I haven't seen any chips on the frame yet. I was under the truck friday afternoon but I wasn't specifically looking for paint damage.

To me it was too cheap not to do it this way... and as you know touchup is a can away.

 

i was just concerned bc this is gonna be a showtruck but yea guess i can always touch up thanks alot frederick ill go get me some

 

I was under my truck today and seen whare I'm getting a little crusty in the rust,How hard is it to drop the gastank and lift the bed? What I plan to do is just sand the rust off,spray some primer and then some spray paint over to protect the metal. It's inside the chassis so I wont be that exposed. What is a good deffinition of surface rust? Most of the chassis has it I belive,but soem areas have a little more then others. I need to do a thorough inspection of my chassis,. Really,the entire truck. I wonder how to stop the rust behind my kick panels from whare water stands when it runs off the windshield.
Thanks guys.

 

Gas tanks come off with two bolts on the straps. Both side and rear tanks come out this way. Some of the later years (efi specifically) need a special tool to disconnect the lines to the sending unit assembly. Though, there's typically enough length in the lines to lower the tanks away from the frame rail if you support the tanks on something, say, a stack of 2x4's or a short stool, or stacks of tied newspapers, or something like that.

Taking the bed off is easy. Undo the connector behind the frame just before the back of the bed, so the tailligights and tag lights are disconnected. Undo the three screws for each of the gas filler necks and the four hose clamps undernea

 

Gas tanks come off with two bolts on the straps. Both side and rear tanks come out this way. Some of the later years (efi specifically) need a special tool to disconnect the lines to the sending unit assembly. Though, there's typically enough length in the lines to lower the tanks away from the frame rail if you support the tanks on something, say, a stack of 2x4's or a short stool, or stacks of tied newspapers, or something like that.

Taking the bed off is easy. Undo the connector behind the frame just before the back of the bed, so the tailligights and tag lights are disconnected. Undo the three screws for each of the gas filler necks and the four hose clamps underneath the bed that hold the filler tubes to the underside of the bed.

Then, blast out the six bolts that hold the bed to the frame. You might need some penetrating oil for this step.

Then you, and three big guys can lift the bed off onto sawhorses, or you can use an engine crane like I did, and do it by yourself. I had to make an extension for my engine crane, which was just 2" square 1/8" wall tubing welded together and slipped into the engine crane's boom. Gave me a few extra inches so as I jacked the bed off the frame, the back of it didn't hit the hydraulic cylinder that's on the crane.

Here's a link to my bed work:

http://frederic.midimonkey.com/f350-bedrepair.html

And if you want to just see the crane thing:

 

Cruiseomatic, it sounds like your frame is in the condition the frame I ended up using was in. If it is like dirt, you shouldn't worry about strength. My other one looked like frederics, so I used this one. I painted rustoleum, but brushed it. My reason was this: it goes on thicker that way. I used red primer and put on 2 coats, and satin black, also 2 coats. The stuff is soft, so it doesn't chip as bad. I no longer live in the rustbelt, so I envision this lasting at least 10 years. It currently has 2 years and one winter on, as well as offroading, and isn't rusting. Here is what it looked like when I got done painting it:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=51586&width=2
The only difference is that now it has that dirt haze on it. If I climb under with a sponge and wash it, it looks like new, but that only happens about twice a year.
I bought a quart of POR15, but wasn't THAT impressed with it for $38 a quart. It is awful to clean up, and I have had some flaking off of some of the stuff I painted with it. Where it stuck, it is like almost a rubber coating. It feels like saran wrap or something. Maybe I would like it better if it wasn't coming off. I don't know why it is because I did the same prep as for the rustoleum and the rustoleum is still on. Hope this helps you.

 

Most new car dealer's have a good program for rust prevention but the best that I found was at a pontiac dealed that drill holes even under your doors and apply a soulution that last forever.. not cheep

 

I will tell you a trick that I started using years ago on my plow trucks that works great. I save oil gear oil (85w140) and I out it in a paint spray gun and a spray the underside of truck and frame. It stinks for a few days but it penatrates into the rust and seams and stops rust cold. I do it in the fall and spring and after a few years it even biuld up a coating of its own. I have a 79J20 that the frame is still solid and in excellant shape. I spray my plow equipment too and they still look great after years of use. I have know some to mix cosmoline and kerosene together 50/50 and use it too with simular results. gear oil will not wash off well in in cold weather it is even more supporn to efforts to remove it and the additives in gear oil attack rust too.

 

i'm doing a frame up restoration on my 78 f-250.i'll be bring the frame home this weekend and do every thing that needs to be done before taking it to my friends shop and steam cleaning it before taking it to my local rhino linings shop.......

 

Doing a frame off I think I would go with Durabak.

http://www.durabakbedliner.com/
http://www.newlinesafety.com/content/view/23/57/

You can get a fire retardant for it too.

I am doing both the inside and outside of my van with it to stop and kill rust after I sand and prime it.