Need frame rust advice (56k warning)

[Southern_Trendkill]

When I bought this truck a year and a half ago, it had some rust on the frame, but not terrible. Then it sat in Maine for 6 months, including a winter, while I was on deployment. Now it looks like these photos. Now, the truck has 195k on it, but it still runs fine, starts every time, and doesn't give me a lot of problems. As of right now, all it needs is new brake rotors and calipers, and a lot of body work. These pictures show pretty much all of the rust, so I was hoping some of you who live in the salt-belt could advise me on just how bad the damage is. I don't know if it's worth keeping it running for a few more years, or if I should just ditch it now and buy a different one.

The thing about buying a new truck is that I can't afford insurance on anything newer than 1998.

 

[Iron Ranger]

Well, the rust on the frame actually looks worse than it is. If you took a wire wheel to some spots, it should pretty much come right off. As far as the body panels and wheel wells go, the only way to repair that is new sheet metal.

What vehicle is this? If it's the supercab ranger, pull out the side seats and look down behind them. That way, you can really see the damage that moisture/winters have done.

 

[Southern_Trendkill]

This is actually on 96 F-150 supercab. No side seats to pull out.

 

[OilPatch197]

I really think you just need to drive this truck! Yeah, letting it sit it's going to scale up like that, you need to use that truck, on pavement and gravel roads. That frame needs worn, and a engine/transmission oil leak wouldn't hurt either.

You also need to BLAST thru some water hole to try and remove *any* salt there could be on that frame.

 

[adsm08]

Yeah, that doesn't look bad man. My frame looks EXACTLY like that, its all surface except maybe pic 2, that bracket looks bad.

 

[dirttrackracer]

that isnt bad. drive it, it looks just fine to me

 

[The purple one]

I have seen worse. (I mean I have owned A LOT WORSE)

 

[TheTopher]

That's just surface rust, no problem at all. My truck looked like that. I went over it really well with some steel wool and sprayed rust reformer on it. It would've been perfect except half an hour later my girlfriend decided that I needed to pick HER up in the rain instead of vice versa...


So now the frame has rust spots where the rain hit the rust reformer and washed it off.

A polka dotted frame is the most manly thing on the world, doncha know.

I dunno how I let that woman talk me into such stupid stuff.

 

[adsm08]

If you really want to see some frame rust PM Ranger Kip, ask him for some pics of his frame. I'm pretty sure that sand blasting it will just make it disintegrate.

 

[Southern_Trendkill]

If you really want to see some frame rust PM Ranger Kip, ask him for some pics of his frame. I'm pretty sure that sand blasting it will just make it disintegrate.

This is have to see.

 

[Ranger Kip]

Yup, mine is rusted through, look in my build thread http://therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81704 , uhm, yeah, get images to you on tuesday, with family for the holiday.

uhm... let see, for the frame, yours is fine, just need to sandblast, sand, grind, or brush off the rust, add 2 coats of primer + 1 coat of all weather black paint.

Mine was back enough that the back bumper broke off when I stepped on it... and the brackets to the bumper are solid, the frame wasn't, about a good 5+ inches of frame came with it.