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Evo GeneralDiscuss any generalized technical Evo related topics that may not fit into the other forums.
Please do not post tech and rumor threads here.
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Hi guys,
I have been a long time lurker and finally posting for the first time.
I picked this car up about 7 years ago. This is the best car I’ve ever owned and can’t get enough of driving it to this day. However, I’ve run into something that has completely caught me off guard. The amount of rust underneath the car. Or I should say the rear of the car, because the front isn’t so bad.I’ve always done the work on this car myself, and always assumed it had some surface rust.
However, last week was the first time getting it up on a lift. What I saw is just heart sinking and almost made me want to cry. I did on the inside for sure.I know a lot of the responses will be ”You won’t like hearing this, but you need to scrap the car” or “dump the car, and transfer to another shell”. I simply can’t do that, as I still owe money on the car, and more importantly, this car has sentimental value for personal reasons.
I don’t want to give this car up, nor can I afford to purchase another MR shell.I am willing to put in the labor work to try and save this car, or at least slow the rust down as much as possible until I can afford to spend a couple thousand on what this repair will cost to have it done by a professional.
Again, I know the smarter road is to swap to another shell, but I do not want to give up on this car, nor can I afford to.
Here are the pictures of the rust damage.
passenger side
passenger side
driver side
passenger side
passenger side
driver side
passenger side rear
I really want to take a wire-wheel/brush/ball/whatever to everything, as it looks like I SHOULD have some metal hopefully under the mess. Suppose the stars align in my favor, and I have a decent amount of bare metal left over. What is the best approach to protect it?
I’ve looked at a lot of solutions such as POR15, Chassis-Saver, and Eastwood products. However I’m unsure where to start. I’m willing to put in the work and time.. just need a good starting point. I am willing to spend hours on end stripped every piece of rust, and surface rust to make everything look great. Ideally with a nice black glossy coat after everything is done.
TL - DR
Rear undercarriage of Evo is rusted pretty bad. Whats the best approach to saving it? Wire Wheeling and spraying what to protect the bare metal.
I'm not going to say it isn't bad, but there is way worse out there.
I had the same areas, but smaller in area, yet deeper in penetration (before even cleaning it you could see there was 1-2 layers completely removed already).
Best thing to do is clean it up and see what you are working with first. You aren't going to make anything worse by cleaning loose debris off, and you'll get a better understanding of the situation. From the looks of it I'd bet you'll be able to clean, grind, and a couple treatments of rust conversion (Opho, etc) and be OK just keep an eye on it. I only see a few points that look like you have actual erosion.
Regardless, clean it first and see what you are working with.
Yes this weekend I will be spending the entire weekend grinding down and seeing what I have. I just figured I'd do my research all week to see if anyone had any suggestions and tips.
I used to do this to a pair of Trans Ams I owned. I had obtained a 5 gallon container of an oil based rust preventative intended for use on ocean going vessels. I'd raise a vehicle, mask off or remove tires, brakes and exhaust. Then I'd don a boiler suit, painter's mask and goggles and spray away, pretty much soaking the underside and cavities of the vehicle.
In your case, I'd suggest investigating all the structurally important points first with a welder's chipping hammer as in the video. Any weak spots need patching. With the welding done, thoroughly wash the underside and oil with the product of your choice. Forget looking pretty or painting.
I used to do this to a pair of Trans Ams I owned. I had obtained a 5 gallon container of an oil based rust preventative intended for use on ocean going vessels. I'd raise a vehicle, mask off or remove tires, brakes and exhaust. Then I'd don a boiler suit, painter's mask and goggles and spray away, pretty much soaking the underside and cavities of the vehicle.
In your case, I'd suggest investigating all the structurally important points first with a welder's chipping hammer as in the video. Any weak spots need patching. With the welding done, thoroughly wash the underside and oil with the product of your choice. Forget looking pretty or painting.
I am way more concerned about structural integrity then aesthetics at this point. I was suggestion the black gloss paint as in a rust converter formula or something. Leaving the metal bare will just cause is to oxidize again and rust. So I need something to spray to protect the area I've cleaned up ( like when you primer a car just before paint ).
The Trans Ams I speak of were built with bare metal undersides. Five years of Nebraska driving would rust them out. My '79 went to my niece. I doubt it is her daily but as far as I know she still drives it.
Hello!
Sorry to see this, i hope you get your evo fixed up.
I am from the cold northern Europe, so snow/salty roads will always be an issue here during winter time.
When i imported my evo, the first thing i did was getting the underside tectyl treated. it seals up to protect against rust.
I got pros to do it for me, to get the guarantee on the job. however here is a link to what i'm talking about;
Like been said before, get in there and wire brush it to see what you are up against, dont spray nothing on it until yoi know it is solid metal underneath. All those Americaaan vehicle repair shows where they cut rust out and weld plate in at the drop of a dime, you should be able to get it plate welded on any bad parts then you can spray your melaki all over it
Like been said before, get in there and wire brush it to see what you are up against, dont spray nothing on it until yoi know it is solid metal underneath. All those Americaaan vehicle repair shows where they cut rust out and weld plate in at the drop of a dime, you should be able to get it plate welded on any bad parts then you can spray your melaki all over it
To be clear, I totally agree here. Do this before coating with anything. make sure all the rust is removed, or it will come back pretty fast.
As mentioned, it's bad but I've seen worse. The best way to "clean" it is to drop the rear subframe, exhaust, etc and go to town. There might be holes once it's all said and done, those will need to be filled be welding metal. Rust is a *****, gotta make sure you get it good or it will come back, worse and faster.
Best thing to do if you love your car and live in a salty state or province, is to get a winter beater. That's what they're for LOL or at the very least, do a good undercoat when the car is clean and fresh, and then a yearly rustproofing before winter for sure, and in the spring as optional. I have customers I've been rustproofing since the cars were new, just once a year, 8-10 years later there's such a layer built up salt grime and water stands no chance getting at the actual metal. Scrape any piece of underbody, subframe, or even fastener - looks factory fresh under the stuff even after all these salt-infested, Ontario winters.
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Best thing to do if you love your car and live in a salty state or province, is to get a winter beater. That's what they're for LOL
This is the best tip, if you have the chance to do it. my evo is still coated, but i have a honda cr-v for winter use. Other advantages is you will be thrilled to see the snow go and you get the evo back on the road.
It's not even a "chance" thing. It's a winter beater. It's a ****ty car (but find a reliable one) that you buy for market value, it's already depreciated virtually as low as it will go, and you sell it in the spring to some kid for what you paid for it, maybe more if you're lucky.
It's not hard. What's hard, is cleaning up that crap from under your car because "evos are made/good for winter lol". No. Evos are good in fresh fluffy clean snow. Not 5 months of slushy dirty salt water constantly getting whipped at the unprotected undercarriage, or ice flying off trucks into your front end on the highway. That's not what they are meant for. That's not what they are good for. That's what a $1000 Mazda 3 is good for, that you rack up miles, don't care for, and sell it 5 months later for... you guessed it, $1000. You just drove for free, and your evo is just as clean as it is in the summer. It's a really simple concept, that people don't understand.
And if that is too hard of a concept to grasp, and you don't take anything from this thread, do this one simple thing: rustproof it yearly. It's going to be one of the best $100 a year you will spend on the car if you plan to winter drive it.
OP this is not aimed at you, the damage is already done - perhaps at other owners of Evos, Mitsubishis, or any decent car in general that may come across this thread planning to drive an unprotected car through years of harsh salty winters just to be upset about the rust later. Rust is a lot easier to prevent. I've seen and owned my fair share of rusty cars, and I have seen subframes collapse through the car, jacking points that no longer exist, etc, and as an Ontario, Canada resident I can safely speak from experience. Put your nice toys away, or protect them at all cost if you care for their well being or don't wanna see the cancer above in a few short years.
Like been said before, get in there and wire brush it to see what you are up against, dont spray nothing on it until yoi know it is solid metal underneath. All those Americaaan vehicle repair shows where they cut rust out and weld plate in at the drop of a dime, you should be able to get it plate welded on any bad parts then you can spray your melaki all over it
Yep! This is my plan on Saturday. I'm just trying to figure out what is the best stuff to spray/brush on after I've gotten all the rust off. POR15, or Chassis Saver. (assuming I dont have holes)
Hello!
Sorry to see this, i hope you get your evo fixed up.
I am from the cold northern Europe, so snow/salty roads will always be an issue here during winter time.
When i imported my evo, the first thing i did was getting the underside tectyl treated. it seals up to protect against rust.
I got pros to do it for me, to get the guarantee on the job. however here is a link to what i'm talking about;
Best thing to do if you love your car and live in a salty state or province, is to get a winter beater.
This is what puzzles me........ I have a winter beater for all these years, a little 97 civic that drives all winter while the evo is garaged. This is why all this rust surprises me. By looking at the body, you would never tell that there is rust on the car.
Well that's absolutely crazy LOL was it ever parked in a field or something for a while? I ask this because I had an old 1G DSM that sat parked in a field for a few years. The underside rotted. Nothing left of it, ended up collapsing the front subframe through the floor. But the body was immaculate. No rust, original paint was glossy etc. I've never seen anything that bad that wasn't attacked by salt. Perhaps the PO did most of the damage? Do you know if he winter drove it?
Imagine your 1997 beater Civic is cleaner underneath
Mar 19, 2018, 01:01 PM
