. Yeah ford dont give a s**t just want to keep buying new so don't make them last to long so you'll need newer before long!

 

Painting the undercarriage and coating internal cavities with a film or waxoyl is probably the best way to go. Paint should be a heavy enamel like Rustoleum as it will be pretty chip resistant.

Powder Coating on things like springs and cast brackets would be good, but can work against you in some cases..
I have a Western Snow Plow blade that was powder coated. Where the powder coating gets nicked and rust starts, the powder coating starts lifting and trapping water between the coating and the steel - now you have real problems.. I bought my plow this way and ended up hiring a local bodyman to sandblast and grind all the powder coating off of the areas that were bubbling (a couple were a foot across) and then primed and painted with Rustoleum. The paint may chip but the repairs will be easy..

My new rig will get the full treatment before winter sets in here...

 

Hot wax dip is best for boxed frame rails.

 

When spending my wintersin Québec provinceI used to paint (I had no compressor at the time) with Esso WR grease or better Shell 2000 Extreme grease diluted with used mineral spirit used for cleaning paintbrushes. The Shell grease stays on for 2 to 3 years where it gets moderately blasted by water. Inside the doors you do it once. Some people at my place use thick heated oïl and even used motor oïl with a motor cleaner kit sold at Harbor freight Tools for around 20.$ It is quite a job, cleaning with compressed air first then putting something on the ground to protect the driveway,or the garage floor or the lawn, You need somethng to protect your lungs too, IT IS A MESS.