73-79 Rust prevention tips

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Mar 14, 2007 | 05:43 PM

#16

pcheyne

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Joined: Feb 2005

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Instead of trans fluid or oil I would use LSP3. It is a heavy duty rust inhibitor. You can get it at most bearing places and grainger. It comes in a spray can and leaves a waxy film.

Mar 14, 2007 | 11:02 PM

#17

Jermafenser

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Joined: Jul 2001

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From: MD

Awesome, thanks for the in-depth explanation. I'll have to do that to the trucks in the future.

Sep 22, 2009 | 04:20 PM

#18

F350 Strait

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Joined: Jan 2004

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From: Carmichael, ca

Rust prevention/remediation

While doing body work on my truck, I found surface rust on the inside of my roof when I removed the roof liner. I sanded what I could reach then painted POR15 over the rusted areas that I could not sand. I also pushed a liberally coated brush down as far as I could in the gaps between the exterior roof/side skin and the interior cab sklin to cover as much of the interior of the exterior skin as possible with the paint/sealer.

I also had a little rust on the front of the roof gutters, I had already removed the trim pieces from the gutters. I ended up digging out the material that is in the gutters to give them flow to the back of the cab. There is a joint between the sheet metal that makes the outside of the gutter and the roof skin that forms the bottom of the gutter. On my truck, the sloping material had been leaking which allowed water to enter this joint. I wire brushed the gutter after removing caulking material at the bottom of the gutter then coated the bottom and sides of the gutter with POR15 to seal this area.

POR15 is a very hard material once it has set up and it encapsulates the rustand stops it from growing.

Sep 22, 2009 | 04:37 PM

#19

F350 Strait

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Joined: Jan 2004

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From: Carmichael, ca

Reducing the 'Tin Can' sound when shutting the doors

I like a solid 'thunk' when I shut the door on a vehicle. What I did to get that sound on my truck a '79 was to use the insulating foam from a spay can used for filling gaps in house construction (found at hardware stores, Home Depot, etc.). This material comes out of the can like a liquid foam and then expands to fill the space it is in I squirted it into the gap between the between the exterior skin and interior skin of the cab accessible when the roof liner is removed. I jused one can, I did not want to use so much that it might start affecting the sheet metal.

I also glued double sided automotive insulation to the roof of the cab with contact cement. I have a super cab and found that the steel reinforcing pieces that were supposed to be suppoting the roof skin where not tight to the skin. I used some of the expaning foam between the top brace and the skin and some home made shims to tighten up the support of the roof skin.

Not only did this reduce the tinnie sound when shutting the door, it also gained some thermal insulation in the roof which is fairly large on a super cab.

Sep 22, 2009 | 05:03 PM

#20

Bowtie_Schmowtie

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Joined: Jan 2009

Posts: 741

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From: Western N.C.

Quote:

Originally Posted by F350 Strait

I...use the insulating foam from a spay can...I squirted it into the gap between the between the exterior skin and interior skin of the cab accessible when the roof liner is removed.

I had thought about doing this in mine, but I read somewhere else that it isn't a good idea because it can trap moisture in and cause worse rust. This may work well in dry climates, but I would be concerned about moisture buildup in humid locations.

If I did the POR-15 trick first, could I then use the spray foam insulation safely, or is it something that should be avoided entirely in humid areas?

Sep 22, 2009 | 06:05 PM

#21

77red4x4

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Joined: Dec 2005

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowtie_Schmowtie

I don't think I would do this at all, especially in the doors. I'm no foam expert but when I was rebuilding the floor of my boat I was told that most expanding foam sold for insulation purposes is open cell and can hold moisture. The kind I used for flotation under the floor was a closed cell foam specifically designed for boats that was not supposed to hold moisture. Unfortunately I can't tell you how it came out because I don't have the boat anymore

. Then again, if it doesn't get wet I guess it doesn't matter.

Inspect your foam after a good heavy rain and let us know what you find.

Sep 23, 2009 | 03:22 PM

#22

F350 Strait

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Joined: Jan 2004

Posts: 156

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From: Carmichael, ca

Using the expanding foam

I didn't put it in the doors, just the adhesive sound mats to the inside of the door skin. Since I live in CA, I'm not too worried about the foam getting wet. I guess I'll find out if the cab starts rusting out.

I think that the insulation glued to the roof did a lot to help dampen sound plus getting the roof rigidly attached to the supports also helped.

Thanks for responding