Bed/Body Rust Protection

[Guggenheim99]

Wondering what is the most effective and best way to protect my truck body, rockers, truck bed in general, pretty much any sheet metal on the truck from rust. I got the frame taken care of. No rust in the fenderwells or rockers at the moment. There is some rust present underneath the bed, but I'm lucky enough to have nothing close to rot, so I'd like to attack the rust now before it gets worse. I've had the bed off before for the rear frame painting, so pulling it and turning it upside down to paint it is no issue. I know there's alot of products and methods out there to protect from rust. I know the general method of cleaning off the rust, cleaning the surface, etc. Also would be washing the underside every week or so with a pressure washer at work during the winter after it's painted to keep salt off. Just want to get opinions. Thanks

 

[franklin2]

You are going to hate it, it stinks and makes a mess. But motor oil is the best rust preventative. It will soak into all those spot welded lapped seams the factory uses and keep it from rusting. Spray it inside the doors, the fender wells, let it run down in and soak into the cracks and crevices.

If you want to spend a little money you can try this stuff. I have never used it but it's the official stuff that is supposed to do the same thing as the motor oil.

FLUID FILM | Powerful Corrosion Protection & Lubrication

FLUID FILM® is Eureka’s own unique lanolin-based brand of corrosion preventive and lubricant, used worldwide in a multitude of industries and applications.

www.fluid-film.com

 

[Sharky]

I have my truck undercoated. that or bedliner,POR15 or something similar. if you take the bed off to do it I think you are a step
ahead as you get everything coated/ covered compared to doing it while it is together. just my .02

 

[ericbphoto]

Wash the truck thoroughly, inside, outside, top, bottom, etc. Get it perfectly clean. Let it sit in the sun for a full day to bake dry. Just before sundown, move the truck into a special room that can be hermetically sealed. Remove all fluids. Disconnect The battery. Seal the room. Evacuate all air from the room. Then fill the room with nitrogen and keep it at a slightly positive pressure with a continuous source of nitrogen.

Voila. No oxygen = no rust or other oxygen based corrosions.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Thats how they preserved Lawrence of Arabia's bike when i saw it.

Except draining fluids.

Thing had leaked like a fish all over the place.

 

[ericbphoto]

Thing had leaked like a fish all over the place.

Self draining.

 

[Dirtman]

Fluid film. A case cost about $100 bucks but lasts all year. Give the truck a good bath and let it dry. Drill holes in places like the sides of the tailgate, rockers, sides of the door etc. Then go to town spraying it in every nook and cranny. Fill the doors, fill the rockers, cab corners, inside the tailgate, under the bed, rad support EVERYTHING! A case will do the whole body and frame. Takes an hour or so to crawl in and under the truck like a spider monkey and makes a mess but it works. Repeat every fall until you die and the truck will outlive you.

Almost any form of paint, even bedliner eventually gets chips and rusts forms underneath. You can't "chip" fluid film because it's a waxy oil not a paint. Fluid film also wicks which means when you spray it in something like a door it will seep down and penetrate into the seems at the bottom of the door and get between all the layers of metal where paint cannot.

 

[MikeG]

Move.........

 

[JMF661]

I have also heard good things about fluid film, I'm considering trying some out this season.

 

[09fx4guy]

Fluid film will work pretty good. I've used it on door bottoms and areas where I cannot readily remove parts to paint. If you do not want to spend a lot of time or money, it is a great choice.

I was in the same boat as you a couple years back. The underside of my bed had started to rust in the spots where they stuck that foil heat shield. So I removed the bed and coated it with Rust Bullet. You have to sand the area pretty good to get a rough surface for the coating to adhere. I had purchased a kit that came with two cans of Rust Bullet and a can of Rust Bullet Black topcoat. It also included a metal etch to spray before you paint. It will take you at least a few days to do it, and you have to be very careful as far as rain, the coating does not do well with rain or even high humidity. If you have an indoor shop or area to do it, that would be best.

Overall, I was very satisfied. It has been over two years and the coating still looks good. There was one spot on a seam that just started to show a little rust inbetween the seam. You really can't coat between the seam anyway. The average person would not have even noticed it.

I will have to look and see if I have any pictures of the completed job.

 

[franklin2]

There was one spot on a seam that just started to show a little rust inbetween the seam. You really can't coat between the seam anyway.

That's where the oil does it's job. It will creep into those hard to get to areas. I am sure there are guys out there with a lot of experience working on vehicles, and have seen a vehicle where the engine was driven for years with oil leaks, and the front frame area is coated in oil and dirt. Scrape the crud away and the frame looks like new underneath.

 

[Jim_Philly]

If you're considering Fluid Film, check out this video comparing similar products. I'm going with CRC Marine, personally...

 

[09fx4guy]

That's where the oil does it's job. It will creep into those hard to get to areas. I am sure there are guys out there with a lot of experience working on vehicles, and have seen a vehicle where the engine was driven for years with oil leaks, and the front frame area is coated in oil and dirt. Scrape the crud away and the frame looks like new underneath.

I'm not saying the oil doesn't work, but in some cases it is not the best option. My uncle had (IIRC) a late 50's chevy small block that had the down draft vent tube that kept the underside coated. If you had an older (70's or 80's ) truck that was a farm truck, or located in a rural area, you could do it no problem. I know in my area (NJ), if anyone saw me spraying used motor oil on the bottom of the truck, they would report me to the EPA and have me fined.

I know that I would not want to do that to a newer truck that I would be keeping for awhile. I would not want to have to work on it and deal with layers of crud that have to be scraped away. Plus, the motor oil will have to be reapplied often.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

cosmoline.

 

[Eddo Rogue]