...I am afraid for my truck.

Here's the deal...we're looking to relocate to New Hampshire from Atlanta sometime next year. I own a 1980 F-150 that is in very good shape, and has great sentimental value - my grandfather bought it new, and my grandmother gave it to me after he passed away, with the understanding that it would be properly maintained.

So far, so good...I've been slowly fixing it up over the last couple of years, and now it runs better than it has since it was under warranty. But I'm worried about road conditions up in the Northeast...is my truck going to rust away up there from road salt? If I keep it off the roads during the winter, will that be enough to protect it? Or am I worrying about nothing?

I can leave the truck here with my parents and brother if necessary, but I really don't want to do that - I like my truck!

Please advise, thanks.

 

Welcome to NH.

Where to start?

It is true that all of New England is rough on cars durring the winter months. That being said the best option, if available, is to put the vehicle up for the winter. I do not drive my '72 in the winter although I did for one winter. I also do not drive my '01 Focus in the winet either but again I had no shoice but to drive it in 2 snow storms and a few nice but salty days. Saying that, I made sure I washed the car (underside mostly) as often as I could. The Focus is not show room clean underneith but it's a lot better than other cars 1/2 its age.
If you can afford it and get it pass the wife's seal of approval I would get a house with a garage to put the truck in for the winter. I have a garage tent I keep the Focus in over the winter and know it's not protecting it as well as a perminate structure can.

I would say the truck should not be driven from mid Nov to mid March.

Keep us informed on the move

 

Hey, thanks for the response.

You're pretty much confirming what I suspected. Fortunately, the truck isn't my daily driver; I don't actually have to drive it unless I want to, or have a particular need for it. And any house we buy will definitely have garage space, so keeping it put away for the winter is a definite possibility.

I'll definitely keep y'all updated on the move. Thanks again!