Best way to prevent rust

[rhino2104]

Okay, so I'm going to be utilizing my Bronco as a daily driver and I'm looking for the best way to prevent rust. It's already pretty clean and rust free and I'd like to keep it that way. I'm getting ready to move from Texas to the Kansas City, KS area. From milder winters to ice and snow and salt. Any suggestions?

 

[ford man]

Don't drive it in the winter buy a cheap car for winter and put the bronco in the garage;D

 

[broncojo]

Don't drive it in the winter buy a cheap car for winter and put the bronco in the garage;D

Agree, my 96 and 68 stay in while the Ranger pickup take the winter beating.

 

[matts460]

Hello I live near and work in the Kansas city area. They use an antifreeze chemical with the salt around here is hard to keep windshield clean when behind other cars on 71 highway. Not just dirt but the antifreeze mix they use. Anyway for several years I drove an 67 F100 back and forth to work, (96mile round trip for me) I used nothing special on it other than washed it underneath any chance I got in winter even if 20-30 deg out. never got any more rusty than what It was when I bought it. (I had rattle canned under carrage with rusteliom paint to clean it up a bit) And it never rusted through it. Im a mechanic so I see lots of newer cars that you can tell get rusty when never washed and other looks great after years of keeping up with washing/cleaning car off. Never park your car/truck wet or salty wet in garage!!!!!!! It will speed up rust really fast as it wont dry out even after 24hours you could find wetness someware.

 

[gray gables]

Don't drive it in the winter buy a cheap car for winter and put the bronco in the garage;D

^^^^what he said,

 

[blubuckaroo]

I've even seen CA cars with terminal cowl rust. Best to keep it covered.

 

[half cab]

Mine came from the factory with the rust option .

 

[rhino2104]

Yeah unfortunately a third car is out of the question. My wife would kill me. My other car is not winter friendly. Something about a Camaro with 530rwtq is not friendly on icy roads.... or snowy roads.... or wet roads.... or mildly damp roads. Hell, on dry roads traction is sometimes an issue if you're feeling froggy.

Basically it sounds like give it a good scrubbing before I head up north, use some fluid film on the underside on all of the nooks and crannies and hope for the best until we move out of here or I can do a complete frame off and seal things up to my liking or get a glass tub. Thanks. I'd never have thought of using Fluid Film. I wonder if Aero Kroil would do since it's pretty similar it just creeps more from my understanding.

 

[flint_knapper]

Tires throw whatever is on drive surface on the floor pans, inner fender
panels. Nothing but not driving them will save it forever, but you can get years
out of them by keeping them rinsed off, and the surface first covered with
a good sealer. Rust is going to happen to one of the seams.

 

[PaveBronco]

I was stationed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for a while, and the norm was to by a winter beater, I’ve seen some pretty sketchy rust buckets on the roads up there. KS City can’t be that bad, annual snow fall is only 18 inches…according to Google. Trouble with a Bronco is all the hard to get to areas to rinse off, I had a CJ7 in the U.P and used a bent wand at the spray and wash, spending all my money on the underside to include the hot wax option…I had a neighbor up there who washed his truck with hot water from his washing machine faucet…did a good job of getting all the frozen road crud off..

 

[PINE MONKEY]

There is a product called salt away that I use on boats and trailers in salt water. Works good with warm water thru a water sprinkler .

 

[t accardo]

fiberglass tub

 

[bmc69]

At least once every year..usually in the fall...I wash and rinse the entire underside and running gear of every vehicle we own. Then let it thoroughly dry. Then I completely soak the entire underside with WD-40 using a standard 3-gallon garden pump sprayer. The WD-40 is fairly cheap by the gallon. And I do mean soak..so I'll use the better part of a gallon on the underside of a full-sized Bronco, for example.

I'll go through that procedure after a wheeling event too..

 

[tcb-1]

Welcome to Kansas City! The roads are covered in corrosive death soup now, thus my Bronco is tucked in for a long winter's nap

The old farmers I grew up around would spray the undercarriage with used oil... Now if your rear main seal is toast like mine, that happens regardless!

If your on facebook, check out the Kansas City Classic Bronco Connection.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/50035721605/

 

[rhino2104]

Thanks. I was living up here over the summer but did t have my Bronco then. My wife and I moved for work and ended up getting a phone call for her dream job up here less than a month after we left for Texas. I sold my truck to get rid of payments and am currently in the process of buying a Bronco.

 

[tcb-1]

KC is a great place to live. Welcome. If you need anything, pm me..

 

[rhino2104]

Thanks. I definitely will look you up if I need anything.

 

[matts460]

There are automatic car washes that spray undercarriage. Possible option? Or could by an already rustyish 78/79 bronco tons of them around KC and south of KC for cheap!! Just keep old one clean if you have to drive it and if you spot surface rust upon inspection of undercarriage clean it off and paint it.

 

[hucklburry rev2]

When I lived in Ohio, terrible rust from salt use there, a neighbor drove his early generation toyota supra for 12+ years, it looked great. He washed it at least once a week all through winter. He had a utility sink in a mud room off the garage, ran a hose off that sink, washed in hot water.

Even some posts on here mimic the same advice. Either drive a beater, or wash it constantly all winter. A hot water hookup at home would make that the easiest.

 

[rhino2104]

Hmmm... Well, I'm going to have to drive it daily for a while so I guess that I'm going to be washing it regularly until I can get a winter beater. Or I can sell my Camaro and afford a winter beater.