salt

[Bill E.]

It's a nice day here in New England, temp about 34 degrees, sun is out, and only a trace of salt left on the roads from the last snow. My '74 sits in the garage. Something is wrong with this picture.

My car is not NCRS show qualitiy but it is a rust-free frame-off restored very nice driver and I work to keep it looking good, including the undercarriage.

I would like to drive the car during the Winter and have been thinking of fabricating a washdown device that I can use to wash any salt off the undercarriage. I plan to use a siphon device to spray a soapy solution and then wash it off with clear water. Has anyone tried this? Any suggestions?

Thanks, Bill #39624

[Harry Sadlock]

Re: salt

Bill, being from NH I understand your concern. I just park the vette in the Winter. But, I do drive my SUV on the beach to surf fish. I take an old lawn sprinkler and move it around under the car. I've been doing this for years and it works fine for beach salt.

Harry

38513

[Terry M.]

Re: salt

Bill,
There is a product called Salt-away. I have no personal experience with it, but some on other boards (non-Corvette) people speak highly of it. It is not inexpensive, and there may be less costly ways of doing the same thing.

[Joe L.]

Re: salt

Bill------

Washing off the salt will be better than not washing it off. However, there will still be traces of the salt remaining and they will induce corrosion to one degree or another.

Also, and very importantly, it's a misconception that if you don't drive a car in the winter on salted roads that it will be protected from salt-induced corrosion. The salt remains on the roads long after the snow and ice are gone. Snow and ice evaporate and drain away. The salt does NOT evaporate, although some drains away with the runoff. Anyway, if you drive the car in spring or summer rain, the salt remaining on the roadsides and roadway will become "re-dissolved" and induce just as much corrosion as it did during the winter months.

[Mike M.]

Don't do it....

There's not only the salt spatter, but, salt dust, it gets everywhere. The streets may look innocent, but are still saturated with salt.
Here in the Midwest, anyone concerned about rust will wait until after two or three good long rain showers in the spring to be sure all salt residue has been washed away before taking that first post-storage drive.
H. a. N. D.

[Bill E.]

Re: salt

Has anyone tried the Salt-Away?

Joe, I understand what you're saying about the residual nature of the salt and in the past I have waited for several good rains in the Spring before driving the car. So far I haven't noticed any problems.

[Timothy B.]

Re: salt

I knew there was a reason I live in the South... :-) But, come July, I will wish I was somewhere other than Houston!!

[Dick W.]

Re: salt

Ya better be further South than NC. It is a snowin' and they's a saltin' the roads as I speak

[Jim Ward]

Re: Don't do it....

I think the salt dust and spray from dump trucks and other trucks are almost impossible to avoid. As Joe said, the salt dust can be seen even as late as April in one form or another. If you travel the New Jersey turnpike, the dust I see I think is the worst, cause it is ultra fine and goes wherever the passing windage goes, ie: frame grill interior of the engin compartment and rear section. Salt is nasty stuff and will rot nearly anything it comes into contact with.

[Doug Flaten]

Re: salt

I moved to OKC in the winter and there was snow & ice most of the winter. My Mustang "aged" more in one winter than it had in my previous 15 years of ownership. The salt seemed to find each and every holiday in the paint coating, and the undercarriage went from very little rust to fairly heavy. Having been in W. Texas prior to that, the car rarely saw snow or rain for that matter.

[Gordon Peterson #4961]

Re: salt

Bill -

Check with your town department about what they are actually using on the roads. Around here (central MA), they haven't used sodium chloride (salt) for a couple of years. I've forgotten what they have replaced it with, possibly potassium chloride. But supposedly, it does not eat up cars like sodium chloride does. I do exercise my '63 whenever the roads dry out and the dust is swept away. In 30 years of ownership, the only time my car has deteriorated was when I tried to store it over the winter.

Pete

[Bill E.]

Re: salt

Pete:

Do you do anything about washing down the undercarriage?

Bill

[Gordon Peterson #4961]

Re: salt

No, in fact I avoid ever getting the undercarriage wet if I can preferring to wipe dusty parts down with an oily rag when I'm under there (fairly often ).