I hate rust...
I used to deliver to Wheeler. There is a big Wheelers warehouse in Waterloo, Iowa. It is the one I delivered to. I think they only sell to jobbers, though.
I appreciate everyone's input and will seek out the CAPA stuff. Pershings has good prices, but shipping costs tend to negate them. Better to buy from some place I can go and inspect what I'm buying before hand and transport myself, I think.
On a vaguely related note, I wish I could find an entire rustfree 8' box. I want to try to build my own Hide'n Side over the winter.
Its funny how my driver side door rusted so badly and fast while my passenger side is rust-free (but dented by a deer). Now my passenger side fender imploded with astonishing speed while the driver's side is fine...
I'm buying a couple gallons of Fluid Film to apply. I plan to just about fill my rocker panels with it. I have been flushing, blowing, and generally cleaning and inspecting all nooks and crannies on my truck in preparation for winter. The Zeibart I paid dearly for was obviously worthless or nearly so.
It would be very educational to be able to dissect a junkyard Dodge with cutting tools to gain a better understanding of where the inner panel trouble spots are and how to best get at them before any more rust explosions occur. What drain holes tend to get clogged. Where the leaves and maple and ash tree seeds and pine needles and mud and salt and sand and crud get in and where it gets trapped and how to prevent it.
Almost all rust problems I have found on this truck are directly related to foreign matter like leaves and crud that gets trapped. The doors are highly susceptible to poor seam sealing and tire thrown crud along the bottom edge combined with poor window seals and no rain gutters, allowing too much water inside the door.
With the poor seam seal and wide door gap on the outside, a total lack of a rain gutter, short-lived door weatherstripping, and the moisture soaking into the pinch seam inside, the door bottoms have little chance for survival.
But I did seal and rustproof my passenger door inside and out a couple years ago when I first noticed rust getting the best of my driver's door and the passenger door remains very nice, so preventive measures do work IF you identify and address the problem in time.
The front fenders appear to have a narrow, interior stiffening channel along the wheel well lip that is easily clogged by crud. There is more to it, I'm sure, but I will need to take the fender off to really see how it is put together and why one side failed while the other did not.
Such problems can apparently be dealt with and prevented given that only one fender and only one door on my truck suffered from buildup.
This would make for an interesting study and sticky here on TDR:
Rust-prone areas on each generation. What causes them and how to prevent them. Like I said, a little time spent dissecting a Midwestern junkyard truck body would reveal much and help you literally know your truck inside and out.
Maybe some members that replace a body panel for whatever reason could cut the old one apart and post photos and we could compile them? Rockers, fenders, and doors are the real trouble spots.