I've recently discovered, having my car (civic) on jackstands to change
break pads, that a lot of the underbody components have serious rust
problems. I live in Canada, so this is to be expected I guess.
It's most pronounced in the area of the exhaust manifold, it's litereally
rusting and breaking apart.

Is there anything I can do to stop/inhibit rust growth, aside from just
cleaning what I can with a wire brush? I am talking about parts that were
not originally painted, metallic surfaces.

TIA, any advice/experience is appreciated