything? Could I do it this weekend and still be OK next weekend?
A BIG roll of duct tape and tape down "beach towels" on your floor boards.......and shake them out on your way home or back to the "rental place"........and duct tape them down to EVERYTHING......Salt will get everywhere......for the underside of the car "salt away" is supposed to work, but Bonneville is next week & it is to late to order some......just pray for some rain on the way home or when you get home put an "oscillating" sprinkler under the car on VERY low speed and let it "wash" the salt from under your car.....and then about October "lube" everything on your car and power wash it and you will be amazed to see some salt.......If you have access to a car lift, look at every place that salt would have been "tossed" up into & try to get rid of it..... Oh yea, when I say to put the sprinkler under it.....do it for a half a day or more........not just a quick spray........the salt will get in everything. Chris
I was also told to keep away from any wet salt areas as this is like snow and goes in every nook and cranny it can find. Don,t get caught spraying diesel as I would think the salt official,s would frown upon that.I guess they would frown on wd40 to if they saw me lol
like Sodbuster said.... pray for rain on the way home... Chris50 drove his later model F150 there 4 or 5 times and I know he washed it a few times in town. There is a coin op car wash on the far side of town. I dont recall him ever saying the underside of the truck was trashed.
a buddy of mine mixes diesel and light wieght motor oil and sprays the underside of his 4x4's, it keeps them looking good and protects the metal from the road salt used around here in the winters.
The saltaway product is awesome. Been driving big olds out to b,ville for speedweek since 2003 and no issues. I'd place my order for it today and have them drop ship it to your hotel in wendover. I do believe the company is located in ca. I would never drive a car I own on the salt without saltaway on it for protection. Whatever you do don't hit the salt on your car with a pressure washer cuz you'll just imbed the shit further into the nooks and crannies. Gentle water.
I mentioned Pam spray. I use it on rental cars.Seems to help a little.Some years the salt is mushy and packs up in there,others it is powdery and barely sticks. CLEAN THOROUGHLY THOUGH. I know some peoples who's tow vehicles were scred up bad afterwards.
There sometimes is a spray truck, at the end of the paved road, will treat your car with Salt Away for a price. Also, don't forget to duct tape over the floor pedals when putting plastic or towels on the floor.
This is "Brine H2O" at the end of the road from 07' & like Denise said "Been driving big olds out to b,ville for speedweek since 2003 and no issues.", hope for rain on the way home.
Thanks everyone, we have a 780 mile drive today back to socal from norcal in the sd so after we pull that off I guess see about bonnie, again thanks.
Lessons from the cold northern wasteland of vermont, We use old drain oil and a latex spray gun and spray the hell out of it, we use old drain oil because new oil has detergent in it and will not stay for long periods of time, then drive down a dirt road forward and backwards , dirt sticks to the oil and makes a nice barrier against the salt, do it once a year and no more rot problems.
I drove my 2000 ranger out there in 02. Just 12 hours of rough Wyoming roads and a carwash, underside of my truck looked like new until the last couple of years. The Magwater we use on roads up here in the winter is WAY WORSE!
This has worked for me. Before you leave home, put the car up on stands and take off all the tires. Buy two qts of Future kitchen floor wax. Apply it to everything you can see, except brake rotors. Spray it to places you cant see. Squirt it in till it runs out. Keep it out of your eyes. Before you put the wheels back on, grease the hubs and studs. The grease may run out and show on the trip, but the wheels wont freeze to the hubs. After the race, pray for rain on the way home. When you get home, put it up again, and use a lawn sprinkler for about four hours in the back, then the same in the front. The next day, use a creeper, a screw driver and a flashlight to look for pockets, Spray any bare metal or fasteners with WD40. A lot of work? Yes, but remember the experience.
Spot-on info, Denise. After using it every year since 1997,I ran out of Salt-Away before Speed Week last year, and rather than buy it locally from a boat shop I figured to support whoever was selling it at Bonneville. Couldn't find any, however, so my freshly built pit bike went unprotected. I passed on the importance of buying Salt-Away when I got home, vowing to do a thorough cleanup. No matter, fresh water and detergents won't do a sufficiently good job of removing all the salt residue. I'm nearing completion of about 40 hours of rehab work on the two-wheeler to correct the damage from a week at Bonneville without benefit of Salt-Away for both pre and post treatment. Salt-Away won't have an agent at Bonneville this year, so check out their site for purchasing info; they don't sell direct but do have a nation-wide dealer network and will direct you to one near your zip code. If you're near one of the ocean coasts you'll find it at most boat stores. Salt-Away just flat works! Mike http://www.saltawayproducts.com/
Last year I used spray on canola cooking oil and old motor oil. It Worked great!! The parts that didn't get it were looking pretty bad after a month after. I didn't have time to order the Saltaway stuff before I left. P.S. Don't use the Western Family crap it looks like cottage cheese when it goes on.
Another vote for Saltaway. Used it on my nice new 05 GMC 2500 when we visited in 06. Then spent at least $30 in quarters at the Wendover car wash before leaving then treated with Saltaway and mega water when I got home. We encountered some rain on the way back as well which didn't hurt. It's still standing but I think it's got a 10 year rust warranty too (at least on the body). Watch taking rental cars out there. Heard they will track them on GPS now and impose a hefty surcharge when you turn it in.
Huh. I'd always heard that rental car were impervious to corrosion and rust. They also had indestuctable transmissions in them too, or so I've been told.
I Took my Silverado to Bonneville in 2008. I used pam on the front and undercarriage before I went ... when I got back I ran sprinkler under the truck for 2 days. On the second day 2 chunks of salt fell out that were about the size of a softball from the area of the cab just in front of the bed.
DO NOT TAKE ANY VEHICLE YOU EVEN REMOTELY CARE ABOUT ON THE SALT. You cannot completely protect your vehicle from the salt. I've jacked up my tow vehicles and coated the underside with SaltAway, several times. You cannot coat every surface. You WILL get salt in areas you cannot even imagine. You WILL get corrosion. this may vary if you just roll the car out onto the salt for a picture.. you may not get much... however if the salt is damp and you drive around alot ... ie from the pits to the big end and back a couple of times... you WILL get salt in nooks and cranies that WILL corrode. if its a tow vehicle and you dont care about it.. fine. If its your prized hot rod... dont do it. Its not worth it. Consider the Mormon Meteor... that had been restored in the 60's... when it was restored recently they were still taking out hunks of salt. Granted and extreme example...but the salt gets EVERYWHERE. Sometimes in large amounts (see note above about salt conditions).
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