Heck, there aren't any Fluid Film dealers either! Good thing I'm handy.
Undercoating Options
Tuned
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 413
Likes: 285
From: N. Appalachistan
I am not an aircraft mechanic. But then again, a Super Duty is not an aircraft. The environmental conditions and cycles each encounters are quite disparate.
I think your concerns of corrosion due to atmospheric H2O condensate are real, but overblown. Vehicles don't rust in the southeast US and it's plenty humid there. If you are using this as a plow/boat launch truck, the Mg, Ca, and Na salts will pose a much more significant threat.
I doubt that anyone will argue that your truck is not protected. I have seen a thousand much more ridiculous ways to spend money on a truck.
And kudos to you for not being scared of drilling holes! But flex tape, really? Is that what you use on planes?
I think your concerns of corrosion due to atmospheric H2O condensate are real, but overblown. Vehicles don't rust in the southeast US and it's plenty humid there. If you are using this as a plow/boat launch truck, the Mg, Ca, and Na salts will pose a much more significant threat.
I doubt that anyone will argue that your truck is not protected. I have seen a thousand much more ridiculous ways to spend money on a truck.
And kudos to you for not being scared of drilling holes! But flex tape, really? Is that what you use on planes?
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 7,955
Likes: 4,039
For about $600 one can have the entire truck protected with Wool Wax, frame, body, etc. and unless it is power washed underneath, one application lasts for years. Best part, you don't have to do anything but drop it off and let them get all wool waxy. Doing FF once in my garage had left my floor a slickery mess.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 7,955
Likes: 4,039
Yeah, about an hour 15 to the nearest to me and have to leave it for a day. THATS the drawback!
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,506
Likes: 195
It actually works pretty good if you maintain it. The product they use is call NOX-Rust, and it's supposed to be applied direct-to-metal. Factory application is hot-dipped, so coverage is usually very good even in boxed frame structures. The product is readily available as an aerosol and is easy to reapply on external surfaces where it may get damaged. The problem is few go to the trouble to inspect and reapply as needed. Another is some aftermarket treatments my degrade NOX-Rust, which can lead to a sloppy mess that does not protect well.
The best solution would be for Ford to offer a galvanized frame option, like they do on the F53 stripped chassis. UPS got sick of junking trucks due to frame rust (no issues with their aluminum and fiberglass bodies) so they told the OEM's they wouldn't buy chassis for their package cars unless the frame was fully galvanized. Freightliner Custom Chassis figured out how to get it done, and sold UPS a lot of chassis. Ford had no choice but to go along. I for one would buy a Super Duty with a galvanized frame, even if the option was a couple of grand.
https://www.fordpro.com/en-us/fleet-...f53-motorhome/
The best solution would be for Ford to offer a galvanized frame option, like they do on the F53 stripped chassis. UPS got sick of junking trucks due to frame rust (no issues with their aluminum and fiberglass bodies) so they told the OEM's they wouldn't buy chassis for their package cars unless the frame was fully galvanized. Freightliner Custom Chassis figured out how to get it done, and sold UPS a lot of chassis. Ford had no choice but to go along. I for one would buy a Super Duty with a galvanized frame, even if the option was a couple of grand.
https://www.fordpro.com/en-us/fleet-...f53-motorhome/
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026
Brett Foote
5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time
Joe Kucinski
6th Gear
Joined: Oct 2024
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
I am not an aircraft mechanic. But then again, a Super Duty is not an aircraft. The environmental conditions and cycles each encounters are quite disparate.
I think your concerns of corrosion due to atmospheric H2O condensate are real, but overblown. Vehicles don't rust in the southeast US and it's plenty humid there. If you are using this as a plow/boat launch truck, the Mg, Ca, and Na salts will pose a much more significant threat.
I doubt that anyone will argue that your truck is not protected. I have seen a thousand much more ridiculous ways to spend money on a truck.
And kudos to you for not being scared of drilling holes! But flex tape, really? Is that what you use on planes?
I think your concerns of corrosion due to atmospheric H2O condensate are real, but overblown. Vehicles don't rust in the southeast US and it's plenty humid there. If you are using this as a plow/boat launch truck, the Mg, Ca, and Na salts will pose a much more significant threat.
I doubt that anyone will argue that your truck is not protected. I have seen a thousand much more ridiculous ways to spend money on a truck.
And kudos to you for not being scared of drilling holes! But flex tape, really? Is that what you use on planes?
6th Gear
Joined: Oct 2024
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
It actually works pretty good if you maintain it. The product they use is call NOX-Rust, and it's supposed to be applied direct-to-metal. Factory application is hot-dipped, so coverage is usually very good even in boxed frame structures. The product is readily available as an aerosol and is easy to reapply on external surfaces where it may get damaged. The problem is few go to the trouble to inspect and reapply as needed. Another is some aftermarket treatments my degrade NOX-Rust, which can lead to a sloppy mess that does not protect well.
The best solution would be for Ford to offer a galvanized frame option, like they do on the F53 stripped chassis. UPS got sick of junking trucks due to frame rust (no issues with their aluminum and fiberglass bodies) so they told the OEM's they wouldn't buy chassis for their package cars unless the frame was fully galvanized. Freightliner Custom Chassis figured out how to get it done, and sold UPS a lot of chassis. Ford had no choice but to go along. I for one would buy a Super Duty with a galvanized frame, even if the option was a couple of grand.
https://www.fordpro.com/en-us/fleet-...f53-motorhome/
The best solution would be for Ford to offer a galvanized frame option, like they do on the F53 stripped chassis. UPS got sick of junking trucks due to frame rust (no issues with their aluminum and fiberglass bodies) so they told the OEM's they wouldn't buy chassis for their package cars unless the frame was fully galvanized. Freightliner Custom Chassis figured out how to get it done, and sold UPS a lot of chassis. Ford had no choice but to go along. I for one would buy a Super Duty with a galvanized frame, even if the option was a couple of grand.
https://www.fordpro.com/en-us/fleet-...f53-motorhome/
i’ve been to Autokiniton in Bellevue, Ohio.
And watched the truck frames come out of the factory.
For some reason, they leave them bare metal outside for weeks. And by the time they were pulled in for dipping, the frames are totally surface rusted and dipped as is. So under all of the truck frames paint is a patina of rust. This may be the reason why the frames rust out before most of the other parts.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 7,955
Likes: 4,039
They may be dipped in an acid first to remove the rust and provide an etch for the coating. Similar to plating, though no one in their right mind would chrome a rusty part as it will show, but a painted part wouldn't matter. The parts are washed in acid, then washed in alkaline bath to neutralize the acid and then a final hot bath to rinse the stuff off before final coating it.
More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 738
Likes: 303
From: SE Vermont, South Jersey
You must have fingers of steel...
More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 738
Likes: 303
From: SE Vermont, South Jersey
I once owned a 1987 Chevy Astro mid-van. Somehow, at one point, the rocker panel below what would have been a Driver Side sliding door got creased by something (that something being me, and maybe a plow edge...) and I "Always intended to get it fixed before it started to rust". 6-8 years later we sold it and there was nary a spot of rust to be seen (there. Hood was a different story).
Oh, the body (at least, the lower panels) were galvanized.
Would I pay a bit extra for a galvanized frame? Probably, but it would have to be less than the cost of reliable aftermarket rust-inhibitors such as WoolWax, WaxOyl, FluidFilm et al.
My 2015 with WaxOyl and then FluidFilm still looks pristine.
The only downside to these aftermarket treatments is that it makes it a bit of a trial to do work underneath...
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,506
Likes: 195
i’ve been to Autokiniton in Bellevue, Ohio.
And watched the truck frames come out of the factory.
For some reason, they leave them bare metal outside for weeks. And by the time they were pulled in for dipping, the frames are totally surface rusted and dipped as is. So under all of the truck frames paint is a patina of rust. This may be the reason why the frames rust out before most of the other parts.
And watched the truck frames come out of the factory.
For some reason, they leave them bare metal outside for weeks. And by the time they were pulled in for dipping, the frames are totally surface rusted and dipped as is. So under all of the truck frames paint is a patina of rust. This may be the reason why the frames rust out before most of the other parts.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 7,955
Likes: 4,039
I decided to wool wax my own truck, so a gallon of wax and applicator are on the way. Just need a tarp for under teh truck and drive it up on ramps so I have room and go to town.
Oh, Wool Wax now has a wax that creeps and hardens so no messing smearing when rubbing against it while underneath. Sticking with the black goo myself, but its similar to what GM might have used.
Oh, Wool Wax now has a wax that creeps and hardens so no messing smearing when rubbing against it while underneath. Sticking with the black goo myself, but its similar to what GM might have used.