how to keep 4x4 in good nick before and after goin on the beach

Give the underneath a very good wash down after each run.

Gday Ryan01,

Before you do any beach run, I'd suggest throwing on an E.R.P.S. There may be some doubters, but I've proven mine but taking the previous truck on the beach over 20 times in the 2 or so years I owned it without scratches down to the metal turning rusty. I also found that it stopped the process of oxidisation on the alloy bullbar and the paint work was always shiny (except when muddy!)

Also, the best thing you could do is go to a mob that sprays a black thick liquid onto the underneath of your truck that goes hard. Won't stop it, but will slow the process. Another good thing to do is spray rust preventer sticky goo in the door etc etc. The same mob will do that for you.

For around $800 including the E.R.P.S, you will extend the life of your truck. And after every trip, go to car lovers, wear dirty clothes and spray the life out of your truck as long as you can. Then go home and park your truck on top of a sprinkler and leave as long as restrictions allow. This should run all the old salt out anyway. In any event, once it all dries out, you'll tap a guard and sand will come streaming out...

Cheers

Chris.

If you can stay out of the salt water and off wet sand (damp is not a problem) you will reduce your clean up requirements drastically. Its amazing where the beach sand will end up - nothing beats a good wash with water and a vacuum inside- ditto to earlier comments.

Nothing beats a good clean.
And I can't speak highly enough of my GMC $99 air compressor and $79 Staun high pressure cleaner combo. Beats going to car lovers, you just do it in the driveway and I've found a gazillion other uses for the air compressor since buying it!
The Staun "u" shaped head beats any car lovers I've been to, you don't even have to get on your knees!

Another hint,

If you find it difficult to wash under the car, get a sprinkler or existing lawn sprinklers underneath and turn them on for a good half hour moving the car a few times to get in all the crannies.

regards

Don't waste your money on a high pressure cleaner. The wands are too long and are useless for getting into where the sand gets. Go with the Staun wands (easy to make yourself) I don't use a compressor on mine but as Jeff said above he loves them. Probably depends a lot on how much pressure comes from your tap in your area in the first place.

Be very thorough during washing and get right under your 4x4. You will soon learn where all the hidey holes are.

See a thread from a couple of days ago about rust preventitives. Lanolin is great.

Before I went to Fraser I put the car up on a hoist and wandered around underneath it with a srpay can of Fishoilene. (Lanotec may also to the trick) I sprayed everything that remotely looked like a thred, systematically working from one end to the other and back, then looked at at from the other side (tried to get a 360 degree view) and picked up a few I had missed. when we drove off Fraser we went to the underbody wash and spent the best $6 worth of clean out, also ran water thru the chassis rails to get out the salty sand.

Not a spec of rust under there 12 months later. Had I had the water I would have put a soaker hose under the car for about an hour and gave ot a good drink of clean water. The underbody did the best I could.

Good luck, an ERPS is the GO if you're goping to be doing lots of beach driving.

1/ get under your 4x4 with garden hose and jet out all the sand for hours .
2/ repeat step 1 for the next week .
3/ vacumn out interior or if vinyl hose out .
4/ repeat step 1 again .
5/ repeat step 1 again .

Gday Ryan,

I live in Broome, the home of driving on the beach. We usually go down to Gantheume Point beach every Sunday with the kids and friends to have a few drinks and a bbq. I have had my GQ for 5 years and it has no rust at all. Heres what I do.
1. I put my car up on an outside hoist and gave it a thorough pressure clean to remove as much dirt as possible and get it nice and clean. I then mixed black paint with fisholene and sprayed the entire underside of the car. I made sure to cover up things like the shocks etc with newspaper (They wouldnt look good if they were sprayed black.)

2. I then took out my seats and carpet and sprayed the entire floor with just straight fisholene (No paint) and also sprayed inside all ther door cavitys and any other nooks and crannies I could find. (Be warned the car will stink for days and the wife will hate it.)

3. I made an underbody sprayer from reticulation bits and pieces. Its basically just a length of black poly in a U shape that fits under the car and has spray nozzles spread out along its length. This way I dont have to move the car. In fact I just pull up on the grass, throw the sprayer underneath, connect the hose and turn it on.
By the time we have unpacked the car it's had a good rinsing.

4. I also make sure I get the hose and wash the wheels and up inside the wheel arches too.

The most important thing of all is that the kids get a rinse off before they hop in the car to eliminate as much sand as possible getting insdie the car. Also make sure you regularly inspect all of your drain holes especially after doing some mud driving.

Regards,

Troy.

Hi Definatally get some form of rust protection prior to beach trip , and for afterwards go to kmart and get a $20 garden irigation kit ,or buiy pieces and cut and make your own shape to suit underneath vehicle can even bury in front lawn & ,Or the good ol soaker hose peged down in a square shape u better do something cheers jtb