Preventing door rust

[rbattelle]

Been reading all day on the rust problems with the 2nd gen. trucks. Seems they are particularly prone to rust at the bottoms of the doors.



I came up with 2 ways to help stave off rust formation. First, I sprayed a bunch of WD-40 in the drain holes in the bottom of each door. Then I smeared a load of petroleum jelly along the bottom edge of the door, under the rubber weatherstrip down there. I figure this should totally eliminate the posibility of moisture being a problem.



Any other ideas?

 

[MO'Donnell]

I know I'm gonna get flamed for this but... ... .



Ziebart. Get your annual "inspection" (currently $35) +/- 60 days of application date or your warranty becomes worth less than the paper it's printed on. Save the receipts as well "just in case". As long as you keep the warr. validated they do pay claims with next to no hassle.



I read somewhere (here??) that the new body style has the same unpleasant tendency to trap water where the inner & outer door skins are attached.



Donning the Nomex now...

 

[Fireman]

I think the idea is to keep the holes open so water can drain out. After all they are called "drain"holes.



Any that's the way I see it.

Fireman

 

[rbattelle]

I don't think I like the Ziebart system. Instead, I have decided to buy myself a can of Waxoyl and do the job myself. I believe the stuff Ziebart uses is nearly identical.

 

[Idaho Native]

Eastwood's

rbattelle,



You had asked me in another thread to let you know how the Eastwood product turned out. Well, I tried to squirt it into my new doors today... the can was one from my buddy... had no idea how old it was... until the aerosol ran out after about 2 seconds of application. At any rate, the product is the brown waxy/oily stuff that forms a bit of a hard barrier after curing. The can said that it would take 2 to 4 days for it to completely cure, depending on temperature. My immediate take on the stuff is that it is probably a very good product, but works best in areas that can easily be gotten to; it didn't like to flow in the small tube that I was using to get it into the door. I'd say it would work best on an unassembled door... one of the applications on the can said it was an "excellent lubricant" for leaf type springs... wish the aerosol had held up... I would have sprayed my rear leafs. Hope this helps... I'm going with the WD 40 for the time being.



Loren

 

[rbattelle]

Yeah, I did the WD-40 job. It's simple and probably quite effective if reapplied regularly. I guess I was looking for something more permanent. On the other hand, perhaps something less permanent is better. I don't know.

 

[esommer2500]

A good set of running boards. My 97 has running boards on it, and there is no rust at all anywhere on the doors/cab. I had a 98 gasser without boards, and it was showing some surface rust on the bottom inside of the door. The only thing I can think of is that the running boards keep most of the salt/debris off of the cab. Works great. My favorites are the aluminum with a 4" face, though they are kinda pricey. We had a set on a 98. 5 3500, and they were about $1400. Same deal though, no rust on the truck.



FWIW



Eric

 

[Hootguy]

Hi

If you want a real sticky oil,,check out spray chain lube we use on the dirtbikes,,,sticks like glue... i use all over i dont stuff to rust,,,

Be warned,,it sticks like hell.

 

[nickleinonen]

my vote is for krown rust control products. works great [from personal experience] gets into all nooks and crevices. not a waxy oil that can trap salt under it. thin pinkish liquid that gets sprayed everywhere and drips for days. if it don't drip, it ain't worth a thing for protection. reason - drippy stuff is thin enough to get everywhere. thick stuff coats a crack, and does not get in. rust check has a similar product, but i perfer krown

 

[rbattelle]

Just another note on my ongoing rust-prevention program. Today I waxed the truck, and noticed a good area for future rust. At the rearmost rolled seam of each front 1/4 panel. I noticed it when I opened the front doors. When I felt the underside of the seam with my hand, it felt like it might already have surface rust (but I can't be sure since I can't actually see in there).



Anyway, I smeared a bunch of petroleum jelly into the seam... that ought to keep moisture out.



I also removed the rubber plug from the rocker panel (which reveals itself when you open the front doors) and sprayed inside with some WD-40.

 

[Mr.Goat]

rbattelle



I"ll stick with the preferance of my fellow countryman, nickleinonen. Rustcheck type rust protectants are thin, runny and drippy, but they creep and crawl into every minuite crack and crevice there is. And the stuff never really drys it just keeps moving around. This is the type of stuff you want to spray into your doors to displace the moisture.



I hate to be the bearer of bad news but WD-40 does have a high percentage of water in it. Vaseline is great for dry lips ( both types) but I wouldn't depend on it for metal rust protection.



The roads here in Ontario are almost repaved with salt, and calcium all winter. So us Canucks have a fair understanding of how to attempt to slow down the rusting process. Notice I say slow down the rust because in these conditions you'll never stop it. Alot of folks up here oil spray there vehicles, but it has to be done at least twice a year to be effective. Another little trick is not to wash your truck to often in winter as you just wash the salt into the cracks a little further. Just my two cents worth after 35 yrs. of Canandian winter driving. Pete

 

[wlowe]

Has anybody out there ever used "3M Rust Fighter", (below)? If so, how did you like it? Was it thin enough to seep into a door panel crimp?



http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/...us_aad_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html