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Anyone used Fluid Film?

12K views 45 replies 23 participants last post by  karlfj 
#1 ·
I have a few rust spots underneath on the frame and I've thought about picking up some Fluid Film from my local Lowes since they now sale it at Lowe's.

I just don't want the FJ to turn out like my old 4Runner with chunks of metal falling off lol. On my old 4Runner pieces of metal in the shape of the frame would be falling off lol no joke. Some spots of the frame I had holes eating through.
 
#3 ·
Yeah mine is nothing bad or anything beyond help lol but I would just rather be on top of it in the best way possibly. I did the sanding and paint to the areas that are accessible but some areas are not so accessible.
 
#4 ·
#6 · (Edited)
I hear good/great things about it, but haven't used it myself yet.

I just ordered one of the Fluid Film "kits" from Kellsport. I made sure to get the flexible 360° wand so I can stick it into the holes in the frame and even coat the inside of it. Should be here this week.

Kit 1 - "pro gun" upgrade and the 32" 360° Flexible Wand.

.
 
#10 ·
ive used it for years. works pretty well. smell goes away after a day or two.
 
#12 ·
I have used it for years, on my vehicles, tools etc. it works great.

I also use it on my knives (Carbon Steel blades) as they are prone to rust, and the Fluid Film is "Food Grade" less toxic than some of the alternatives, no solvents!!

I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!
 
#15 ·
Thanks man. I was thinking if it takes 3 cans or less I would just go with the aerosol, but if it takes more than that I might go with the sprayer kit Fluid Film Undercoat kits

BTW here is an FAQ on vehicle use. Fluid Film Undercoating
 
#17 ·
3 Cans will do it. I just did mine with two and that got all the outside of the frame, under and over skids, and some of the other underside body metal. I typically use the third to just douse the inside of the frame wherever I can. Ill probably pick up 2 more next time Im at Lowes. Thatll give me a little extra for touch ups.

If I really wanted to do it right, Id get a can of the Eastwood internal frame coating with the 360 degree wand. Do inside the frame with that and FF the rest.
 
#18 ·
Use it and have used it, bought several other varieties this year as well. Put them on beginning of Sept. and will hit the underside again perhaps this weekend.

Fluid film certainly wasn't anything magic, in fact, in one spot it took all of a couple weeks for rust to dash my hopes.

But I'll keep at it because I've spent dang near 100hrs sitting under this thing wire brushing rust, perhaps a little grinder here and there, repaint repaint repaint, rust dissolver here, little there, repaint on and on.

Underbody actually looks pretty good at the moment... So I'll keep using fluid film and also messing around with other varieties trying to keep it looking decent. Wire brushing and repainting every year isn't happening, I've had enough.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Not really ever tacky. Always feels like oil...like a light oil. Never seems to get "gunky" like actual oil might. In my opinion it helps shed dirt...you can spray water on it pretty hard to get mud and dirt off and it helps it come off. Water alone, is really not enough to ever remove it completely so even if you clean the undercarriage it stays coated. Think of it like if you silicone sprayed or tire shined it before wheeling.

If I recall this pic is Filmed for a good many months after application. I believe at least one wheeling trip too. Note the dirt on the charcoal canister still. It doesnt have FF on it (plastic) but everything else is shiny.

 
#26 ·
Just applied it today but originally planned to do so over the weekend but other plans with the fiance kicked in lol. Anyways I think this stuff will really do the trick and it took me around close to four cans to apply. I'd say it's best to apply at the least once a year but twice if possible. Probably apply around October before winter and reapply after winter is over. I think doing so every year in this order will do great. Everything looks good to me and I'm happy with it.
 
#27 ·
I applied it yesterday using the sprayer kit and my compressor. Went pretty easy, although I really wish I could do it on a lift, the ability to more around freely under there would make me more confident of the completeness of coverage.

I agree that the stuff in the gallon can is thicker - it's kind of like thin butterscotch pudding, whereas the aerosol stuff is thinned to spray properly. I did it in the driveway and glad I did, it has kind of a sweet odor that isn't objectionable in small doses but would have been a bit much in a confined space like the garage. The odor dissipated quite a bit overnight but is still there a little. I think it will not be a problem. Oh and I got a little smoke off of the exhaust this morning but no big deal.

I only used about a quart, so I definitely should get 3+ applications from the gallon can.
 
#28 ·
I did the fluid film about 2 weeks ago. I found its easiest to use two ramps on one side to tilt the truck, you can do about 2/3 of the truck from front to back and then switch the ramps to the other side for the rest. The smell was completely gone after about 3 days, albeit not a bad smell. Went wheeling Saturday and the mud sprayed right off the next day and the fluid film seemed to be fine after.

 
#31 ·
I did the fluid film about 2 weeks ago. I found its easiest to use two ramps on one side to tilt the truck, you can do about 2/3 of the truck from front to back and then switch the ramps to the other side for the rest.
While I was doing the spraying I was thinking of jacking up one side at a time to do that, because I don't have ramps...maybe I'll have to get some.
 
#30 ·
Is there any rust? Beach driving maybe.....

It does help fasteners come loose easier...may help stop seizing of bolts.

Then again, in TX it may be just a lot of messy work for little reward.
 
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#33 ·
Maybe I should install the sliders I have in the basement so I can use the hi-lift!

Yeah, I know, bad idea to trust a hi-lift to work underneath. :)
 
#35 ·
ideally, you'd remove the wheels and bag the brakes with plastic garbage bags and tape, to avoid risk of getting slippery oily fluid film on those, by accident

Not a bad idea to first treat any surface corrosion with some phosphate converter (Ospho is cheap and easy to apply). Let it dry overnight and then Fluid Film over the top of that, for a pretty, black and shiny bottom.
 

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#37 ·
After driving my rig through a couple of more winters I realized that merely applying Ospho and Fluid Film is not enough. Red rust kept coming back in some spots.
So, this advice is based on what I’ve learned from MED over the years, and recently on this project: corrosion protection is a matter of layers: each layer protects the one beneath, and helps the one on top of it to stick.

1) remove as much red rust as possible (wire brush the parts in place, or better yet, remove as many parts as possible and sand blast and re-coat separately before re-installation)
2) apply phosphate wash (Sherwin Williams sells Ospho) with a cheap, disposable garden sprayer (note, phosphate will attack zinc plating, so keep away from any fasteners which are still silver colored). The phosphate wash will convert any remaining, microscopic iron-oxide into an inert iron-phosphate. But note it is still reactive and will not last without some kind of covering protection against oxygen and water.
3) note that paint cannot stick to dirty surfaces, so clean, clean, clean with rubbing alcohol, brake cleaner, etc. until the rag comes back clean. If you have FF already on the frame, clean that off with oven cleaner until the surface is ready to accept paint.
4) paint all surfaces with a good quality top coat (something like POR15, for instance, it is epoxy based (I think) which includes UV protection as well as 02 protection)
5) after the top coat of paint is dry, go over that with body wax, unfortunately this isn’t readily available at most auto parts stores as a consumer product, so I buy Amsoil Metal Protectant, which is sort of like “Cosmoline”, and seems very similar to the body wax Toyota uses on line. It will dry to a semi-hard, non-tacky surface. Use a long straw with a 360deg spray nozzle to tread inside of frame rails, suspension arms, etc.
6) once dry, go over that with a lightweight liquid rust protectant like Fluid Film, it is lanolin based, so is OK to get on anything (on rubber is OK), but don’t get on brakes (obviously), or tires (slippery). FF is great stuff, but it does tend to rinse off, so should be re-applied each fall

Note that FF can be applied with a bulk sprayer, from a gallon can, the first time, then after that first big application each year a single rattle can and some long straws, and about 1 hour of time is enough to re-do the whole underside. For it I don’t even bother to mask or do any cleanup, simply sweep of a comfortable part of the driveway, slide around on a piece of cardboard, wear dirty clothes and then let the weather clean off any overspray/drips from the driveway when done.

Any time anything like this is done, go back and make SURE all of the drain holes are still clear (not clogged with undercoating) to prevent pooled water causing corrosion after all.

Whenever any fastener is removed, use some anti-seize on the threads before re-installation (note, when using it, which is a lubricant, reduce torque -40%, keep a record and re-check at that new torque value after a few 1000 miles just to be sure).

Hope this helps,
Norm
 
#38 ·
4) paint all surfaces with a good quality top coat (something like POR15, for instance, it is epoxy based (I think) which includes UV protection as well as 02 protection)
Apparently, POR15 doesn't offer UV protection:
https://www.por15.com/POR-15-FAQS_ep_61.html
"WILL THE SUN DESTROY MY POR-15 COATING IF I DON'T TOPCOAT IT?
If the surface is exposed to the sun for an extended amount of time, the UV rays will eventually break down the POR-15 and cause it to fail. That?s why we recommend you topcoat it."
 
#40 ·
That Eastwood stuff sounds pretty good. Zinc phosphate treats red rust and then sacrificially anode protects it. They said its paint is a phenolic resin, which sounds like it would help to prevent oxygen reaching the iron, which is also good.

Maybe coat with the Eastwood first, and then go over that with wax like the Amsoil HDMP I'd found, and then go over that with FF for good measure!


Norm
 
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