So I finally was able to buy my very first brand new car ever on 4/15/18 - and I’m now 53. Don’t get me wrong, our last few cars were just fine but not brand new. The last one was a 2 year old Jeep - was fine and nice but my brand new car is a 2018 Subaru CrossTrek and I love it. Not gonna get into the whole thing but I scratched the shit out of it mid summer with an unknowingly dirty car wash brush at work and ended up buying myself everything I needed to buff it till it glowed, ended up putting a ceramic coating on it - love that too. I use a silica based topcoat on top of the ceramic coating - man you should see the water sheet right off of this thing. I keep it shining all the time, vacuumed etc. love this car. We don’t have a ton of $$ so I’m trying to really take care of it and make it last. My question is that now that I have the body under control I need to take care of the underneath. I live in Maine - hard ass winters, New England road salt blah blah - I’m thinking of having the underside professionally undercoated with something like the truck bed Rhino Liner type thick rubber undercoat. Any comments or other ideas? J
Have a look at a product called "LINE-X" Sounds like you're in the states so it might be cheaper then here (EU) You could run over a boulder and not even scratch it! (ok, exaggerated, don't run a boulder over) Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-L09 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
You know you should undercoat your vehicle at RustCheck. They warranty their work and I think its every two years, costs about 150$. They cover more than just the bottom, get hinges and doors, and other stuff. Check them out. I don't like modern powder coating, especially on GM/Chev.
Body cavity preservation is another luxury if you have the moola. Or maybe Subaru does this at the factory. A lot of car manufacturers stopped doing it to cut costs Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-L09 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Very much the same here I use a 'new' range rover most the time in winter we use Jap junkers ($200.00) reliable tho, saves on wear and tear in winter cheap as too good luck
Thanks guys So I’ve been a slacker with the undercoating due to other pressing priorities on the Jerry Compound - Nobody told me renovating a 250 year old farmhouse was gonna be a Money Pit... (LOL) Still - it’s only been 13 years working at it? Hehe - but I do realize it’s inevitably gonna be a lifetime project - just today I found several more spots down in The Dungeon where support beams (really just trees - the beams still have bark on them in areas lol - so I’m gonna just end up jacking the house up just an inch - enough to slide new rough cut beams in place. We already replaced the sale on the entire rear of the house and that was the real pain in the ass so this won’t be too bad. I’ll most likely hit the forest out back and drag out some nice straight maple, let it sit over the summer after peeling it and cutting it at least to a rough length - at least for the vertical main support beams. I’ve got some nice 6” x 6” rough cut hemlock I can use for the horizontal floor support beams. It’s been a fun project but slow as we finally paid off the mortgage a few years back in the last thing I’m going to do is to take out another, so slow and steady wins the race on this one. I’m trying to get the interior done one room at a time. Man but it’s slow going after working 50 or 60 hours a week. It’s THIS that makes it all worthwhile tho - But I digress… Sorry for getting off track. I’m famous for that. So back to the undercoating, this spring what I’d really like to do is to have the bottom of the vehicle professionally coated with a truck bed type liner - like a “Rhino Liner” Type coding? The thick, rubbery coating that is used in the beds of pick up trucks? Has anyone done this? That’s what I’m thinking anyhow. The thing is though is that I think that the skid plate material under the motor should really be removed prior? For what it’s worth, I have been extremely anal about cleaning underneath the vehicle constantly with the pressure washer so that none of the winter salt ever has a chance to settle in before I can get this done this spring. I really have been taking care of this thing. I like keeping it clean which is almost impossible in the winter in Maine, but I’ll tell you what, I’ve got the cleanest vehicle on the road 99% of the time LOL Thanks for any input guys. I do appreciate it. J
I don't like the sound of spraying rocker guard or something simillar to spray bedliner underneath your car. It won't stop or slow down any rust that already started. Removing that thermal or pebble guard under the engine would make it easy to spray the firewall with undercoating.
OMG Jerry your place looks gorgeous! OK your question. Yes I played with the liner, and I did not undercoat with it. I painted the bottom of my truck with it. I used this liner. If you use it, get it professionally done, as the rollers they sold deteriorate within 5 minutes and chunkies get into the paint job. As far as undercoating, I sand blasted the bottom off (sh*t GMC powdercoat that fails), primed with Tremclad primer using brush (thick) and then used a tremclad black. This year I may just use some liner spray to touch up. I have to replace a quarter panel, as it was rusting inside-out and didn't catch it. I did learn though that the best undercoat is epoxy. Here's a video as an example, but idk if that is a feasible method. Check out rustcheck, might be the best option.
Oh, here's a picture from a year back when I just finished the undercoating and liner. I did not place the fenders on yet, was gonna, but like I said, got to patch a quarterpanel. It turned out pretty good; it was a rust bucket prior to.
damn jerry, i swear i know that house but can't place from where. you ever need a hand.... i'm a timber framer specifically but i've got a handle on the trade as a whole.
Beautiful place man, well done! How long are you planning to keep your nice new car? Black is a bold choice with all the salt there. Also nice plates!
Hey @Framia - thanks very much man So many projects and so little time LOL So this is inside the newer addition on the right side of the house - as you can see I still have all kinds of finish work to do; The balance of the trim around the doors and the windows from the wainscot up, there will be a dental crown molding installed maybe two or 3 inches below ceiling light around the perimeter. I’m going to keep it a couple inches down so that I could add some Christmas lights Inside of the crown molding and I have them as a gentle reflective light off of the ceiling. I’m planning on adding some hand blown glass light covers at the ceiling lights - a buddy blows glass and hooks me up with some neat pieces. He made all of the drawer and cupboard handles from blown glass and it looks really cool. The ceiling is three-quarter inch tongue and groove bead board, and the flooring is simple cheap 1”x8” tongue & groove pine that is screwed down after which I plug the holes with the hardwood plugs and then sanded it all smooth before finishing it. The day after my 3rd coat of floor poly dried I put a deep 12’ long scratch in it lol I couldn’t figure out what kind of sink I wanted to use to replace the 1972 stamped stainless crap that was there when we were redoing the counters and cupboards - I needed something that went with the whole “old farmhouse” deal - I couldn’t even fit my big cookie sheets in the last one, I wanted something cool so fuck it - I made my own sink at work out of 24 ounce (how copper sheet metal is figured - ounces per square foot) heavy duty Revere copper. We made one out of cheap aluminum first to make sure that it was going to work and that we could get all the bends, rollers etc that we wanted to before making a mistake $300+ sheet of architectural copper. Don’t mind the dishes, please lol Btw - the pane “window” behind it is actually an old bank door from the late 1800’s laid on its side. Picking away at interior details - more copper. This is also 24 ounce copper “drops” (scraps) from work that I made into individual hidden fastener panels that I am installing over 2 layers thick of 5/8” Type X Fire rated Sheetrock. I’m going to try and get the rest of it done this coming weekend. Always a lot to do but I do like it - kinda fun and even relaxing being a bit artistic and working on the old place. Once the weather breaks this spring my main goal is to get the Farmer’s porch on the front of the main house wrapped around the new porch deck in front of the addition. In the meantime I’ve got a couple more rooms that I’m going to be working on and that I will be making my own solid wood paneling - i’m looking forward to that. Details, Details. J
@Framia - btw - the little thumbnail at the bottom is from my real outdoor summer love - organic vegetable gardening. The head of broccoli shown is from my garden across the street - that I never ever use fertilizer on and rarely water. I mulch with a wide variety of organic matter from the property - loads and loads of leaves, old straw/hay, horse manure from Joy and whatever else is kicking around... later on top of layer on top of layer on top of - you get the idea. It’s taken me many years to get to this point, but now that I am, it can be 100° out in the summer and I can peel that layer of mulch back and the soft springy soil will be swarming with worms, perfectly and beautifully moist and loaded with literally inches of worm castings - I plant, mulch and harvest fat beautiful vegetables this way - it works SO GOOD. If you’re interested in vegetable gardening at all, drop by our “Organic Vegetable Gardening” thread in the organics forum - Organic Vegetable Gardening Ive got a stressful busy (ha!!!) job - my organic gardening is the one thing that keeps me (somewhat) sane... Oh - and the Subaru? I’m hoping to have it for a long time although I do drive an excessive amount for work but luckily they pay for it. I love that CrossTrek!! The dealership I bought it from down in Saco, ME, has such faith in these Subaru’s that once my 100,000 mile “bumper to bumper” Warranty from Subaru is up, they take over and I have a (damn, man!!) Lifetime Power Train Warranty - everything from the all wheel drive system to motor to tranny - **providing** I follow and document all recommended Subaru maintenance guidelines - So I am just letting the dealership take care of all maintenance. They treat me like a king when I go in, provide me with a loaner vehicle if I need it and so I am just letting the dealership take care of all maintenance. They treat me like a king when I go in, provide me with a loaner vehicle if I need it and do all kinds of little extras - so while it’s $79. For a (full synthetic) oil change, they rotate all the tires , last time they took them all off and rebalanced them, vacuum it, and I only need to change the oil every 6k Miles!? Hell, I bet I’d be paying definitely over $50 for a full synthetic oil change at the local Jiffy Lube And those are kids who don’t give a fuck - these mechanics went to actual Subaru school, they know these cars excellent, have the tools to do whatever’s needed etc - for an extra $20.00. Hell, they hook my car up to the computer and give me a full readout of everything - dude, the report shows how many mm thickness the brake pads are when they measure them with a caliper lol I do love that Subaru CrossTrek! J
I pay $50 for an oil change and I do it myself! Your craftmanship is notable; your home exquisite. I been working on my place too... laying granite tile atm. I opted for a granite sink, but your sink rocks!
I’m a hack lol - but I have fun doing it. Thank you very much - I do appreciate it . I complain all the time because I’m always tired but there is a good feeling of satisfaction when you are able to stand back and see accomplishments. Beautiful cat! I love a good cat. Was the granite expensive? I love it. Granite is one of those things that’s “timeless”, ie: natural and wi never go out of style. I love natural looking rooms that have used wood and stone as coverings. Nice job man. I still have my counters to do but I believe I am going to pour my own concrete countertops call. Before I can do it I need to get my Supports down in the root cellar taken care of. I really need to get that done soon because my Genuine Authentic Maine Hand Crafted Plywood Countertops REALLY need to get covered soon lol Any of you guys ever install your own concrete countertops? I’m really looking forward to that project also. If you’re not aware, it comes out looking like whatever color or style of granite you like and the cool thing is that with my “L shaped” counter tops i’ll be able to pour it in place and do it in one piece… No seams I’ve seen folks inlay fossils as accents and I’m thinking that would be a really bad ass idea also. Sinks where you can buy molds shaped to look like a big spiral seashell and have it poured right into the countertop? Just so cool. Drain boards right in the countertop… The possibilities are endless really. If you don’t Know what I am referring to a quick Google search on “do it yourself concrete countertop ideas” and you’ll see some totally awesome ideas. When I do mine I am thinking of molding a spot so that a good butcher block cutting board can be inserted right into the countertop - level with the surface of the countertop. J again, nice job on the granite. I’d love to see any other pictures as well. J
ha! same brother! The rock is heavy makes me sweat and cramps my back hee hee I Love ripping my muscles to shreads he's a rascal! not really as I got it from an auction; about 3K or so for ~1200sqft. Its only 3/8th but that's fine as I wouldn't want the extra weight from the other stuff. I'm still working on the kitchen. Was so ghetto before, really ghetto lol. there's been more progress since I took that picture (on the right; the after pic) I feel like I should have just used the same granite for the backsplash, but whatever, imma tile the entire living room and halls with it. It feels really nice to walk on, I was dancing on it yesterday lol I really did want to go concrete counters and make some cool epoxy acid splash finish, but at the same time, I will eventually sell this place, so I will save that for next time. In other words, hell yea I would go concrete. Also, I have granite floors, so I don't want to add too much more weight. Oh yea, you can buy plenty of concrete molds nowadays. I might use similar molds to make some paving stones.
You've done one hell of a job Jerry and I know the feeling of sitting back and enjoying the fact that you have created your own masterpiece. We have very diffent styles as I love the modern look but can appreciate any style that is well done and cohesive. I have been working on our house and yard for the past few years. I have been by the organics thread a few time. I just put a couple of compost bins in out of some old pallets that were free so can't beat that. I've never used chemical fertilizers on my food or weed but I do on my potted flowers but plan on making teas this year from the composter and getting rid of all chemicals. Thanks for sharing your little peice of paradise in Maine. I hope to have a large peice of property one day to keep me busy doing what I love till I die and have my ashes sown back to the soil I love playing in!
Man - a dozen years ago my wife just HAD to get this horse - her name is “Joy” - short for “Almond Joy”, and was so named due to her cream & brown colors. So if you’re gonna have a horse you’re gonna need a barn - so that pretty much killed that entire summer after work and weekends lol - right down to making stained glass windows for both hayloft doors. She is an Indian Paint mare, and I am totally fugging amazed at the love that passes between she and my wife - they are incredibly lucky to have each other. Rain, snow, ice - doesn’t matter; my wife is bundling up to head into the pasture to make sure that Joy is well taken care of. She loves that animal and that animal loves her. Mrs J has been riding and training Joy for the last dozen years and the bond between them has kept growing immensely. Joy was a rescue from a farm that had neglected her and was diagnosed with “Navicular, which is a degenerative hoof bone disease - it never gets better but it DOES get worse. The Navicular bone in the horses hoof essentially deteriorates - how couldnit possibly ever get better? My wife has been doing everything humanly possible to make Joy as comfortable as possible and to continue training and working with her even though she has the navicular disease. Over the last several years things have been progressing in a crazy way… It is extremely positive way. Who would believe it. Different additives to her food such as Turmeric for example, different leg wraps, different equine powders - Mrs. J is the horse lady, not I. Somehow - through everything she does, Joy is no longer lame. Jeez!! I mean, it’s almost unheard of. Again, Mrs J is the horse lady and two weekends ago she was over at the barn working Joy - I was doing firewood. These horse people use a mixture of motions and sound etc to have the animal do what they want - again, About the only thing I know is how to clean the crap out of Joys stall and what to feed her LOL - step sideways, backwards, head down, head up - training training training... So I’m doing firewood and my wife came up to me and I could tell that something big was up - she about couldn’t talk - something exciting had happened... — “What’s up?” “You won’t believe me -“ “Of course I will - what’s up?” (Married heading towards 30 years) “I was over at the barn working with Joy doing some usual exercises and...” ———————————— Jeez - what?? “I didn’t have to tell her what to do - I just started *thinking* about what steps (exactly) I wanted her to do - and she did it...” “Holy shit!!!” “It started by accident and I was thinking something and Joy did it, and it startled me - so I thought about something different - quietly, slowly - and Joy kept doing all different steps exactly as I asked - in my mind”... ————————————- I shit you not Boys and Girls - true story. Fucking amazing is what it is...and my wife would not and doesn’t lie to me. How fucking Cool is that? Real deal. I’m on a roll with pics I guess lol - this is Joy and my Shepard, Max. He’s my buddy I’ve got to get some chores done but I will check back in later. Hope you guys are having a good day. Peace! J