cruiser
Well-Known Member
Good evening, friends. You're probably just settling in for some light bedtime reading after enjoying a lovely dinner prepared by your wife, right? I thought so. So here's the latest chapter to make you good and sleepy before you retire for the evening. As we all know, fighting rust is a constant battle with our vintage MOPAR rides. Chrysler products were notorious for rapidly rusting , and so tonight we'll examine the steps that I've taken to ensure that my 1974 Gold Duster enjoys a long and corrosion free life. As a lifetime Minnesota boy, I'm well familiar with the toll that road salt takes on older cars. So much so, that when I was looking for a 1974 Duster back in 2019, I ruled out all Minnesota cars for this reason. I found a nearly rust free Duster in Portland OR, where they don't use salt or sand on the roads in the winter. Still, I was concerned about some questionable spots behind the rear wheels. My research indicated that the POR-15 system was probably the best product for me. Step one was to purchase the kit (see photo) which included a cleaner/degreaser solution, a self etching primer, a small can of POR-15, some gloves and two brushes. I mixed the degreaser with hot water according to the directions, then used it to remove all the grease and dirt from the areas that I was going to treat. These areas included the undersides of the trunk floor extensions and their lower vertical surfaces, the boxed ends of the rear subframes, and the undersides of the rocker panels. I found the supplied cleaner/degreaser to be very effective in cleaning all the years of crud from these surfaces. Next on went the self etching primer, which you use full strength. This has to be continually wetted for thirty minutes before being rinsed off. The third photo shows the cleaned and degreased underside of the left trunk extension panel. Once these areas dried, I applied two coats of POR-15 two hours apart. When the POR-15 cured, I finished the job by spraying the treated areas with three light coats of Dupli-Color truck bed liner spray coating. I've included a photo of the extension with the POR-15 coating, and another photo of the final truck bed liner coating. In this process, I've eliminated any rust in the troublesome areas, and have prevented these areas from ever rusting again. I can now drive confidently in the rain without worrying about my car rusting out. As a side note, my car came from the factory with the Noise Reduction Package which included the tarry sound deadener applied to the underside of the car. For the most part, this stuff was in great shape. It was just from the rear axle back that things started to get iffy. A few observations about the POR-15 process: First, it's expensive. POR-15 sells for about $200.00 a gallon. The small can included in the kit wasn't nearly enough to do my car, and I had to buy an additional quart for $60.00. Next, this is a REALLY messy job. You're brushing this stuff on the underside of a horizontal surface, and it wants to run down your wrist and arm continuously. It also wants to drip everywhere, and if it does you'll have to clean it up immediately with lacquer thinner. You'll go through about three brushes, a bunch of rubber gloves, and several mixing containers, to say nothing of the masking tape and drop cloth usage. So be ready for that. Having said that, I'm confident that I've greatly extended the life of my car. I've learned that MOPAR products don't really die from mechanical failure, they just rust out and get junked. So my car has been given another lifetime to live now, and even with the mess and hassle I'm glad that I did it. That's all for tonight's installment. Be sure to thank your wife for the nice dinner before you go to bed. Sleep well and stay tuned for our next installment!
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