2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission heads up on potential rust problem

[FourBarR]

Recently found rust starting in the following location. open the driver and passenger doors. from outside the door look down forward of the bottom door hinge. there is a space there that maybe filled with leaves ,mud etc. this material is wet and starts rusting showing up as bubbles in the paint outside.

Just discovered on mine on the right hand side. Needs to be cleaned out and some anti rust sprayed in there. #@$%!

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Here's how I treat mine:



https://www.turbodieselregister.com...3-heading-off-rust-along-door-body-seams.html



No rust so far...

 

[DDominick]

Too late for my truck

Gary, that is a great idea. Unfortunately, it is too late for my truck. I have a 2001 Ram 2500 that has 66,000 miles and has pretty much been garage kept all of it's life. My passenger side door is rusted to the point that when you are in the truck and look down towards the rocker panel you can see the ground. The entire bottom of the door is completely rusted. I have also noticed that both of my quad cab doors are beginning to rust as well. Very disappointing.



Doug

 

[JacobsD]

Its expected being a Dodge... . We pay for a great drivetrain and a not so great truck.

 

[WestTN]

Is that garage heated? If you live in the snowbelt and have a heated garage, the rust is guaranteed to be a problem.



My truck has absolutely no rusr at all. I do spend half the year in Tennessee and the coldd half in southern Florida.

 

[FourBarR]

Re heads up on rust problem. the problem I have is not in the doors ,its the bottom of the fender just forward of the lower door hinge. I cleaned mine out today a ton of needles ,leaves jamed down there. took lots of air pressure and water to clean it out. Looked in there after with the borescope and it clean. this area needs to be coated with rust preventative,and then kept clean.

 

[abranz]

How did you get access to that area to clean it? Thanks Anthony

 

[SRath]

JCWhitney sells, or used to sell, a pretty good do-it-yourself rustproofing kit. I bought one years ago and it came with not only with rustproofing liquids of different types, but also with various applicator wands and spray nozzles and even plugs for places where you need to drill to get access. Real professional.



I still have the applicator parts and will be using them on the Dodge. Surprisingly, my only real rust problem is the bottom seam of the driver's door. Once it is in that seam, there is no stopping it... When I installed power windows and door locks, I cleaned and rustproofed the passenger side real well. Then a deer put a dent in it... (and the hood and the driver's door and the roof... ) So now I need two doors.



I paid big bucks for a top-of-the-line rustproofing job by Steel seal the day we bought my wife's Blazer. I also did the same when I bought my Dodge from Texas, only this time used Ziebart. All told, I wrapped up about $1200 in the two vehicles' rustproofing.



Both companies assured me they would thoroughly coat ALL inner panels, etc. Both companies flat-out lied. In later years, as repairs or modifications required disassembly of the door panels (in my wife's case; replacement of the door skins), it became perfectly clear not one drop of rustproofing was ever applied to any inner panels.



There is a reason why you are not allowed to wait and watch as your vehicle is "rustproofed". They spray cheap undercaoting in visible areas and tell later they did everything and charge you for it, too. Then they go out of business...



Find a way to do it yourself.

 

[FourBarR]

Access to the area is quite easy. open the doors all the way. look down between the bottom door hinge,between the body and front fender the is a pocket that collects the leaves ,dirt etc. you can use an air hose and blow up from the bottom,then down from the top. it will take a few tries depending on how much stuff is in there. hope this helps.

 

[JKinney]

I cleaned up my door seams last fall, they are rusted again. left lower front fender in front of the drivers door has paint bubling. My body man told me that that came from the back side and that that is rust through. My rig is 4 months past five years with 80,000 miles.



I wash my vehicles every week. Just sold a 96 grand caravan with 180,000 miles on it. No rust. The caravan is always in the garage, and its heated. The truck spends 1/2 its time in the garage. and is rusted.

 

[abranz]

I noticed on my 95 the only door drain is towards the rear. I pulled off the door panel and made several drains in the middle and front parts of the door, then used POR 15 on the inside of the door. It's a crime our state is now using salt instead of sand/gravel. Everyone on this site worries about how to improve their trucks for power/reliablility/endurance. Well it's all for not if you live the northern states which use salt. Truthfully, we should band together and work on changing this practice of corrosive chemicals/salts used in the winter. They are not good for vehicles, roads, bridges, nearby vegetation, water systems/well, and the environment.

Anthony

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Here in our area, the roads ARE graveled for winter ice and snow - the price we pay is MANY damaged windshields and front end paint dings (both my truck and my wife's '05 Ford Escape windshields are both damaged!), as well as undercarriage erosion/damage. Added to that, is the damage done to the road surface itself, as the gravel erodes the road surface, seriously increasing the need for resurfacing and repainting. Seems there's NO "free lunch" - and there's a price to be paid for winter road treatment, regardless of the system or materials used...

 

[SRath]

The use of liquid calcium chloride has become very popular here. That stuff is way more corrosive than rock salt! They spray it on the bare roads when anticipating snow and/or ice.



My snowplow mount is made of very thick plate steel and tube steel. The whole thing was powder coated from the factory. My rear hitch and inner bumper assembly (I custom made/modified myself) was treated with POR15 and then painted. Both are unbelieveably corroded and stood no chance against that stuff. I wash frequently in the winter to prevent this, but it doesn't matter... I have never had any good luck with POR15; has anyone else? It doesn't seem any tougher than Rustoleum paint.



The plate steel is the strangest. The powder coating is coming off in sheets and taking a full 1/8" layer of steel with it! Our semis at work are paying the price, too. The frames and the aluminum fuel tanks.



My plan now is to use full-length diamond aluminum running boards to keep the majority of the spray from being flung up into my door jambs. Nerf bars did not last one winter and offered no protection for the body from salt and rock spray. In addition, I'm going to fabricate small brackets and cut heavy plastic semi mudflaps to fit as undercarriage panels between the frame and outer body. Going for a smooth plastic underside, I guess. The more I can close off; the better. The plastic wheelwell liners seem to help a great deal, so maybe closing off the nooks and crannies of the underbody will help, too.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Had the truck out this morning, so remembered to check out that lower front fender area - man, it's pretty much impossible to see down in that tight area!



Anyway, I have an air attachment for my compressor made from 1/8 copper tubing, so it can be bent to odd shapes and reach difficult areas. Reached down in and blew out both sides real well - only a minor amount of dust and small junk in mine, but I can see where guys who park outside and under trees a lot might have LOTS of stuff down there!



Before winter settles in, I'll again do the long hose and chain oil bit, and get that area protected too - thanks for the heads-up!

 

[GAmes]

Its expected being a Dodge... . We pay for a great drivetrain and a not so great truck.

That is pure BS. It sounds like something a Ford or GM troll would post in an RV forum. I have zero complaints about my Dodge. I have spent more time fixing engine oil leaks than I have fixing things that wear out on the truck itself. Before you assume that because I live in TX that I don't have troubles, think again. I amassed my miles driving all over the U. S. , and parts of Canada, in all kinds of weather and road conditions. Last November I pulled an RV over the Canadian Rockies and quite a few miles were snow pack.



A good heads up though, I just checked my panels and there were some leaves stuck down in there, I will remove them tomorrow. Bottom line is if you are proactive and take care of your vehicle (any vehicle) it will take care of you.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

That is pure BS. It sounds like something a Ford or GM troll would post in an RV forum. I have zero complaints about my Dodge. I have spent more time fixing engine oil leaks than I have fixing things that wear out on the truck itself. Before you assume that because I live in TX that I don't have troubles, think again. I amassed my miles driving all over the U. S. , and parts of Canada, in all kinds of weather and road conditions. Last November I pulled an RV over the Canadian Rockies and quite a few miles were snow pack.



A good heads up though, I just checked my panels and there were some leaves stuck down in there, I will remove them tomorrow. Bottom line is if you are proactive and take care of your vehicle (any vehicle) it will take care of you.

I absolutely agree on the DC body criticism - I've had all the major brands thru the years, and generally speaking, they have all been pretty uniform in body/sheetmetal quality. Sure, various years and specific body styles may have their own quirks and weaknesses - but that applies pretty equally across all brands - same for paint and interiors - any more, I swear ALL the major brands get their dashboards, gauges and controls from the SAME Taiwanese manufacturer - certainly, NONE have any quality edge over the others!



Some guys, possible previous Ford or GM owners have heard that tired old "Great engine in a poor body", thought it was cool, and have automatically included it in their repertoire of colorful and humorous statements...



But as you say, it's a bunch of baseless BS!

 

[diesel DOG]

works great and comes in a can to spray in small openings with a tube. 3M™ Rust Fighter I Coating


3M? Rust Fighter-I, 08892, 18. 75 oz Aerosol, 6 per case


01 with 155,000 no rust but I did it the day I got the truck. Anywhere there was a hole to shoot it in. Doors, hood, fenders. Anyway water drains out I could shoot this in. Truck has zero rust inside never garaged.

 

[Chief USA]

Boeshield T-9 has been around for many years and may be a good choice for this as well.



Boeshield T-9 Gallon

 

[diesel DOG]

works great and comes in a can to spray in small openings with a tube. 3M™ Rust Fighter I Coating


3M? Rust Fighter-I, 08892, 18. 75 oz Aerosol, 6 per case


01 with 155,000 no rust but I did it the day I got the truck. Anywhere there was a hole to shoot it in. Doors, hood, fenders. Anyway water drains out I could shoot this in. Truck has zero rust inside never garaged.

I recently found rust after just about ten years I now have rusted d:{:{rs.

I guess I should have done it every few years. Now I will take the doors apart to repair them.

 

[Chief USA]

I recently found rust after just about ten years I now have rusted d:{:{rs.



I guess I should have done it every few years. Now I will take the doors apart to repair them.

This is cheaper and works even better. It is the exact same stuff we used of military aircraft for corrosion prevention. I use it on my farm impliments and other equipment and it works great. Just have to get in there and remove the rust and treat the areas effected by rust and corrsion before you spray.



Nib 8030-00-938-1947 Spray, Corrosion, 14. 5 Oz.