The enemy that never sleeps

We car enthusiasts here in the Midwest have one enemy that stands above them all...Rust. One of the things that sold me on the Impala is that despite it's looks and general lack of cleanliness, it was nearly rust free. Since this is going to be primarily a winter car, and I plan on having it a very long time, keeping the rust at bay is one of my primary concerns. Like many things of this sort, the internet can't agree on the best way to go about it. I chose to use a couple of different products based on personal experience. The first is Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator. It's a rust killing paint, but unlike POR15, it doesn't contain isocyanates so the fumes are much less harmful. You'll still want proper safety attire though. I used it on the Caprice many, many years ago, and it held up fairly will. It took around three quarts to cover the bottom of the Impala. Everything gets sprayed, paying attention to nooks and crannies. With that done and dry, the whole underside of the car gets sprayed with Amsoil HD Metal Protector. The HDMP dries into a self-healing waxy film. Because it doesn't stay wet, it doesn't collect dust and road grime. I used almost a full case, 10 cans, on the underside of the car. A can goes a long way, and a lot of it was sprayed into seams and joints, and other places where slush might build up and water might pool. It dries to a translucent brown, but over the black paint you can't see it.

I have one more trick in my rust prevention bag.  We've got the outside of the car covered,but there are many places where the car will rust from the inside out.  Of particular concern are the lower corners of the rear wheel wells.  They collect dirt, which holds moisture, and they just rust away.  My product of choice here is WK's Seal-Out

At $90/gallon it's not cheap, and can be hard to get a hold of, but it works well. It's an awful looking oily greasy goo. Unlike the HDMP, it doesn't harden, it stays semi-fluid. Because of this, it will seep into seams and crevasses, and will continue to do so for months to come. Spraying it in with an undercoating gun and a hose is ideal, but I don't have a sprayer so a brush will do. I glopped in as much as I reasonably could, making sure to get it smooshed all the was into the corner. Each inner wheel well got about 12oz. I also put some inside the doors, and inside the vents in the rear door jambs. It's not very appealing stuff, and you only want to put it in places that will never see the light of day.

So, just how well does this creepy stuff creep?  Darn good.  Here's one of the wheel wells a week later.  All the dampness you see is from the Seal-Out seeping from inside through the seam in the sheetmetal, and it goes all the way around the wheel arch.

It took ten years of winters for the Caprice to get as rusty as it is, I'm hoping to get double that out of the Impala.