Need Rust Prevention Ideas

50 F1 · November 22, 2015, 05:56:06 AM

I just bought a 1998 Chevy Pick Up 2500 4x4. It spent its winters either in the garage here in Michigan or the previous owners took it to Arizona for the winter. It hasn't seen much salt and the underneath of the truck is real nice. I will eventually be using it as a winter truck here in Michigan.

What would be a good thing to spray or brush on the under body, frame, fuel lines brake lines to help save it?

I have heard regular motor oil, transmission fluid. I even seen a guy on You tube that melts toilet bowl wax rings with boiled linseed oil and brushes the mixture on.

Any Ideas other than not driving it in the winter. I really hate to but my other winter truck is slowly disappearing from the bottom up.

tom36 · November 22, 2015, 09:30:18 AM

Used motor oil seemed to work well in the past,but lately I have been using Fluid Film. Supposedly made from lanolin? Anyhow that's what I have used the past2 years. Seems to do the job. Tom...

idrivejunk · November 22, 2015, 12:22:23 PM

I'd prefer good paint with a catalyst. It is permanent and those other solutions are not. Cover it with rubberized undercoat so road debris hits that instead of the paint.

Those trucks have hydroformed frames with many contours. I highly recommend coating the insides of those boxed crossmember and rail areas using a wand such as featured in the 3M RustFighter system or the Eastwood internal frame coating which uses a hose rather than wand. Its pretty much a mix of wax and oil that fogs and hangs in the air to coat the entire cavity.

Whatever you use, the keyword is plenty!

Crosley.In.AZ · November 22, 2015, 12:53:13 PM

move to florida

kb426 · November 22, 2015, 01:07:38 PM

^^^^^

phat46 · November 22, 2015, 03:12:51 PM

Around here, the Port Huron area, people take their trucks over to Sarnia Ont. to a hot oil place and get them sprayed. Never done it myself but I know people who have and it seems to work. Seems like it's a Canadian thing.

Harry · November 22, 2015, 04:10:15 PM

I know people in Hamilton, Ontario and they get the car sprayed with oil every year. I don't know the cost. Can't be too much.

Rochie · November 22, 2015, 07:37:47 PM

Yep, up here they are using a brine made from beet juice and rock salt. It's REALLY corrosive and spreads rust quickly because it seeps into every nook and cranie. We've been oiling for decades. I used to do it when I was an apprentice. Used diesel oil is best and cheap if you have a diesel.

The cost from a commercial joint is right around $100 Can...thats $60 bucks to you guys, if they have to drill and cap holes to access inside panels, i.e., rocker panels

UGLY OLDS · November 22, 2015, 07:48:54 PM

Can't really offer any suggestions ... ( See my post on my "fender fiasco" ..)
Things by my house rust BAD ..I just had to make "L" bracket clips to weld to the steel posts on my front
porch railing..

I then used concrete anchors to secure the clips to the concrete porch.. It seems that the posts rusted off at the base where they go into the concrete ..

My '89 GMC broke in half right behind the cab due to frame rust ....( 110K miles )
It had multiple sets of brake & fuel lines replaced during its "stay" here ...

All the steel hardware on my Grand Marquis exhaust rusted off .. The factory stainless mufflers & pipes were fine .. All the bolts & clamps rusted away .... :evil:
I just replaced both front fenders on that car due to rust & it was "rust-proofed" quite well when new .....

When you find something that works , PLEASE let us know ....

Bob ...

58 Yeoman · November 22, 2015, 10:36:13 PM

I watched the Peoria news last week, where Peoria County is getting their trucks ready for the winter haul. Adding calcium chloride had been used in the past, and maybe beet juice, I don't remember, but now they are adding tree sap to the salt, as it's cheaper.

Where do they get all this tree sap? They didn't say what trees they use, and didn't say where they get it. When we were kids, we tapped the maple trees, and maybe ended up with a gallon of sap. We never made syrup, we just drank the sap like water.

UGLY OLDS · November 23, 2015, 10:23:00 AM

Phil .. I'm pretty sure that you can get it here , but a bulk quanity may need to be special ordered ..... :?:

http://kalecoauto.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=9&zenid=gv477N4SXT1nw,TREWeCD2

Bob....

butch27 · November 23, 2015, 05:53:22 PM

O.K. Going out on a limb here but in Canada they sell electrical unit that has 4 or 6 sacrifical diodes that mount to the frame. Sounds like snake oil BUT I used it on a '78 Ford van and it worked. Go figure I'm in Michigan.

phat46 · November 23, 2015, 07:53:32 PM

Quote from: "butch27"O.K. Going out on a limb here but in Canada they sell electrical unit that has 4 or 6 sacrifical diodes that mount to the frame. Sounds like snake oil BUT I used it on a '78 Ford van and it worked. Go figure I'm in Michigan.

You can get that in the States too. I checked into it when I bought my '02 Dodge, I didn't get it, wish I had, but they set me e mailed for years. Cannot remember the name of the company though.

parklane · November 23, 2015, 09:55:48 PM

Quote from: "butch27"O.K. Going out on a limb here but in Canada they sell electrical unit that has 4 or 6 sacrifical diodes that mount to the frame. Sounds like snake oil BUT I used it on a '78 Ford van and it worked. Go figure I'm in Michigan.

save yourself some money, and walk away from that (snake oil)

Beck · November 24, 2015, 10:02:46 AM

A friend of mine had a late 70's early 80's Blazer. Every fall he would spray it with ATF using a garden sprayer. He sprayed everything he could get the wand nozzle into. I expect he added a few access holes also. It probably doubled the life of the body, but in time it too rusted away. He would park it OUT of the driveway for at least a week after treatment. Dust likes to stick to the oily surfaces.

I would think a thicker fluid, heated if needed for application, would be more effective than something as thin as ATF. I like the wax ring melted in oil idea above. If you can heat it to spray it, the summer sun will heat it to melt it away. Access to the inner rocker areas is needed. Those are the first areas to go. If you add access holes use rubber plugs to reseal the area.

idrivejunk has the answer for a new vehicle. GOOD paint. Getting a used vehicle clean enough to get a strong paint bond may be difficult. Or take it one step further and use bed liner.