Looked at a sub 100 mile GNX. Underneath was rusted like crazy

[novaderrik]

go to any new car dealer, and look at the underside of any car that's been sitting on the lot for more than a week. it will look about like that 20 year old GNX does now.

 

[02WS686GN]

Yeah, after all the car IS 21 years old. It could've just been in a damp garage for a good part of its life. Not to mention they proabbly never greased the chassis over the time its been sitting.

 

[twinvipers]

Are you guys kidding me ? Here is a pic of the undercarraige of my 2000 mile 1993 Cobra. This is what a low mile Garage Queen vehicle should look like.

My 79 Trans Am with 45000 miles doesn't even look like that,not even close.

You really can't be serious,can you ?

If new cars on dealer lots looked like that,they would never sell any.

 

[LotusS4]

I personally have picked up 3 GNX's all with more mileage with jeff and not one of them ever looked like this. One even had 16k on it and it was mint compared to this one.

Jeff, Post some of the other photos so they understand. The car was definately parked on damp concrete for a long time.

 

[70Mach1]

The car was definately parked on damp concrete for a long time.

Exactly. That is what a vapor barrier is for.

 

[chrisgarrett]

Exactly. That is what a vapor barrier is for.

What's the best way to create a vapor barrier? Is a sheet of plastic sufficient?

 

[quick 6 racing]

A few years ago, my dad was looking to buy a GNX and we looked at one on the Oregon coast that had (no rust). What a mess. The car would have needed to be taken apart, have all the surface rust removed and reassembled. It was all just surface rust but it was way to much work for the $$. I think it was #327, but it was a few years ago .

#327 has changed hands a few times and is now in Vancouver BC, was for sale 3-4 months ago for $65k, but again still needed work.

 

[novaderrik]

an afternoon under that GNX with a rag and some WD40, and you wouldn't be able to tell there ever was any rust on it.
what, exactly, is supposed to happen to bare metal when it is exposed to oxygen for over 2 decades?
as i said before, head to a new car dealer and peek under a few cars and trucks that have been sitting on the lot for more than a couple of weeks. any bare metal will be covered with a nice layer of orange that comes right off with a swipe of your finger.

 

[twinvipers]

an afternoon under that GNX with a rag and some WD40, and you wouldn't be able to tell there ever was any rust on it.
what, exactly, is supposed to happen to bare metal when it is exposed to oxygen for over 2 decades?
as i said before, head to a new car dealer and peek under a few cars and trucks that have been sitting on the lot for more than a couple of weeks. any bare metal will be covered with a nice layer of orange that comes right off with a swipe of your finger.

WD 40 and it will be like it was never rusted ? You should be in the restoration business. You could make a ton of money if you can make cars like that look brand new with a can of WD-40.

 

[gn1220]

Jeff a few days on a lift and it will look BETTER then your 600 Mile car. I have fixed cars much worse then this GNX.

For great rust removal Safest Rust Remover

How long did you let this stuff work on the frame of your car? My buddy has a lift and we were going to build some type of shower to spray the bottom of my wagon with this product to remove all of the surface rust. Just not sure how long it needs to soak. I plan on doing it in the summer when the weather is warmer since this product likes the warm weather better.

He dipped some small parts in this stuff just to check it out and we were amazed at how well it performed.

 

[chrisgarrett]

If you clean the metal and leave the it bare, won't it begin to rust immediately even worse? And I don't understand putting oil on the bottom of your car either. Doesn't that attract dirt even more? I had surface orange rust on some of my underparts, I just used Eastwood Rust Encapsulator. Do I love the way it looks? No. But it beat rust and dirt.

 

[L78-Kidd]

If the slab in your garage does not have a 6 mill Polyethylene Moisture Barrier under it the exposed metal will eventually
oxidize. Concrete absorbs moisture from the ground. I was told that most building codes do not require a barrier in the garage
We built a pool with wood and plastic then rigged up a spray system with a submergible pump and spray nozzles and did the
Bottom of a Survivor 81 Corvette Special Edition that was found after sitting 22 years, it looked like it just rolled out of
Bowling Green when we were finished. We then put Bosheild on the bare metal to keep it from oxidizing again. I guarantee
the bottom of this GNX will look new if done as long as the metal is not pitted. Form what I can see in the picture Jeff posted
this X will be an easy one and will look like new when done. I have been doing restorations for 30 years and have done much
worse. The bottom of GNX #438 had some oxidizing on the drive shaft and on all of the suspension, chassis bolts when I
brought it and it looks “Brand New” now …. Anyone who looked at the car at Kirbans Reunion can vouch for that. The valve
covers are starting to oxidize so I am going to do under the hood this spring.

 

[gn1220]

We built a pool with wood and plastic then rigged up a spray system with a submergible pump and spray nozzles and did the
Bottom of a Survivor 81 Corvette Special Edition that was found after sitting 22 years, it looked like it just rolled out of
Bowling Green when we were finished..

How long did you have to soak it? A few hours, a day, a weekend?

 

[L78-Kidd]

gn1220 it depends on how severe the oxidation (rust) is, On this GNX I would spray it
for about 5-8 hours. The trick is to make sure you degrease it first. This stuff will not
harm the paint marks but will ruin the paper spring tags so they have to be removed first.
Just do one section at a time and filter the cleaner in between.
BTW,It’s easier to remove the drive shaft and dip it.

 

[novaderrik]

WD 40 and it will be like it was never rusted ? You should be in the restoration business. You could make a ton of money if you can make cars like that look brand new with a can of WD-40.

WD40 only works on insignificant surface rust like what i saw in that pic of the underside of the GNX in question.
in fact, that's about the only thing that WD40 is good for, really.
but, honestly, i wouldn't touch it. that rust is proof that the car hasn't been touched- if it had been screwed around with, someone probably would have sprayed it with some of the "correct" paint- which would, of course, not be "correct" on parts that were sent out in bare metal from the factory. it's that "patina" thing that the rat rod guys go so crazy over.

 

[70Mach1]

If the slab in your garage does not have a 6 mill Polyethylene Moisture Barrier under it the exposed metal will eventually
oxidize. Concrete absorbs moisture from the ground. I was told that most building codes do not require a barrier in the garage

I use a 6 mil moisture barrier that is used for laying wood floors on concrete slabs. Costs around $16.00. I also use a dehumidifier in the garage as well, which is needed here in S. Florida.

 

[70Mach1]

WD 40 and it will be like it was never rusted ? You should be in the restoration business. You could make a ton of money if you can make cars like that look brand new with a can of WD-40.

Jeff, would love to see a picture of you under a car doing some detailing.

 

[twinvipers]

Jeff, would love to see a picture of you under a car doing some detailing.

That's a bit strange Rich

 

[LotusS4]

Jeff working under a car? He's good as long as he does not have to tighten or loosen anything.

" when in doubt just use more muscle!" torque wrench? just tighten until it will not go anymore. :biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[twinvipers]

Jeff working under a car? He's good as long as he does not have to tighten or loosen anything.

" when in doubt just use more muscle!" torque wrench? just tighten until it will not go anymore. :biggrin: :biggrin:

You should have seen me fix my wifes Escalade door with a lump hammer 2 days ago.

I shouldn't be allowed to handle heavy tools or equipment