Rust Prevention

[Blaney1]

My Bronco has sat outside for most if not all of its life. Uses as a work truck, it naturally has developed rust in many spots. I am wondering what the suggested method of prevention would be.

 

[JAFO]

I use a lot of Eastwood products. Their rust converters and such. Internal frame coating as well. Everyone seems to find what makes them feel better about protecting their trucks. But mainly I don't drive the vehicles I am trying to preserve in any bad weather. I have my sacrificial 96 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4.

But really I think anything that can convert the rust, then cover it with something (paint, undercoatings on the frame, underside), it should help stop the progress of the rust.

 

[kip60]

Remove as much as you can early, before it has a chance to really eat in to critical areas. Get the seams covered with something, seam sealer, undercoating, bedliner, etc. Then like JAFO said, get all of it covered in something.

 

[JAFO]

Another hobby I have is restoring old Caterpillars. As an example I had a hood for a 1949 Caterpillar D2 that was rusty, with some pitting. It had only flecks of paint left on it, mostly bare metal. I coated the whole hood top and bottom with some rust converter just to try to stop the rust for when I could get back to the hood. Seven years later I pulled it out of the shed and it was not any worse than when I stuck it in the shed, so I think the stuff works to kind of halt the rust progression. At least it gave me some breathing time until I could get to it. But it was coated and put under cover, not out in the open. You'd probably need to clean, convert and paint if its going to remain outside.

 

[Lawndart]

I think about prevention as well since I drive mine year around. I wash mine 1-2 times per week (winter) paying a lot of attention to the underside and wheel well areas. I made a "spray array" out of PVC pipe that sprays the underneath of the Bronco.
I have also been thinking about something similar to waxoyl like the old Land Rover guys use.