Who parks outside?
 

Not so fast :)


-Who has repaired rust on their truck and parks that truck outside?

If that’s you, please describe the formula that has worked for you to keep rust from coming back. Like drain holes made, coatings used or cavity waxes.


These 1973-87 trucks are 34 to 48 years old right now. A lot of people have had the same issues and I know there have been a lot of repairs.

It just seems like there should be a blueprint for what to do for say, a front fender. If there is already a proven process for this please let me know. I’m very inexperienced with this stuff.

The reason I’m asking about parking outside is because it seems relatively easy to keep moisture off your pickup if it’s stored in a garage.

So I guess this ends up being more of a long term review of rust repair or rust prevention products used.

Thanks Vinnie

Re: Who parks outside?
 

Well, my 1978K20 has to set outside cause my shop is crammed with other collectible stuff. I don’t have a magic formula for you though. I mainly use this truck to plow snow, and haul firewood. I’m located in Northern Indiana. Winters here can be brutal. My last plow rig was also a 78K20. It lasted about 15 years after a re-do. I’ve learned a lot since.
I now clean / sand the bottom of everything / epoxy prime / and I’ve had pretty good results with “Rustfree” as a topcoat. It’s very important to coat the inside of everything with a coating of your favorite material. I’ve used several brands, I snake a hard plastic wand with a special brass tip into channels & coat. It’s important to get something that will run into tight areas. Then, I seam seal all the gaps. I’ve had pretty good results with my daily, and my wife’s car.

Re: Who parks outside?
 

Thanks for the feedback.

I like the idea of that wand to get into the tighter spots.

I’ve been watching this guy’s (Gibson63) YouTube video and if my repair ends up requiring me to open up the bottom of the doors like this then I guess the wand wouldn’t be as crucial.

Re: Who parks outside?
 

I've watched his videos. Vary skilled body guy and wiring guy

Re: Who parks outside?
 

I keep mine outside and fighting rust but primer is holding up mostly

Re: Who parks outside?
 

My dually (89) has spent it's life outdoors. Paint is getting thin on the outer edges of the roof, @ the tops of the doors, & above the bodyline of the doors (you can see the black OE coating under the Red).

No rust. I believe the truck went from AZ to CA (or vice-versa) then to TX. Currently has around 142k on the OG paint.

Re: Who parks outside?
 

truckin 79, this may be a dumb question, but is that primer the kind you can buy at any auto parts store?

And does it have to be sprayed with anything else, like a clear coat to keep from rusting?

Re: Who parks outside?
 

Primer is temporary. It will & does absorb moisture.
Epoxy primers can/will go longer but even they will absorb moisture after prolonged climate exposure.

Re: Who parks outside?
 

Ok, Got it. Thanks

Re: Who parks outside?
 

My year round truck winter and summer. Get it oil sprayed in the fall. Wash it when I get around to it over the course of the winter, and a good thorough watering down underneath on the driveway come spring time. Spray any questionable spots, or spots that have broken through the paint with Fluid Film (yes, it'll leave the spot dark/black as it gets dirty but it works to slow down the rust. Its a driver not a show truck).
Does it stop the rust? No, just slows it down because the calcium chloride, the beatjuice/urine formulas they spray on bridges these days is aggressive.

Re: Who parks outside?
 

Thank you for the info. It blows me away when I think of the conditions you have to consider for prepping your trucks in other parts of the US and Canada.

Re: Who parks outside?
 

Well, I wish I had a four or five bay garage to keep everything inside. The old Jeep is the only thing that gets to be in the garage because we need it to be frost free to drive to the barn every day all winter.

Even on 60 acres, due to the terrain I would need to tear down our existing single garage and attached storage to build a new big garage into the hillside which would probably cost $40K-$60K or even more now due to all the shortages.

I just hosed the winter mud off of a couple outfits this afternoon. No sense polishing them clean since the rainy season will start any day now :rolleyes:

Re: Who parks outside?
 

I've had great experiences with Rust Veto 342
https://www.cosmolinedirect.com/cosm...SADEgLImfD_BwE

and AMSOIL HD Metal Protector
https://www.amsoil.com/p/heavy-duty-...otector-amhsc/

Both are great for getting up into cavities, drain holes, filling seams, etc and leave a heavy wax coatings that repels salt, brine and prevents water from sitting in pockets. The AMSOIL goes a bit farther than Rust Veto and doesn't have as strong of an odor.

Re: Who parks outside?
 

Hello my Friend
I like the looks of the Rust Veto342.

I recently had a need for a rust stopper
For one of my (Machine tool) acquirements.
I used Stabil (Rust stopper) Link below
Till I can get this tool grinder up and going:lol:

Have you seen Sta-bil rust stopper compared to the Amsoil product?

Link:https://www.goldeagle.com/product/st...0of%20exposure

I've got your card here somewhere;)







.

Re: Who parks outside?
 

I haven't seen a side by side comparison of the two products and wasn't aware that Sta-Bil had their own product.

Re: Who parks outside?
 

This may be a dumb question, but where does all the water come from that ends up rusting out the bottoms of these doors?

Does condensation and rain snow eventually get passed the window weatherstripping?

Re: Who parks outside?
 

The doors are ment to get wet inside of that makes sense. Cant have ot an air tight seal with the window being able to move. They have drain holes on the bottom to let the water out. When the holes get plugged up by dirt the water has no whare to go so it rust.

Re: Who parks outside?
 

Thank you for the explanation. That helps.

This isn’t on the door, but looks like some type of plug. Can someone tell me what this is, and what it’s for?

Thanks!

Re: Who parks outside?
 

Here’s the picture