So who drove their JDM cars last winter? Did anyone rust proof their cars or that of the sort or put in block heaters? Unfotunately since there’s no room where we live to have another car, my 180 is going to have to be my literal daily driver. So what should I do to prep the 180 for the winter? I’ve already gotten majority of the regular maintenance items out of the way, oil, coolant, diff fluid, spark plugs, etc…so any special treatment for my 180?
just get your service guys to do what they did to my G . … undercoat, clearcoat and charge you up the ass for it . …
Your definatly going to have to rig up some sort of block heater or in-line heater. Undercoating and rust proofing would be a smart thing to do. I know i would not want to be responsible for rusting out my 20 year old rust free Silvia
yeah dude … magnetic oil pan heater or inline coolant heater. cheap and easy to install.
I am in the process of undercoating my car to get ready for the winter here and it is the best idea as well as touch up any deep rock chips and such that you might not notice in the dirty winter until they are a rust bubble.
Yeah the first winter I had my car I made the mistake of driving it without rust proofing, now theres little bubbles in the rear quarters.
Undercoat that shit, especially after 15 years or rock and stones chipping away the origional undercoating, leaving exposed metal under your car
does anyone know aprox how much to undercoat and also where is a good place to do it at ?
buy garbage bags and some undercoat … do it in your driveway/parking spot
very funny scott… so thats what u did to the alto … and here i though all the wooshin sound was from a turbo lol …
buy garbage bags and some undercoat … do it in your driveway/parking spot[/quote]
Thats how I did my Renault. To get someone to do it for you they just have a gun instead that does it. You might have better results doing it yourself.
k so i did some research … well honestly i just hit google and found this
For this I’d use " Rubberized " undercoat. It dries to the touch, other types don’t. It does’nt have anything to do with the brand. It’s all recycled petrolium paint products. Rubberized is the key. After a day or two, I put one coat of black enamal on. Simi-gloss gives it a great look. the paint seals the undercoat, dirt and such does’nt stick, so you can clean your under carrage with a hose. I do the same thing if I want a textured, but washable gravel coat on the outside of the rocker panels.
hope it helps
yeah I undercoated that alto last night … I just hit up the underneath with sand paper and rotating disc to get minor surface rust from nicks and rocks down to bare metal …
then I threw down some rust proof and let it dry …then I layed down rust paint primer …then the undercoat …
If rust wants to find my chassis it better bring a chisel to get to the metal
There was only a few places where the previous coating had come off due to bottoming out or wheels hitting the inner fender wells so it was pretty easy to prep it. Now the wells and undercarriage are mint.
It took a couple hours and I had to throw away a set of work clothes but it is worth doing it now that it is decently warm outside for working and for drying rather than in a few months when getting under your car is your last idea
i have the rubberized undercoat, i drove my 180 last winter (occasionally), and it was fine. no rust as of today from that winter. the rubberized undercoat does come off in the spots where you jack up the car (on the frame rail) so i’m re-sanding/ re-spraying a few spots before this winter.
i also washed the underneath of my car twice a weak last winter, so if you are going to drive an s13 in the winter, wash it like crazy, wash the door gutters with door open, wheel wells, subframe etc.
if you stay on top of the rust issue you’re ok… if you notice any spots starting, repair it properly asap. the cost of those small repairs if you take care of them immediately should be cheaper than the cost of running a winter beater. (thats my reasoning)
Aaron did the right thing …there is nothing wrong with driving you car in the winter if you take the right precautions.
I have re-undercoated it as well as removed the aero kit, winter rims with studded tires, winter suspension, oil pan heater, floor mats 
Winter suspension? Well, I’m taking my coilovers off and putting the stock suspension in, another point, studded tires or regular winter tires? Pros and cons in either?
Winter suspension? Well, I’m taking my coilovers off and putting the stock suspension in, another point, studded tires or regular winter tires? Pros and cons in either?[/quote]
you aren’t putting stock suspesion back in…thats just weak shit. the gabs/rs-r you can borrow for the winter…i don’t think i want to sell them anyways…want them as back-ups
Winter suspension? Well, I’m taking my coilovers off and putting the stock suspension in, another point, studded tires or regular winter tires? Pros and cons in either?[/quote]
winter suspension is “code” for dumpy stock suspension
On an alto it is seriously dump like a truck “wut wut!”
winter tires studded or not does make a difference but you can only get it dont when the tires are brand new with no kms on them or else there is no shop that will do it sadly.