What are you doing today? 2017

[UGLY OLDS]

Jumped around some on jobs today, laid hands on three of them. First thing I did was take the '67 Datsun off the rotisserie and get it all bolted to the freshened and wrapped chassis for body panel mock-up. I put the trunk lid on and switched gears after that but here she is. So petite

 Do you think that those front wheel studs are NHRA approved  :?:  

Bob..

[idrivejunk]

Boy if'n they ain't they oughtta be    Maybe they are to keep people from passing :?  or to keep dogs from chasing it too far  :?:  

[UGLY OLDS]

Remember the nice ,clean  '98 Chev pickup I bought a couple of years ago when the frame on my old truck broke in half due to rust ??   When I bought it, the FIRST thing I did was power wash the frame , applied 2 coats of rust proof paint where ever I could get to & cleaned / painted ALL the brake & fuel lines down the bottom.... ( After what I went through with the old truck & this being our daily driver, I didn't want to take any chances) ...

Sooooooo.......  The fuel pump has been getting louder & louder, ( We all know what that means   ) , it stalled a couple of times when Mrs Ugly was driving it , so I decided that it was pump time .....

The tank bottom still looked good, lines weren't too bad, so we pulled the bed rather than dropping the tank....  

Long story short ...I can't remove the pump snap ring because the TOP of the tank crumbles when you touch it ...
The fuel lines at the pump that were not painted when I bought it crumble when you touch them ...The brake lines in that area inside the frame crumble when you touch them ..  
 The frame in the front spring hanger area , ( where ALL the earlier series trucks rust) , are flaking so bad that I may need to make/install fishplates & box the frame in the "kickup" area    

As long as the tank/lines & etc are out of the way, I'm using a needle-scaler to get rid of the flakey stuff & this time I will use some good old Rustoleum "Rusty Metal Primer" before anything is painted ... I've used it before & as long as there is somewhat of a rough surface, ( rust or sandblasted), the stuff WON'T let go..It seals whatever you put it on to STOP rust ....Maybe this time I will "dip" the rear frame up to the cab     ..

Oh ...I'm also replacing ALL the lines from the bottom of the cab to the back of the truck ...None of that fancy/smancy o-ring bubble flair stuff either ....Good old 45* inverted flare ...like the OLD days ..( Besides, owning a GM truck, I've learned to keep that stuff in "stock"....)

I still can't understand what causes these trucks to rust as bad as they do ... For a REAL eye-opener, goggle " Chevy truck frame rust" & look at the photos ...Guys are scrapping 2005/2010 GM trucks due to frame rust ... BAD frame rust...Broken side rails at 75K miles due to rust ... :evil:    GM even has a TSB for 2014 & later trucks to have the factory applied rustproofing re-applied at EVERY service visit ...   ( As long as the truck is still in the 3/36K warranty period ... :!:  )

From the photos online, it seems that the newer truck frames have a much more serious frame rust issue than the older trucks did, if that is even possible ...They now use 14ga. round tube for crossmembers ...with multiple low areas to hold moisture ...

 Lets see....$45K++ for a new GM truck...Touch up the rustproofing to avoid a known frame rust problem, ONLY while the truck is in WARRANTY  :?:  
After 3 years/36K miles, any frame issues are on the owner ....      WHAT  :?:  :?:  :?:  :?:

 End of rant ...I'm going back to chip more rust scale ....I would post pictures, but I don't know if the truck is contagious.. Don't want to harm the camera..  :cry:  

Bob...

[kb426]

Bob, it's not too bad in the desert sometimes. Are you using nicopp brake and fuel line material to replace that part?

[wayne petty]

Remember the nice ,clean  '98 Chev pickup

I still can't understand what causes these trucks to rust as bad as they do ... For a REAL eye-opener, goggle " Chevy truck frame rust" & look at the photos ....

the front tires splash left and right and throw up rooster tails under the truck with crap loads of sand and small rocks impacting the coatings.. . the rear tires splash left and right throwing muck up on top and packing around the tubes..  where it will keep it moist and corrode thru the coatings.

there is a trick..  i was talking about this with a friend last year..  some motor homes have added bristle brushes across the back to reduce rocks thrown up behind them..  many times to keep the car being flat towed or on the trailer from being pummeled ..

those might be used  in curved sections or at a 45 degree angle behind the front tires.. so the cross splash and rooster tails are caught and dripped down on the road ..    

the versions on the back wheels would need to be L shaped and starting in front of the inside of the tires. to prevent cross splashing from tossing debris up on top of the tanks and frame rails.

what is really not noted is you can get a pressure washer nozzle or even a garden hose into the pickup rear wheel wells and wash the tops of the fuel tank and frames off.

if i lived where things rusted.. and i had a 2 post lift..  i might actually take my bed and cab off my new truck..  think about how i am going to protect the frame rails and tubes.. i might go as far as trailering my rolling frame to the truck bed liner installer.. to have some of the easy to reach sections coated...

if i had the money. and i lived in places like texas .. or other areas.. i would buy up flood damaged trucks..  strip them of parts to resell... then clean the good frames and have them properly mask off using cap plugs on critical holes.. and have them sprayed with 2 part bed liner..  this could be a land office business.. it would need to include some of the info on the truck it was removed from.. as the frames all have VIN numbers stamped in them and some states check them..  imagine.. your frame is rusted out.. call up curly joe and have a properly coated frame shipped to you.   the frames are listed on the build sheets so a proper match could be easily selected.

i think spectra premium sells new fuel tanks complete with proper fuel pump and sending units installed..  dorman sells oring tube sections to connect to the fuel filters..   please be sure to reinstall the ground connections to the top of the frame rail and check the ground connections between the front lower right of the engine block and the frame.  and the cab mounts and the frame.. or the fuel pumps and tail lights that are grounded to the frame won't have enough electrons to work.

lastly.. toss some super magnets into the corners of the fuel tank.. this keeps any rust particles out of the fuel strainer socks.. fuel pump and fuel filters.. the pumps last much longer without a bunch of super fine rust sediment going thru them..

most of you knew all of this.. so i am repeating what is obvious..

[bucketmouth]

Its not what I did on the weekend its what I found on Saturday morning.A big puddle of oil.Went for a burger on Friday night and driving through the car park there was a dip and the roadster bottomed out. Hit the sump and split it.
What am I doing this weekend you guessed it. :evil:

[UGLY OLDS]

Sorry for the "Rusty Rant" guys, I guess I was kinda "upset"....    :evil:    :oops:

KB..I have used the new copper/steel line on a few repairs .. I know that they do make a difference but they will still deteriorate after a few years in our salt/beet juice/tree sap & who knows what else they put on the roads up here....  A few of the local public works departments have started to spray the bottom of their salt spreading equipment with diesel fuel before they begin to work & pressure wash them off before they are parked ....     Is there a message there  :?:  :?  

 Wayne...Thanks for the tips ...Up here in the "Rust Belt" , washing the wheel wells, frame rails,crossmembers, control arms & axles & anywhere else that can be reached with the spray wand is a weekly winter operation.....I have seen guys go to the local spray wash & spend $3 or $4 just to clean off the BOTTOM of their trucks & just rinse off the outside of the body... :?
 Remember when I had to replace the spare tire on my Chev Astro because the WHEEL rusted through under the body  :?:  :?:

 As far as your idea for "Rust Free" truck parts, there are multiple businesses in the midwest that do exactly what you are suggesting..   They sell anything from beds,front clips, complete cab assemblies to complete frames to resolve rust issues ...
If you get lucky, they will have parts available in YOUR color  :!:
 Something that I never knew, you can go online & there are multiple companies making PATCH PANELS to repair GM frames ...Theser are not reinforcements for off-roading, but designed to replace various area of rusted GM frames ...

This is a nice option for collision repair, or if you are restoring a vehicle, but I don't think it should be necessary to maintain a daily driver ...

 The scary part of this is that the newer style trucks,( 2000 & later all the way to 2015), seem to have a more serious rust issue than the older trucks did...I found one case on a Chev truck chat room where a guy had a 2013 truck with a rusted,broken frame at 85K miles & was only halfway through his payment book..    GM told him "Too Bad--Soo Sad" ...Of course his bank was still saying "Money Please".....Bottom line...He has to replace the frame ...

 Oops ....I think I'm ranting again... :oops:  :oops:

Did I mention that this has me ...Ahhhhh....Upset..  :oops:  

Bob...

[kb426]

Wow, Bob. Makes me glad in many reasons.

[Rrumbler]

On the flip side, Bob, here in the "real" desert, my DD '02 Toyota Tundra looks almost like it just came off the assembly line underneath - and Tundras of that generation are known to have serious frame rust problems - but it has lived here in the desert all of it's life.  I feel for you guys in the rust country.

[idrivejunk]

Bob, I don't know whut to say  :cry:

Pickup frames always have been / will be a compromise. The plumbing rot is what alarms me most about these stories. It is wierd to be Mr Rustfixer and never have dealt with that stuff... rotted mechanical things. I guess it really is about where a guy lives and what he drives on. Sounds like theres no escape. Other than meds of course, but I don't think they have those for the poor truck.

[Carnut]

Guess I better hold onto my 77 Silverado then.

Did have some rust on one of my gas tanks where sand and gravel had lodged between a shield and the tank.

But that's been repaired for the time being.

[Arnold]

Remember the nice ,clean  '98 Chev pickup I bought a couple of years ago when the frame on my old truck broke in half due to rust ??   When I bought it, the FIRST thing I did was power wash the frame , applied 2 coats of rust proof paint where ever I could get to & cleaned / painted ALL the brake & fuel lines down the bottom.... ( After what I went through with the old truck & this being our daily driver, I didn't want to take any chances) ...

Sooooooo.......  The fuel pump has been getting louder & louder, ( We all know what that means   ) , it stalled a couple of times when Mrs Ugly was driving it , so I decided that it was pump time .....

The tank bottom still looked good, lines weren't too bad, so we pulled the bed rather than dropping the tank....  

Long story short ...I can't remove the pump snap ring because the TOP of the tank crumbles when you touch it ...
The fuel lines at the pump that were not painted when I bought it crumble when you touch them ...The brake lines in that area inside the frame crumble when you touch them ..  
 The frame in the front spring hanger area , ( where ALL the earlier series trucks rust) , are flaking so bad that I may need to make/install fishplates & box the frame in the "kickup" area    

As long as the tank/lines & etc are out of the way, I'm using a needle-scaler to get rid of the flakey stuff & this time I will use some good old Rustoleum "Rusty Metal Primer" before anything is painted ... I've used it before & as long as there is somewhat of a rough surface, ( rust or sandblasted), the stuff WON'T let go..It seals whatever you put it on to STOP rust ....Maybe this time I will "dip" the rear frame up to the cab     ..

Oh ...I'm also replacing ALL the lines from the bottom of the cab to the back of the truck ...None of that fancy/smancy o-ring bubble flair stuff either ....Good old 45* inverted flare ...like the OLD days ..( Besides, owning a GM truck, I've learned to keep that stuff in "stock"....)

I still can't understand what causes these trucks to rust as bad as they do ... For a REAL eye-opener, goggle " Chevy truck frame rust" & look at the photos ...Guys are scrapping 2005/2010 GM trucks due to frame rust ... BAD frame rust...Broken side rails at 75K miles due to rust ... :evil:    GM even has a TSB for 2014 & later trucks to have the factory applied rustproofing re-applied at EVERY service visit ...   ( As long as the truck is still in the 3/36K warranty period ... :!:  )

From the photos online, it seems that the newer truck frames have a much more serious frame rust issue than the older trucks did, if that is even possible ...They now use 14ga. round tube for crossmembers ...with multiple low areas to hold moisture ...

 Lets see....$45K++ for a new GM truck...Touch up the rustproofing to avoid a known frame rust problem, ONLY while the truck is in WARRANTY  :?:  
After 3 years/36K miles, any frame issues are on the owner ....      WHAT  :?:  :?:  :?:  :?:

 End of rant ...I'm going back to chip more rust scale ....I would post pictures, but I don't know if the truck is contagious.. Don't want to harm the camera..  :cry:  

Bob...

   Depends on the initial quality of the metal..for  automotive use..as in how long it was allowed to cure/age for.
   Lots of stuff nowdays the rot is built into the parent metal. Doesn't matter what you do..cover it with..it will rot from the inside out
   As for existing rust/rot..depends on the quality of the parent metal..then on how far into the metal the rot is..and how aggressive it is. Mix up some fiberglass resin and spray it on with a hand held plant sprayer. As it dries you will sometimes see rust coming through and like dust. Any coatings that are really hard and attempt..to seal in..prevent the rot from breathing..
ya..good luck with that..I've seen rot go out the back..sideways through sheet..
   Best stuff I have found is fiberglass resin..best spray stuff spray roofing tar(aerosol..loaded with solvent and lots of rubber content)..rocker guard appears to choke the rot..but it does keep growing under it to some degree..

   Lately I have been dealing with rusty stuff by spraying it with PB. Blaster..allowing it a day or so to dry..then spraying it with Seafoam to get it all off..another day to dry..followed by Fluid Film..OVER AND OVER until the rot process has been slowed down.
Then it gets some awful oily/greasy rustproofing made by Dominion that my local garage sprays

  Honey Goo..is pretty good..pretty much useless on it's own as compared to how good it is when the PB and Seafoam are used first.
  That newer WD40 Specialist Gel..nowhere as good as the Honey Goo. I am just going to throw the rest of it out.

   Fluid Film on it's own is not great..nowhere near as good as the Honey Goo..WAY BETTER! when prepped with PB.,Seafoam and sprayed on OVER AND OVER

   As Wayne said..ya..small particles blasting the surface.
   
   Wayne..some GM's have some sort of plastic shield that covers part of the frame and  part of the inner fender..wraps around..to the front and rear..about 8" high or so..a few feet long.The thing is shaped so overall it is like 1 1/2' high.
    This is to BAR ACCESS so that you cannot access the top of the frame rails or tank. This is BOLTED ON.
    THIS IS TO ENCOURAGE ROT.
    (It is actually some sort of stone shield) How could ANYONE actually see this as OTHER than a place to keep WET  DIRT PACKED right against the frame.
     Take it off..don't worry..it is easy to get off.. the bolts that hold it on will be good and rotted and break/

   Bob..I remember when I started using Rustoleum..it never worked for me..and with our brine..and now beet juice..that and Rust Killer..which I found to be the best..just does not work.

    As far as bed liners..if the metal is new..or not rusted..

    Thick coatings may look purrty..for awhile..

[Arnold]

Sorry for the "Rusty Rant" guys, I guess I was kinda "upset"....    :evil:    :oops:

KB..I have used the new copper/steel line on a few repairs .. I know that they do make a difference but they will still deteriorate after a few years in our salt/beet juice/tree sap & who knows what else they put on the roads up here....  A few of the local public works departments have started to spray the bottom of their salt spreading equipment with diesel fuel before they begin to work & pressure wash them off before they are parked ....     Is there a message there  :?:  :?  

 Wayne...Thanks for the tips ...Up here in the "Rust Belt" , washing the wheel wells, frame rails,crossmembers, control arms & axles & anywhere else that can be reached with the spray wand is a weekly winter operation.....I have seen guys go to the local spray wash & spend $3 or $4 just to clean off the BOTTOM of their trucks & just rinse off the outside of the body... :?
 Remember when I had to replace the spare tire on my Chev Astro because the WHEEL rusted through under the body  :?:  :?:

 As far as your idea for "Rust Free" truck parts, there are multiple businesses in the midwest that do exactly what you are suggesting..   They sell anything from beds,front clips, complete cab assemblies to complete frames to resolve rust issues ...
If you get lucky, they will have parts available in YOUR color  :!:
 Something that I never knew, you can go online & there are multiple companies making PATCH PANELS to repair GM frames ...Theser are not reinforcements for off-roading, but designed to replace various area of rusted GM frames ...

This is a nice option for collision repair, or if you are restoring a vehicle, but I don't think it should be necessary to maintain a daily driver ...

 The scary part of this is that the newer style trucks,( 2000 & later all the way to 2015), seem to have a more serious rust issue than the older trucks did...I found one case on a Chev truck chat room where a guy had a 2013 truck with a rusted,broken frame at 85K miles & was only halfway through his payment book..    GM told him "Too Bad--Soo Sad" ...Of course his bank was still saying "Money Please".....Bottom line...He has to replace the frame ...

 Oops ....I think I'm ranting again... :oops:  :oops:

Did I mention that this has me ...Ahhhhh....Upset..  :oops:  

Bob...

   The local garage..rot fixer that I deal with does not recommend specifically washing..spraying,blasting..
   In the winter..WAS I GLAD TO HEAR THAT!!!!!!!! He said get enough goo in there and don't worry about the salt ontop of it..don't go blasting all the rustproofing goo off.
   I asked them about that when I had them do the "rot on hold" program to my daily drivers
   As to washing,what he recommends next..he said drive it as much as I could in the rain AFTER the beet juice season is over and get it back into him to do again when it is hot and dry.

   This stuff they use..from Dominion..this stuff gets EVERYWHERE :evil:
   Makes doing pretty much ANY kind of repair..just real FILTHY :evil:

   I asked them where vehicles like mine rot he just pointed THERE FIRST..yours is not rotted there. Now that is cold beer have a smoke talk

    Re-doing because of junk parts..calipers,wheel bearings..is just FILTHY now with this rot proofing.

[enjenjo]

I just picked up a lightly used Stihl chain saw. It was recommended to use the Stihl fuel premix. I went to the dealer today, it's $33 a gallon! It will get premium with valvoline two cycle oil, and Stabile.

[UGLY OLDS]

Thanks for all the tips guys ...I have found in the past that Rustoleum " Rusty Metal Primer" , (the dark red stuff) ,  will NOT come off as long as it is applied to RUST....It does not adhere well to smooth clean metal at all ...A wire brushed , cleaned rusty surface is what is required .. I remember when we painted the rear axle of my last truck ,rusty metal primer was first, topcoated a couple of days later with rustoleum black...We had an occasion to bleed the rear brakes about 12 months later ... The brake fluid washed off the black paint & did not even soften the primer .....This frame has enough surface rusted area's along with the areas that had flaking issues that I am hoping it will work ...( The flaking areas are all being treated to the needle scaler "treatment" ... )

 If it doesn't work , maybe I will look for a house down the street from KB ....      

 Gee Frank ...$33.00 a gallon seems pretty expensive ..... :?  Maybe the saw gets exceptionally mileage   :?:  :?:      

Bob...