Hello,

My truck is a 76, I6, 2wd, LWD, Flairside and wanted some advice/opinons about good methods on stopping rust. I don't have the money yet to do all the paint and body but, there is some rust starting at the bottom of the doors, all around the edge where the wood comes into contact with bed, and I just noticed a pin hole in the passenger floor. All input is appreciated. Thanks

 

Eastwood offers a "floor pan kit" that may provide some protection to slow it down. I recall is has grinding wheels, fiberglass mat & resin, and a can of polyurethane. Underneath, you might be able to get by with pop-riveting some metal over the hole, sealing the overlay, and applying polyurethane paint. An alternative is to use a product like POR-15 but you still gotta address the pinhole(s).

Of course, nothing beats cutting it out and patching it with new steel and coating it top and bottom.... as an aside, howz water getting in the cab in the first place?? Or did it start from underneath??

 

subscribing for info i need to know also lol

 

A few ideas - don't drive it in the winter. Seriously. Also, take a pump oiler can, fill it with 90wt gear oil, remove the door panels, and squirt the oil inside. Dilute the 90wt with gasoline, if needed so it will pump easily Close the doors on some newspaper to absorb the drips. The dirt and dust in the doors (hopefully not a ton of it) will absorb the oil, and the seams will not rust. This oil treatment is best done AFTER you paint the truck, so keep that in mind before you go wild with oil. You can also buy several cans of spray lithium grease (the kind you'd use on door hinges and hood latches) and shoot this into known rust areas. There are home-brew rustproofing solutions on the web, but most involve kerosene, ATF, oil, and/or paraffin.

In short, the crimped seams on any vehicle are the #1 place for rust to start, and if they are soaked in oil or grease, the rust will not get started there.

 

X2 on soaking everything with oil. Personally, I use WD-40 in a oiler can. The "WD" actually stands for "water displacing" Its 8 bucks for a gallon of it at farm and fleet. Spray it on the frame rails, lower doors and entire underside of the truck. I do that every weekend, and it works so good ice doesn't even form on my truck!

Just my $.02

 

Oil in one form or another is the best defense . In your case , it is too late . you can slow it down , but can't stop it ...

Start out with zero rust , then oil , then you are good to go ...