New 2025 Ram 1500 with hurricane engine.

[not2old]

Yes, I 100% understand it happens, but how much of the frame is gone to consider scrapping a running vehicle? I'd be mig welding some old angle in that frame before I scrap a 10 y/o truck for $900.

Hah... "what we have here is a failure to communicate!" When we talk about getting rid of our trucks after 10-12 years due to salt and rust, it's not that they're going into the crusher, but that the guy who is buying a new truck is typically not the same owner driving it after the body is full of rust holes and to the stage of tin and Bondo repairs.

I think I got something like $8500 for my last truck, when I traded it in due to rust. The corners of the doors were rusting, bubbling paint and orange telegraphing thru the silver paint, and holes were just starting to appear in the rear fenders around the wheel wells. Rear bumper was also starting to turn orange, with the chrome starting to bubble off.

Someone is probably still driving that truck today, 7 years later... but I'm sure it looks like hell, and they may even have to do a bit of body work on it each year, to keep it roadworthy. They're probably also replacing exhaust, brake lines, and other mechanical items that I just don't want to devote my own hours toward. My life is busy enough, I just need the damn thing to start and run every time, and not look like hell when I arrive at a customer site in the thing.

I guess we are lucky here. I bought my 1990 F250 new and had it rustproofed. Without any special care, after 445,000 KM, it is in better condition than what you describe. My 2024 F350 arrived two weeks ago and I expect that I will never need another. I do admit that I will keep my old truck to take snowmobiling.

 

[WinterDeere]

Is there not a way to incorporate Cathodic Protection into a car frame, like is done with bridges, steel gas mains, and boat motors? Even if you used a 5 pound chunk of zinc, that wouldn't be that expensive.

I'm far from an expert on this, but I have watched paint flake off of metal having a zinc undercoat, and I guess that makes sense if you think about how zinc and other anodes work. Zinc moves across the surface of the metal, toward any scratch which is beginning to oxidize, so that the zinc can oxidize in place of the iron. I don't remember my high school or college chemistry well enough to save my life, but I'm sure one of the legit chemists on the forum can remind us why this happens, the nature of the reaction.

Anyway, with metals moving around under the paint, it doesn't seem all that surprising that paint coatings tend to lose adhesion quicker than when applied to regular steel.

 

[ponytug]

I'm far from an expert on this, but I have watched paint flake off of metal having a zinc undercoat, and I guess that makes sense if you think about how zinc and other anodes work. Zinc moves across the surface of the metal, toward any scratch which is beginning to oxidize, so that the zinc can oxidize in place of the iron. I don't remember my high school or college chemistry well enough to save my life, but I'm sure one of the legit chemists on the forum can remind us why this happens, the nature of the reaction.

Anyway, with metals moving around under the paint, it doesn't seem all that surprising that paint coatings tend to lose adhesion quicker than when applied to regular steel.

The zinc sacrificial coating works because metals all have different affinities for their electrons, usually expressed as electronegativity relative to some standard. More usefully, tables of galvanic series exist, and to minimize corrosion, try to only fasten similar metals/alloys, or have a sacrificial anode of something like magnesium, zinc, or aluminum attached;

Galvanic Series, or Nobility Chart for Dissimilar Metals

Use this chart to avoid galvanic corrosion in seawater when different metals come in to contact. Alloys with higher nobility are at the top, and metals that are less noble (or more base) are at the bottom. How to read and apply the Galvanic Series chart above Galvanic corrosion of the least...

fairwindfasteners.com

Auto companies have gone through many iterations and improvements in sheet metal, metal treatments, and especially in coatings. I think that it is amazing how much better today's vehicles are compared to cars 50 years ago which in my opinion were a real low point for bad paint over really thin sheet metal. I remember buying a unibody car around that time that had three times thicker body metal than the car it replaced, and five times thicker than a leading import.

I see lots of design elements to help car/truck bodies shed water and salt in modern vehicles, but I think that there are always trade offs and design choices to make price points. I've put mud flaps/flare on more than a few vehicles over the years that had wheel width/fender geometries that flung gravel and mud against the vehicle. To me that was always like fingernails on a chalk board, and I could practically feel the rust starting.

I do think that @Snobdds and @Hay Dude have great approaches. Do whatever it takes not to leave salt, especially wet salt, on a car body.

The other item that I would call out with respect to corrosion is the anode rod in water heaters. Until you know that your particular piping and water aren't corrosive, they really should be checked annually and replaced as they corrode (galvanic action). My personal tip is bring a large breaker bar or an air powered impact wrench for the first time. Or just save yourself the hassle and buy a powered anode.

All the best,

Peter

Anyone remember the Volvo ad about the strength of their auto bodies?

From the Vaults: A Stack of Volvo 140s

The Volvo 140 was the first of the iconic boxy cars to come from the Swedish car manufacturer, and also a significant milestone in the company's

95octane.com

 

[Rockbadchild]

Honestly, rust check it, (powerwash, and oil undercoat) every year and you will never get rust on your vehicle, just don't miss a year.

 

[WinterDeere]

Honestly, rust check it, (powerwash, and oil undercoat) every year and you will never get rust on your vehicle, just don't miss a year.

I do think that those both south and north of our Rust Belt states fail to appreciate just how much salt we deal with around here, all winter long. Up north, you guys are more apt to be driving on cinders or sand, and farther south than us, they rarely need any salt at all. But those of us living in states where temperatures hover up near freezing every afternoon, and little sun guarantees the asphalt roads will melt before re-freezing every damn night... we are driving on a continuous layer of the stuff from late Fall right up to early Spring.

Our roads look like a powdered donut, 3 months out of every year. Short of extremes like the Snobdds approach, I feel that the best you can hope for under these conditions, is to slow the ultimate decay.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I do think that those both south and north of our Rust Belt states fail to appreciate just how much salt we deal with around here, all winter long. Up north, you guys are more apt to be driving on cinders or sand, and farther south than us, they rarely need any salt at all. But those of us living in states where temperatures hover up near freezing every afternoon, and little sun guarantees the asphalt roads will melt before re-freezing every damn night... we are driving on a continuous layer of the stuff from late Fall right up to early Spring.

Our roads look like a powdered donut, 3 months out of every year. Short of extremes like the Snobdds approach, I feel that the best you can hope for under these conditions, is to slow the ultimate decay.

yeah I get it and it is true that some place use more salt then others I have seen it in places like southern Ontario and some area are more prone to thaw out on a daily bases and yes I agree it has a impact, but in our area they use salt as well and what you describe is often the case, as soon as it gets in the range of 5 F or warmer salt it is being used, if colder then yes it's only sand. I mostly do highway miles so my vehicles see lots of salt, I never believed in washing my car after every salt exposure like some do, and my vehicles sleeps outside so yes my mentality is along Snobdds (if its frozen it can't rust), unless you have a lift and wash every corner of the undercarriage it is only superficial, either way having a oil coated undercarriage is a great way to prolonged your vehicle life regardless where you live in that snow belt. I have seen vehicle that never miss a year of oil treatment and it is implacable after 15 years (in our condition) and the same vehicle without it would be rusted right through after 10 years. My 2012 ram is not rusted although it is starting since I have stopped doing rustchecks, and I saw the differences on superficial rust on the frame the year I stopped and it degenerated from there... I figured it was so old now I would rather save the money, Now in now in hindsight I should've kept going a few extra years.

 

[WinterDeere]

Well, my 2015 is showing plenty of signs of undercarriage rust already, and I already see it happening from inside out thru the hook access holes in the bed corners. What would be your course of action today, with that vehicle? I suppose I should have done something sooner, but back when I got it, I never imagined I'd have a 9 year old truck with only 40k miles on it.

A job change and a second car really reduced the mileage I'm putting on the truck, to where I'd consider keeping it longer than the usual 10-12 years... if not for rust.

Oh, and what is a "rustcheck"?

 

[Rockbadchild]

Well, my 2015 is showing plenty of signs of undercarriage rust already, and I already see it happening from inside out thru the hook access holes in the bed corners. What would be your course of action today, with that vehicle? I suppose I should have done something sooner, but back when I got it, I never imagined I'd have a 9 year old truck with only 40k miles on it.

A job change and a second car really reduced the mileage I'm putting on the truck, to where I'd consider keeping it longer than the usual 10-12 years... if not for rust.

Oh, and what is a "rustcheck"?

Once its started it's like cancer, you can slow it down but you can stop it. But applying oil can only slow it down.

Sorry ''Rust check'' is a brand or a company in Canada specialized in vehicle oil undercoating, they put your vehicle on a lift, power wash it thoroughly, drill holes inside doors and rocker panel and shoot oil everywhere inside and under in every crevasses. It cost $140 and they (I second) recommend once a year. They have a none drip sticky version but I think the dripping one is better, lots of folks don't like it if they have a paved driveway or if they park in the garage, I don't care for it but if Id do I would simply go in a dusty dirt road and there's no more dripping.

 

[DarkBlack]

I do think that those both south and north of our Rust Belt states fail to appreciate just how much salt we deal with around here, all winter long. Up north, you guys are more apt to be driving on cinders or sand, and farther south than us, they rarely need any salt at all. But those of us living in states where temperatures hover up near freezing every afternoon, and little sun guarantees the asphalt roads will melt before re-freezing every damn night... we are driving on a continuous layer of the stuff from late Fall right up to early Spring.

Our roads look like a powdered donut, 3 months out of every year. Short of extremes like the Snobdds approach, I feel that the best you can hope for under these conditions, is to slow the ultimate decay.

Same here. You can tell who are the posters not actually living it. We can only wish it was so was easy as power wash it and undercoat it.
They put so much salt out here, on the very best winter day, you’re driving on a white dry road. The rest of the days, it’s a wet salty road, or salty slush. Go to the car wash daily, but it gets covered coming home. You realistically can’t power wash it every night you arrive home. Days are short, it’ll sit there wet overnight.
Best we can do is fight to slow rust, and replace rusted parts.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Same here. You can tell who are the posters not actually living it. We can only wish it was so was easy as power wash it and undercoat it.
They put so much salt out here, on the very best winter day, you’re driving on a white dry road. The rest of the days, it’s a wet salty road, or salty slush. Go to the car wash daily, but it gets covered coming home. You realistically can’t power wash it every night you arrive home. Days are short, it’ll sit there wet overnight.
Best we can do is fight to slow rust, and replace rusted parts.

are you at least doing that ? ''power wash it and undercoat it'' and that doesn't mean going to the car wash.