Greetings,

I have a west coast '81 wagon which is basically rust free. I'm going to be moving to Halifax, NS and I was wondering what some of you do to prohibit / prevent rust while winter driving.

I'm debating between having the car oil sprayed and/or painting the undercarriage with POR paint. I'm thinking painting the undercarriage with POR and then oil spraying is the way to go...

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Jaak

has anyone heard of using Naval Jelly for treating rust? somebody said
it "converts" rust spots or stops the...is it oxidation? process from continuing

secondly, the trim on rocker panel came off, got bent...how much to worry about water that entered those holes along the length of it? - if so can i spray something inside to assist in evoporation/get rid of any moisture?



andrew
mpls, mn

I am pretty sure the rockers have drain holes to deal with water that gets inside, but I'm going to have to go outside and look now. I would seal up the holes though

I have used the POR products for many diffrent applications and can't say enouogh good about them, however don't get the POR 15 on your skin and let it dry.

After spending a year in the Mid-East U.S. I came to the conclusion that a basic undercoating will offer better sound protection the POR 15 coating. It will stay more flexible and will come of the heads of bolts and nuts when you want to get a socket or wrench on them. The POR 15 may remain to hard and brittle to do this. Most of all hit the car wash at leats once a week and concentrate on whell wells and under the bumper ( more common of areas to rust out first). If you spray inside your doors make sure to leave the windows up for a few days and don't use a product that is not compatible with the electrical components.

I'm in Halifax, and you would be lucky if you see any 81s on the road here. The few that are are rust buckets. Even most 89+ cars here have significant rust in the usual places. They get attacked from all sides here. Yes they use a ton of salt on the road in the winter. The salt air attacks them. Our climate is terrible for cars. We get well below freezing with snow and the next day is +8 with rain and slush. It is a loosing battle. If you value your car here, get a beater and store the good car in a nice heated garage for the winter.
That said there are a couple of guys around Halifax that no Volvos inside out and they rustproof 240s. They use fluid film and it seems to work ok. I just keep the rust spots on my cars coated with oil (fluid film). I have found the paint jobs don't hold up here, and the paint just puts a barrier between the metal and the oil. In NS 240s rockers rust, they rust behind the rear wheels, the drivers floor rusts out, the bottom of the doors dissolve usually starting at the leading edge, they rust out under the rear taillights, the cowls are prone to rust, the rear end of the fenders rust. Those are the worst spots, but there are others. It can be kind of discouraging tring to keep a car rust free here.

Greetings Jessie,

Are there any good sources for parts / mechanics around Halifax?

Are there any yards that have any 60's vintage volvo parts / cars? I'm assuming they're a rarity in the Halifax area.

I have a spare B20 for my 544 that I want to rebuild... moving companies won't move it and I really don't want to lug it across the country though in the back of my wagon... are rebuildable B20's easy to come by?

How do you find your wagon in heavy, wet snow? I've only had mine in snow at Mt. Washington on Vancouver Island and it handled it fairly well.

Thanks in advance,

Jaak

"How do you find your wagon in heavy, wet snow?"

A good set of snow tires is a must, like already said. Let me add that when it comes to snow tires, wide is *not* better. Narrow tires = better traction on snow. I won't buy anyting wider than 185 mm, in fact my current ones are 175.

I also use to throw a sandbag in the boot, two when it's really slippery. Weight over the driving wheels = good.

Erling.

PVs , and Amazons are very rare here. Parts are scarce because most went to the bone yard long ago. Most have rusted away or have been crushed for scrap. There are a few very nice Amazons and p1800s on the road but they have mostly been imported. I have not seen a 144 or 145 for years. People don't seem to collect them because they are too similar to 240s. You should bring your block with you. There are lots of 240 parts kicking around though (non body parts)
Volvos do fine in the snow as long as you have a good set of snow tires. I don't have a wagon anymore. I find you get stuck in a 240 when the differential starts dragging in the snow.

Hi,
A rust free 245 is definitely worth preserving. And it is by all means possible. My '87 240 has lived a life with salted roads and coastal climate and is *spotless* - absolutely no rust whatsoever. Two reasons, basically.

Firstly, the car has been kept clean -- always. Washed once a week, and waxed early spring, mid-summer and late autumn. It is particularly important to seal the paint before the winter sets in. Also in the door and hood/trunk openings.

Secondly, this car has been fully treated with Tectyl at a specialist shop every 3-4 year. The shop treats not only the undercarriage, but also the inside of every cavity, nook and cranny -- they follow an 80 points programme, unique for each car model. First time they drilled holes to get access to the inside. They have to keep the car for a couple of days as it has to be steamed and dried prior to rustproofing. This treatment has a price, but it has contributed in a big way in making a 15 year old car look like new also when viewed from below.

At http://www.tectyl.no/antirust.htm there is a simple sketch showing how the job is done -- on a 240! Tuff Kote Dinol is a very good product too: Pictures at http://www.dinol.se/, link no. 3 and 4 from top left.

When we occasionally get mild weather during winter time, I use to drive the car over the garden hose, attach the lawn sprinkler, and slowly haul the hose from front to rear while the underside is washed. (Could take an underspray at a machine wash, but I prefer washing by hand.)

Erling.

You are comparing apples to oranges.

POR-15 is for bare metal (sorta ok for light well adhered rust - but even then I don't trust it there)....it is NOT for already coated surfaces, so unless you are willing to strip every square inch under your car.....

Your best bet for under the car? Get the car as high on jackstands as possible.

Spray every square mm with Simple Green. Scrub down. Hose off. Repeat until it's beyond showroom clean. Allow to dry/blow with compressed air.

Inspect for rust. If any exists, replace parts as necessary or get down to solid bare metal and coat area with POR-15, or one or two other good products such as Caroless.

When you are satisfied there is no rust coat with an oily/waxy undercoat.

Repeat next year!
--
http://www.fidalgo.net/~brook4/oilslubesfilters.html

It's hard to beat POR products.
They're hard and apparently indestructible. Clean surface is a must.
That would be the way to go, although honestly it would probably take years for you to notice a problem with just a $4.99 can spray undercoating....
The key to success, living in coastal areas and places where road salt is commonly used to prevent road icing, is WASH YOUR CAR!
SPray off all that junk that's attacking everything ASAP.

Also a good thing for west coast cars coming east- address the paint chips on the front end and around the wheel wells. These are places where rust gets a head start. Touch up or have those areas repainted for best results. It's much easier and cheaper than paying for rust repair.
--
Rob Bareiss, New London, CT 86 244, 87 244, 88 744

I certainly have a different slant on washing a car during the winter. I live in Vermont where our state and municipal road crews use a ton of salt. I try to do it only on a warm day and actually only a few times per winter. Here is my reasoning. When a car is coated with salt and you apply water, it seeps into all the little spots and rusts from the inside out. I have a 1990 240 and have done this for 3 years and had have great success. The car was originally from a salt free state and still remains rust-free. I have also done the same with a rust-free VW Jetta with the same outcome. Just my .02

For exactly this reason I like to blast it all away with the self-serve car wash pressure washer hose. Seems to work. Lots and lots of water is good.
--
Rob Bareiss, New London, CT 86 244, 87 244, 88 744