Dirt Road Inhabitants / Off-roaders....Frame Maintenance

[Dexter10]

Should have added.... the dust and small dirt particles cling just enough to make the "cacoon" if you will that fluid film creates to make the best rust proofing.

 

I run dirt roads in northern Maine and have no issues. I undercoat on the side in my shop. Try some fluid film and never look back.

 

 

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[Silverado Steve]

That will take the wax coating right off the frame. I dont think that's what the OP is looking for as his off road aventures is already doing that for him.

 

Fluid film......

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[Dexter10]

Yes it will slowly if put on a fresh frame. BUT if he is loosing some of it he can spot treat and have super results.

 

Sorry if I misread his OP

 

 

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[2017SierraSLT]

Yes, I avoided spraying Fluid Film on the frame coating, and any rubber parts, since FF degrades both.

[Sean Neilan]

Perhaps a few winters in Southern Ontario, or Michigan/New York may change your perception about that......?

Grew up in Jersey and live in NY. Have never given frame rust a second though and have spent exactly $0 and 0 minutes on frame maintenance on any vehicle I have ever owned and never had any issues.

[Nanotech Environmental]

Grew up in Jersey and live in NY. Have never given frame rust a second though and have spent exactly $0 and 0 minutes on frame maintenance on any vehicle I have ever owned and never had any issues.

No big deal if you only keep a vehicle for a few years. It's at around year 7-8 or so that it starts becoming a big problem if you haven't done any frame or undercarriage maintenance.

The first sign is the rockers, cab corners & above the rear wheels. They go on all pre-07 fullsize(unless the owner has been fussy about annual undercoating, regular washes, etc.) Around that time its very common for the round crossmembers on the frame under the box to rust thru. If/when that happens, you either have a huge repair bill, or a part-out.

Same thing happens with the NBS 07-13 trucks.

I have an 06 that I'm in the process of selling. I did some maintenance along the way, periodically, but not every year and it shows. Many people have commented about how mine is in much better condition than others of the same age, that had no maintenance whatsoever. The ones that didn't get any maintenance can be hard to sell at 8-10+ years here in Ontario, unless you practically give them away. I've seen lots of em sitting for sale, rockers, cab corners and rear fenders all rusted thru, trying to get 2 or 3 gs for them and no bites, because of the costs to do the repairs to get them safetied.

 

IMO the frames should be made out of rust resistant steel, or hot dip galvanized before they go into assembly, or at least offer it as an option in the rust belt. I get disgusted when I see a frame all flaky with rust, as there's really no excuse for them to be rusting like that, not on$50-$60k+ vehicles . It's the same way with the fluid lines; shitty steel and they just rust away. GM are you reading this?

People in the South & Southwest have no idea how good they got it with 15 year old vehicles and zero rust.....

[2017SierraSLT]

It's called planned obsolescence. All manufacturers build them to last a certain, finite lifespan. This will help them sell more new ones down the road.

[Nanotech Environmental]

It's called planned obsolescence. All manufacturers build them to last a certain, finite lifespan. This will help them sell more new ones down the road.

That is well known. However, it doesn't excuse the excessive rusting in the salt belt. People will always upgrade due to new features, etc., or just because they want a new vehicle. People buy new cars at roughly the same rates in the non-rust states, but have a much better vehicle to sell/trade when they upgrade.

[L86 All Terrain]

If you want a truck to last 20 years, the first issue is buying one that was made in the last 20 years. Generic rattle can asphalt undercoating will serve you well as I have heard fluid film will dissolve the factory wax.

[Buckshot556]

The frames are galvanized but bare steel dipped in a hot wax bath. The wax Is nice as a second layer of defense over say an e-coat but useless over bare steel.

 

At the very least, make sure you clean up and paint over where the lift pads on the mechanics hoist makes contact with your frame.

[Rkaroll953]

If you have ocd like me and cant stand looking at the pebbles and dirt impacted into the frame wax well, were fighting a loosing battle. i take a soft brush and try and get the dirt to fall off after a wash with the hose. then i will go over it with a can of NOX rust described above. also i use a sprinkler under my truck after a trip up north or every couple weeks in the winter. Yea everyone says who cares about the frame being rusty but i cant stand looking at a clean truck with a awful rusty frame. unacceptable

[Nanotech Environmental]

The frames are galvanized but bare steel dipped in a hot wax bath. The wax Is nice as a second layer of defense over say an e-coat but useless over bare steel.

 

At the very least, make sure you clean up and paint over where the lift pads on the mechanics hoist makes contact with your frame.

(in bold) I'm assuming you meant to say they 'aren't galvanized'?

[Buckshot556]

Bee, I read on the internet that the frames and body panels are all galvanized. That being said, the internet ain't always right. Do you have data showing the frames are not galvanized?

 

When the frame is welded together, the intense heat destroys the galvanization. Welds in general are prone to rust.

[sdeeter19555]

I can assure you the frame on my 2012 is NOT galvanized.

 

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[2017SierraSLT]

Body sheetmetal is galvanized. Too bad it is paper thin. The frames are not.