Don't care a whole lot about appearance so long as it looks like a FORD! I wash them occasionally when they are newer. But my old (former) rusty '84 F150 was much more useful, because I didn't care about the body. Once I stood all over that thing to trim the tree. Just so long as the dropping limbs don't hit the window. Used to wash that thing once a year with a broom and a bucket o hot water just to get the winter road salt deposits off (and that at the wife's prompting). Hey, why wash it when it's just going to get dirty again? But seriously, I don't have the time for ultra truck body care and that is one of many reasons I shy away from buying brand spanking new trucks anymore. But thanks to those of you who do go the extra mile on truck body care, I get to see some fine looking trucks on the road and I can still buy a 5-year-old truck with no rust. Thanks!


INLINE SIX POWER!
300 Cubic Inches of Low RPM Truck Torque! And twin-I-beams too!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 02-Mar-02 AT 10:44 PM (EST)]Hey as far as appearance goes I just bought an 88 f150 extra cab with extra body rust. Mostly on the top of the cab. The truck is originally grey in color.

All I did was went down to Wally World (AKA Walmart) bought a paint and rust sander for Automotive use and went to work. After sanding as much as possibly could I covered with a grey primer and topped off with a rust stopper top coat. Amazing enough it almost matches the Original paint job.

Total cost 2 sanding wheels 6.79 each 2 cans of grey primer 3.29 and 2 cans stop rust top coat 3.89=27.94.

Like a buddy of mine said why worry about the paint its just going to get scratched while playing.

later

 

hey,
Paul, you remind me alot of my grandpa (not to say you are old, maybe wise though ) anyways, he bought a used ch*vy pickup in 1980 and just this last year he decided it was time to wash it...mind you his last truck was made in the 50's...he kept it that long. So, we hose the outside down and then he opens the dor and HOSES THE INSIDE, after giving it a few hours to dry we go out to check and all he could say was "jeez, can't even wash 'em with out havin to re-build 'em.....damn Ch*vy!" . Thought that was about the funniest thing id ever seen.
Mike S.
1979 F-100

 

Well some people buy trucks to fix them up and show, some buy em to work. its hard to balence between the two, thats what i try to do.

 

>Like a buddy of mine said why worry about the paint its just
>going to get scratched while playing.

Well, personaly i'd argue about how the strengh of paint in regards to these scratches Something tough as nails for example, while might get scratched up and look not so new after a while, might provide enough protection to prevent scratches from going to the primer / metal layer, which is pretty much the primary job on paint IMHO. That's why one worries about paint

For example... take the mid 1980's GMC vehicels. While it might be in bad form to bring up a non-ford, but hey, there was a serious flaw and a great example on bad paint. In their truck and van series, the paint would just peal off after a while. we are not talking that usual rubbed up agenst something. We are talking full blown pealage... full blown being that with light sanding with 220 wet/dry, the enamal comes right off. We are talking typical gust, like the kind you experence driving 35+ miles per hour blow the paint off. you can see these on the road, something circa 1984-1986 looking worse then your typical f series truck from two decades earlier.

Not not one to speak really, I am doing a truck with rattle cans my self... but hey... most rattle cans are not as bad as all that.

 

Speaking of spray paint.....I just did both my bumpers and all my rims with rattle cans this past weekend. I did tape everything off to do a "semi real" paint job. Got to tell you that it made the truck look 100% better than the rusty bumpers and rims that were on it before. Not a bad deal for 10 bucks.

I think scratches and dents give a impression of a true work vechicle...but rust....I can't stand it......

 

Not just Ch@#y trucks! My 86 F150 started peeling down to the primer coat on top of the cab shortly after I made the last payment. Took it back to the dealer who told me it was normal for a truck that was not garaged. I still hve the beast and love it but it sure looks like Hell!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 22-Oct-02 AT 09:12 AM (EST)]my '90 f150 is doing the same thing. i have paint peeling in several areas. i've seen other fords do the same thing. seems to me the paint peels in the late 80's and early 90's models. perhaps ford did something screwy with their paint jobs?

 

My 85 did the same thing. I've heard that Ford had a problem with the primer they used back then and paint won't stick to it. Must be something to that cause I had mine repainted about 3 years ago and it's popping off again.

As for appearance, I'm with Cowboy. I try to keep mine looking good, but I don't slow down for mud puddles. I do try to keep mud out from underneath it and keep it pretty clean. Having a mid-80's truck, I've seen first hand what rust can do to one. Then too, there's nothing prettier than an old Ford truck, clean or dirty.

Ron

 

I have two places on my '95 that started rusting pretty bad: Over the left wheel well and the left bottom below the extended cab part. I put POR-15 on it (not exactly to their application specifications) and some rust began coming thru so I slapped some more POR-15 on and only a little bit seems to be coming through, so I will slap a little more POR-15 on. I don't care if there are the black patches on the med-dark blue truck so long as it doesn't hole through. Shes a fine truck and runs great. Ahhhh, life is good!

Time spent behind the wheel of a Ford truck is not deducted from ones lifespan.

 

Just paint the whole thing with rattle can gray primer. No need to wash it. If you get to much dirt or to many bugs splattered on it just stop at Walmarts and buy another can. A couple of squirts and it looks as good as new. I've done that with 3 cars.

 

depends for me. if i had a work truck i wouldn't take car of it, but since i love my truck now i wanna make it look good. make it a eye catcher.

depends for me on the situation. me and my dad havn't washed the dodge motorhome in 3 years. we let the rain do that

 

I've heard that the mid 80s problums with ch*vys was from the primer they used. perhaps somethin simalir happened with Ford.