Get rid of the damn salt
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 271
Likes: 0
From: California
Get rid of the damn salt My Vette has seen snow once in its lifetime. The only problem was that it was for about 400miles and had a thick crust of salt in all the suspension and underbody.
I discovered the best way to remove it was to use my wife's Bath and Kitchen CLR (calcium Lime Rust)...just spray it on and this stuff just eats the salt and easily washes away with the hose. It also leaves paint, plastic and rubber unaffected
I discovered the best way to remove it was to use my wife's Bath and Kitchen CLR (calcium Lime Rust)...just spray it on and this stuff just eats the salt and easily washes away with the hose. It also leaves paint, plastic and rubber unaffected
It will however chew the hell out of any zinc, like
the protecting layer on galvanized sheet metal,
and I definitely would not suggest doing this
to a sheet metal constructed car. It's dilute
phosphoric acid (like watered down Ospho) and
some detergent.
Plain ol' salt will go away with just copious rinsing.
Perhaps the residue was some sort of calcium
deposit (some places may use CaCl2 instead of
salt as it's less harmful to vegetation, and it
may get changed to lime or to calcium oxide on
the roadbed or on the underbody by reaction
with something else).
But anyway, I've seen on project cars where
I used Ospho to remove rust, it rusts even
faster the next time. So anybody with an
FBody whose underside has gotten chipped
up and is only being cathodically protected
(and that is about anyone who's gone down
a dirt / gravel road) should steer clear of any
acid cleaners.
the protecting layer on galvanized sheet metal,
and I definitely would not suggest doing this
to a sheet metal constructed car. It's dilute
phosphoric acid (like watered down Ospho) and
some detergent.
Plain ol' salt will go away with just copious rinsing.
Perhaps the residue was some sort of calcium
deposit (some places may use CaCl2 instead of
salt as it's less harmful to vegetation, and it
may get changed to lime or to calcium oxide on
the roadbed or on the underbody by reaction
with something else).
But anyway, I've seen on project cars where
I used Ospho to remove rust, it rusts even
faster the next time. So anybody with an
FBody whose underside has gotten chipped
up and is only being cathodically protected
(and that is about anyone who's gone down
a dirt / gravel road) should steer clear of any
acid cleaners.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 271
Likes: 0
From: California
Thanks Jimmy, I hadnt even thought of this. No wonder it cleaned the aluminum fast! I am glad I rinsed well... Although it cant be to high concentrate of phosphoric acid if it didnt touch the paint.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 377
Likes: 0
From: WY
C5blkvette - maybe you could just rinse it down again thoroughly (to make sure) and then coat the undercarriage with some CD-2 engine detailer periodically to make it look good and give it some temporary protection as well. Just a thought.
-Tom
-Tom
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Verdad Gallardo Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 271
Likes: 0
From: California
I dont think it will be a problem on a vette because everything is Aluminum and it didnt seem to cut into the metal (ie. looks like there is still an aluminum-oxide layer for protection)... I didnt do the underbody, just the front suspension and wheel well.
