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Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL estate (1983 - 910 model) - Cavity Wax - Dinitrol, Waxoyl or other? - Talking Hoarse

Recently recommissioned this rare old car for daily driver and "preervation". It was undersealed quite well from new (by the dealer or importer I guess) and has so far survived remarkably well.

Now that it is MOT'd and up and about, I need to rustproof it for future. What is the best wax stuff for spraying inside the sills chassis rails //cavities etc? I have a compressor (and large groundsheet as it is a messy job). Some warn me off Waxoyl as it may comtinue to dribble weeks later if warmed. In particular does anyone have feedback on Bodyline cavity wax - available from Brown Brothers (was from Unipart)?

Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL estate (1983 - 910 model) - Cavity Wax - Dinitrol, Waxoyl or other? - Peter.N.

The best rustproofer for hollow sections is without doubt oil. I use cheap new engine oil and either spray it in or squirt it from an oil can. On the sills for example, if you cant fine a way in take a screw out of the tread plate or a door hinge or stay. Oil has the great advantage of creeping into the seams, where the rust starts, many other sealants set before they get there. You will be surprised how long it stays there, if you do it once a year it should protect it indefinitly - I have been using this method for over 50 years.

Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL estate (1983 - 910 model) - Cavity Wax - Dinitrol, Waxoyl or other? - gordonbennet

Waxoyl will run for about a month in hot weather after application, usually from door drains and such like. It's not really a problem as it wipes off easily with a rag soaked in white spirit, basically if it stinks(and it will) it's still damp enough to run.

It has some detractors who for some reason try to get you to use other more exotic and quite possibly better makes, but it's good value and does the job if applied properly to a previously cleaned and dry underside. No good spraying it willy nilly over baked on salt and crud, the car needs cleaning well and allowed to dry. At the end of the day it's a damn sight better than doing nothing, and 20 quids worth will probably do everything you want.

For underside heavy wear areas i use the proper waxoyl underseal, it dries much harder than normal waxoyl, and is easily paintable.

The car by the way i'm sure i had the same model, last one that was RWD, i wanted the newer Bluebird FWD, just couldn't afford one at the time. The most reliable car i've ever owned by a long way, they really do not make 'em like that any more.

Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL estate (1983 - 910 model) - Cavity Wax - Dinitrol, Waxoyl or other? - edlithgow

I sprayed oil inside box sections. Because I didn't have pro spray equipment, I thinned the oil with kerosene or (latterly, as kerosene became harder to find due to the intervention of the Revenue Men) diesel. Thinning with white spirit (as used for Waxoyl) would probably allow higher cumulative oil loadings since the thinner would evaporate, but I havn't tried that.

I wouldn't use old oil 'cos its poisonous and a little clean oil goes a long way.

If you want something stickier/more wash-off resistant, sunflower oil is pretty good, but it eventually skins hard, which you probably don't want inside box sections. A 50-50 mix of mineral/sunflower oil seems to skin very slowly but I only tried it a couple of years ago and I'd guess it might set eventually.

I havn't evaluated many other veg oils, but soya grows mould.

For surface rust treatment, tightly rolled beercan in a drill chuck, lightly lubricated with sunflower oil, gets aluminium very intimately involved with the metal surface and seems to last pretty well.

I've used Waxoyl and I thought it sucked, because it was a pain to apply (sprayer clogs) and didn't seem very effective thereafter, because it skins quickly and rust continues under the skin.

Dinitrol is probably better but I havn't used it.

Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL estate (1983 - 910 model) - Cavity Wax - Dinitrol, Waxoyl or other? - craig-pd130

Whatever you use (I've used a 70/30 mix of Waxoyl and cheap new engine oil before), it's best to wait until a late spring / summer day when ambient temp is warm.

If you can stand the car in the sun for an hour or two before applying, so much the better, the rustproofing stuff sticks to metal and creeps a LOT better when applied warm!

Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL estate (1983 - 910 model) - Cavity Wax - Dinitrol, Waxoyl or other? - mss1tw

I spray ACF 50 inside box sections, inside the frame on motorbike, and inside the wheel arches and wings on the Berlingo.

Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL estate (1983 - 910 model) - Cavity Wax - Dinitrol, Waxoyl or other? - craig-pd130

ACF-50 is excellent for bikes, been using it on my old 'classic' for several years and it keeps the chrome in excellent nick against winter salt. Just wipes off, too.

Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL estate (1983 - 910 model) - Cavity Wax - Dinitrol, Waxoyl or other? - Big John

If you use just Waxoyl on its own it can just sit on top of rust and do - not a lot. I've welded many a car after chopping away rotten sections consisting of an underseal - crispy laminated rust - Waxoyl sandwich.

However I find a warm mix of fresh engine oil and Waxoyl to be VERY effective in cavities. It oozes and soaks into small air gaps and rust. I used to paint on engine oil to the underside followed by Waxoyl underseal the next day. Very Very messy though.

I recently re-visited a Morris Minor that I rebuilt in 1988 and found the rustproofing still to be intact and still tacky -The only bits starting to go were parts of the car that I didn't touch back then as they were spot on at the time.

Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL estate (1983 - 910 model) - Cavity Wax - Dinitrol, Waxoyl or other? - Talking Hoarse
Tanks

Edited by Talking Hoarse on 30/01/2012 at 08:00

Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL estate (1983 - 910 model) - Cavity Wax - Dinitrol, Waxoyl or other? - Talking Hoarse

Thanks all for your advice - I did not expect this thread to resurrect after so many months lying dormant.

For the record - I ended up applying loads of Bilt Hambers Dynax S50 in the cavities, sprayed with an air compressor and a (borrowed) cavity wax spray kit etc. However I ran out of that after 5 litres, and resorted to the cheaper stuff (cant recall the name - but it was ½ price of BH) from Brown Brothers. Underside of the car was treated with Bilt Hambers Dynax UB.

Feedback:

Dynax S50 works well, sprays well (albeit at high pressures) but stinks the car out offensively for months. Sets to almost clear waxy coating. Time will tell.

Dynax UB looks good and sets to a thick waxy black coating, makes the underside look good too.

Brown Brothers cavity wax - again goes on really well, sets to a waxy, clear (not quite colourless) coating the consistency of soft toffee.

Neither of the cavity waxes troubled with runs after 24 hours, that was my fear of Waxoil.

See if the car survives for its next 29 years!

Datsun Bluebird 1.8GL estate (1983 - 910 model) - Cavity Wax - Dinitrol, Waxoyl or other? - craig-pd130

Using a compressor and the proper 'wands' is definitely the way to do it, because it atomises the product properly.

Have posted before but my old MGB was rustproofed by a local classic car specialist for £50 using a waxoyl / oil mix through a compressor. Thorough job but they only did it when they had no other cars in the workshop needing paint jobs, as the stuff gets EVERYWHERE