Unconventional Rust Proofing.....

[gcfishguy]

Looking for opinions from others that are tired of fighting the rust-battle, and losing.

I live on the east coast of Canada, so I'm no stranger to rust.
In the winter, the roads are often crunchy with salt.
Even with always washing out the frame and everything after wheeling, I just sold my '99 Jeep TJ, essentially for parts. Body mounts rotted and the rubber mounts up through the sub-floor, frame won't pass safety inspection, front fenders have been patched twice...etc.

In most places, here especially, the floor of anything is one of the first things to go, usually rusting from the inside out because of salt and water that never dries out and it trapped under the carpet.

I just got the Ranger undercoated from one end to the other by a detail shop I know. He did a great job, and it's done with the dripless stuff that creeps like a bugger. I'll be getting it re-done every year.

Now, today I'm off to buy a 4L can of bed liner and will be doing the bed in the next couple weekends if it ever stops raining.

I also want to do the floor, from the inside.

Method 1 - gut it, paint the floor with a coat of white (no smell) lithium grease, then a plastic sheet over the grease, then reinstall everything over top of it.

Method 2 - gut it, bed line the floor with at least 2 coats, let dry, reinstall everything.



Again, the guys that I see pictures of who, " pulled the carpet out of my 15 year-old truck..." and the floor looks in better shape than ours after the first winter...well, you guys likely think I'm nuts. Anyone who lives in this area, well, you likely know where I'm coming from.

I just got the Ranger, and it saw a very easy life...it's still under 3 years old and it's mint. Now, I only put on around 10,000-13,000kms per year, so if I keep this truck as long as I plan to, the rust will end its life long before the miles do.
I never had a pickup before, I love the truck so far and I want it to last as long as possible.


Of those two methods for protecting the inside of the floor, anyone have any experience with either one and have comments?

The bottom line is, keep the water off the metal, and you keep it from rusting. I just need to figure out the best way to seal it so the water can't get at it.

And as far as time goes....the day or weekend it would take to do either of those methods, say...every 2 years, is really nothing, if it keeps the truck on the road for an extra 2-3 years or more.

 

[Boghog1]

rust bullet

or you could try rustoleum cold galvanization paint

 

[AllanD]

a friend brought home his shiny new F-150 (this being back around 1993)
and immediatly set about STRIPPING the interior out of the truck...

then with a big paintbrush he started applying several coats of aluminized "liquid roof"
roofing tar to the inside of the cab.

After letting it cure for a few days between coats he reassembled his new truck.

?He did more or less the same thing to the underside of the bed with particular attention to the insides of the wheelwell lips.

His attitude was "If Tar occupies a given space nothing else is getting in there"

Musta worked because his bed skirts never rotted out.


AD

AD

 

[gcfishguy]

I worked with a guy who spent a lot of free time cleaning, polishing and rust-proofing his vehicles. He said the same thing....if you can cover the metal so water can't get at it, it won't rust. Makes sense...

Bed liner or rubberized stuff is great, but one little crack and water will get under it, lift it, and you might as well not have bothered.
Grease is....well, grease. doesn't dry out, can't crack...

 

[strvger]

i've used the roofing tar years ago before they had bed liner. smelled bad till it dried, but it worked for sure. it can dry out in places after a few years, but it is easily resealed. now, i'm a bed liner fan.

 

[superdave1984]

Bare metal, POR-15 and then whatever you wanna coat it with. POR-15 is some badass stuff.

 

[-Nathan-]

i grew up in nova scotia, and lived in new brunswick for 4 years (went to Mount Allison University). I know all too much about rust. Word of advice....if youre doing ANY sort of metal work, DO NOT just use any old primer....spring the extra $ and get some epoxy primer, will seal the metal MUCH better and help prevent rust. Also, rubberized undercoating is AWESOME. It was very common when I grew up, that when a NEW truck was bought, the bed was IMMEDIATELY removed and the frame and bed (underneath) coated.

Too much salt in the air, and dumped on the roads in the winter.

 

[JimJa1943]

Lived in Hawaii for six years. Cars that NEVER on the mainland rust are like swiss cheese in a matter of 3-5 years. As a primer...

Rust is scientifically called oxidation, and occurs when oxygen comes in long-term contact with certain metals. Over time, the oxygen combines with the metal at an atomic level, forming a new compound called an oxide and weakening the bonds of the metal itself. If the base metal is iron or steel, the resulting rust is properly called iron oxide. Rusted aluminum would be called aluminum oxide, copper forms copper oxide and so on.

The main catalyst for the rusting process is water. The hydrogen atoms present in water combine with other elements to form acids, which will eventually cause more metal to be exposed. If sodium is present, as is the case with saltwater, corrosion will likely occur more quickly.

The surface has to be SEALED so H2O/salt cannot get to it long enough for oxidation to begin. There are epoxy products that will seal and prevent further rusting of the surface. Put those on first, particularly in the cracks - you know, the places most difficult to get to. Then cover the surface with whatever you want to use.

Tests have shown that unless a vehicle is "undercoated" almost immediately after build, doing anything later in the vehicles life may be a waste of time and money. The reasoning is rust has already begun and most of the "rubberized" type undercoats do not seal the surface so you end up offering a better environment for rust that leaving it alone and keeping it clean.

Some of the new epoxy sealants actually chemically combine to stop rust and seal the surface to prevent further rust. That's what you want. Then cover (if you desire) with undercoating. Put your truck on a lift and pressure wash the underside to get the existing over-winter dirt and salt out. Then let it dry for a couple of days in the sun before doing anything. Scrape/steel brush existing rust. Unfortunately, it's difficult to get the dirt in the cracks out. That dirt "holds" moisture in and when sealed/undercoated traps the very thing you want to get rid of. Good luck.

 

[Beef52751]

I Feel Like im in Chemistry again!!!!!

 

[AllanD]

Think that's bad? I want to take the FRAME of my truck out to a commercial plating house and have the entire damned thing hot dip galvanized.

That's why I was so THRILLED to discover the 1998-up Rangers have
a Two-piece frame...

AD

 

[gcfishguy]

Think that's bad?......

Nope...not bad at all. Once you've lost a perfectly good vehicle to frame rot, you don;t want it to happen again.

 

[OilPatch197]

On my '84 Ranger I drove it with a bad front crankshaft seal for 20k miles...

The undercarriage looks very good, no rust issues, just...oily.