The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk How to best protect/preserve my truck??

I was lucky enough to score a 1958 Suburban in remarkable shape. It was originally from Arizona. I bought it from a guy in Palm Springs, CA. As far as I can tell it has never seen a wet climate. The only rust through I can find anywhere on the vehicle is on the passenger floor just in front of the door step/bottom of the door piller. There is a small rust spot. There is also some rust through right behind the drivers rear wheel well. None of the other typical trouble spots show any rust. I've been underneath the truck with it on a lift and have crawled all over the inside. From what I can see it is rock solid.

That brings me to my point. I now live in Missouri and want to drive it without fearing that it will rot out from underneath me at any moment.

One thing that struck me was that there are no wheel well liners. My Honday mini van has plastic liners inside the wheel wells to stop water/dirt/salt etc. from spraying all over the metal parts like body panels and fenders. Has anyone ever tried something similar in a Stovebolt?

All that being said, I have two basic questions:

1. What should I do to preserve the metal on my truck? How about wheel well liners? I'm not above taking it into a Zebart type rust proofer. Is that a bad move? How about body mods to keep water out of places it shouldn't be? How do I overcome the intrinsic shortcomings of the TF trucks?

2. What about preventive maintenance checks and services (PMCS). Being in the Army, every vehicle comes with a manual that lists the PMCS requirements. There are before, during and after operations checks. There are also recurring services (quarterly, semi annual and annual). So, what should I be doing on my truck to help preserve and protect it? I know basic things like checking the oil and belts and tire pressure etc. I'm more interested in the services area. How about "remove the cowl vent panel from in front of the windshield and use a shop vac to remove any debris from the bottoms of the air shaft: semi-annual service." "Remove inner door panels and check for water/wetness in the door bottoms: quarterly service." "Remove and replace door bottom drain plugs: annual service." How do I get out in front of the rust problem and help prevent it from happening instead of just reacting to its ocurrence??

Bottom line is I am blessed to have scored such a nice ride. I want to do everything I can to keep it that way. I don't want it to be an "only when the sun is shinning" truck. It may not ever be my number 1 daily driver but I don't want to be afraid to run it in any weather.

I'm looking for any and all ideas related to the topic. Don't assume I know anything.

thank you for your service, I would keep it clean, drive it,
and garage it, the do regular maintenance on it.

you'll be fighting a losing battle if you use the truck regularly in the wet and with a wide range of temperatures, these truck weren't built for longevity, a workin mans truck meant to be used hard and put away wet, they were cheap consumer goods, which is why you don't find good ones on every street .... the routine maint indicated in the shop manual is a good idea, but for rust problems ....

aside from the total lack of rustproofing like is done with modern vehicles, the TF panels have one real shortcoming, the double panel of the lower body - the metal has no finish on the inside of that space, and the changes in ambient temperature and humidity results in condensation on the unpainted sides - that condensation in the hidden areas causes surface rust that over time flakes the iron oxide particles to collect in the bottom where they build up and hold moisture, eventually rotting the skins from the inside out ... just about any TF panel you'll find will have rust in the rockers all down the side, worse in front and behind the wheel wells, as the 'little spot' you have - if you cut open that area you'll find it's a lot worse than it appears and you'll see the junk inside

same inside the doors too, but the doors have drains [which don't work very well, but should not have 'plugs'], and are somewhat accessible so can be watched and flushed out .... the other bad space is the cowl vent you mention, but cleaning it out at the top doesn't do much, you need to make sure the drains at the bottom of the cowl [behind the wheel, about where the lower fender bolt is] stays open, maybe even modify it to be a bigger opening, and anytime you wash the truck, flush water down the top vent and make sure it's running freely out the bottom - and don't park under evergreen trees, the needles don't 'flush' well

but all that said, the only way to ward off corrosion longer is to completely disassemble the truck and put a good rust proofing on all sides of every panel, then keep it exceptionally clean and at the most constant temperature you can - eg: in a heated garage other than that, use it, keep it clean, restore it again when needed

Bill

Joker;

Hooah. Thanks.

Bill;

Thanks for the continued sharing of your wealth of knowledge and experience.

Larry

Its difficult to know what for sure would work best. Either paint or gooy rust perservative spray, like eastwood sells.
All the hidden areas need something to prevent rust through.
The cowling vent areas and like mentioned the doors especially, I say best to try to paint with something like zero rust first, and if that doesn't seem to do the trick then a kit for rust prevention.

But you can't paint or "goop" overtop of existing rust. You have to restore the metal first.

If you do go for "rust proofing" I would suggest the oily type applications. Probably the areas that are hidden like in the doors and other cavities would be the place to be treated. Make sure your storage garage does store up a lot of moisture. And then just enjoy!

I'd just do maintenance as the shop manual suggests. That's what I do on my '49, I grease it every 1000 miles, etc.

I've found that the spray on undercoating works quite well. I buy the rubberized asphalt type. I've only ever used the spray bomb type. IT can be removed with kerosene if you need to stick a wrench on the nuts and bolts. I find that the wheel wells need to be re-undercoated nearly every year. But, it's pretty wet here, and I drive all year.

All;

Good information on the rust proofing concept. I will do more research on that.

How about other preventive maintenance tricks of the trade/lessons learned that you've gathered?? All you guys that have been doing this for years must have a kit bag full of tricks and other know how that a rookie like me should know.

I was just thinking that I've never been near my truck with a grease gun. I'll have to dig into the shop manual and see what it says about grease.

Keep the good ideas coming!

you definitely should get out the grease gun, and note that there's so many zerks a quik-lube place will want to charge extra don't miss the ones on the pedals and U-joints

what I been thinking about for my current panel project is cutting away the inner panel below the rear floor, the quite similar fleet bedside that's a single skin never rots like the panel, that pinch weld is the trap and can not be cleaned out, and spraying any rust proofing or paint in there can't deal with the 50-60 year collection at the bottom, which can be a couple inches deep and quite wet

Bill

It sounds like you have a very good maintenance schedule going already,much of which,isn't covered in any shop-manual,but essential in the preservation of "our" vehicles! Good job! I'm going to make a note,and include these ideas in my cleaning routine. As far as grinding down to bare metal,to prep for rust-proofing,that may be a thing of the past! Two years ago,I purchased a gallon of "Chassis-Saver" rust encapsulator/inhibitor/top-coat/,applied in one coat! All I needed to do,(per instructions),was scrape the loose rust from the area to be painted,wipe-down with lacquer-thinner-and paint. Just make sure you wear gloves,and be CAREFUL!! Once you get that paint on you,only time itself will remove it! check-out Stacy David's video,here in the "links" section! So far,I've used 3-gallons on my T.F. 2-ton,and I'll probably need to use another 1/2-gallon to finish the job.But so far,the coating hasn't bubbled,flaked,or peeled,ANYWHERE!! This stuff is used on highway snow-plows,and airport equipment,tested for over ten years,with no sign of failure. some claim that this stuff is the best product on the market. It may also be top-coated. Finish has the look/feel of rubber. It keeps air from coming in contact from the metal-essentially prohibiting rust from forming! Oh,and this product may be thought of as expensive,since it's about $112.00/Gal,but I call that CHEAP insurance,as opposed to the cost of body-panels,and the cost/time to cut,weld,grind,sand,mud,sand,mud,sand,mud,sand...yeah,you get the picture.

Chassi Saver.... Just like POR 15. Same flaking/lifting issues and same "works fine on Rust" just don't expect it to adhere to clean metal. And at $112 a gal its nearly $40/gal more expensive than the epoxy primer I use now.
FYI from my personal experience YMMV

Bill;

I worked on a farm in highschool throwing hay bales in the summer. Whenever it got to where there was nothing else to do, you grabbed the grease gun and starting hitting the equipment. It's amazing how many grease fittings are on a hay bailer. I can imagine the truck is the same way.

What about drilling holes or putting vents in that area you're talking about? I was looking at the rectangular access panels in the interior side walls that allow access to the hinges and lift gate retractos and such. I was thinking maybe you could cut holes in the inner lower body panels and weld in some of those "doors." They could be sealed with a descent gasket. Thay way every 6 months or so, you could pull them off and check the interior and clean out any build up. You could also figure out how to blow hot air through the space to dry out any moisture. Might be a good way to prevent build up and rust through in that area.

would help to cut some access holes into the body cavity, especially above the wheel tubs, but where it'd be really useful would be below floor level front and back of the wheel wheel - see that pic, where the junk builds up is the low points below the curve of the wheel arch .... if you open that area enough you should be able to clean it out well and slop in a good coat of epoxy or something [Zero Rust for me] and make some functional drains for any condensation to escape, warm air only holds moisture temporarily, as soon as it cools down it condenses on the cold metal again

I figured a plan for the doors like that too, cutting open the largest depressed area on the front face of the door to access inside well to paint, then make a screw on cover so it can be accessed anytime in the future

Bill

Bill;

All great ideas. Post some pictures when you're done with your modifications.

I don't believe they go to that extent with priceless show cars.

Larry, don't stay up late, it's been in progress for many years already [I fergit] and I've got bigger fish on the grill for awhile yet

brokenhead - 'priceless show cars' spend their lives in garages or museums, they never see the road except on a trailer

Bill

Red, you missed the point entirely, that is an incredible amount of work, to do something that I am pretty sure no one on earth has ever done. I may be wrong, but have YOU ever heard of anyone putting "doors" in the body panels and vacuuming them out every 6 months? My truck has had nothing done, and there is very little rust for 60 years. Particularly the covered/hidden portions, there is just a light dusting of rust in areas like under the dash and the headliner. There is a bit of rusted area in the lower front cab corners and that is pretty much it. An area that wouldn't benefit much from planned anything, unless you want to plan on removing the fenders every year and doing something, I'm not sure what a person would do though. Repaint?

I would suggest you remove the windows and reseal them all. Much water comes through dried out window seals. I used spray foam in some areas that were double wall and inaccessible. You need to allow for some place for moisture to drain if you do that. Then as suggested coat all the bare or rusted metal to stop the rust. I am going to have the underneath of my fenders bedliner coated. Mostly to limit stars on the outside from rocks. Mine will be a daily driver.

Well unless you take it all apart and dip it or electrolysis it to remove the rust and the original paint, you really have no choice in all the hidden areas but to paint over or goo over the existing rust.

no brokenhead, the point of this discussion is how to preserve a Task Force panel truck under daily use - and it's Larry that wants the "scheduled" vacuumings, I'm talking about restoration work intended to prevent the inevitable rot that happens on the panel trucks in a way that allows keeping an eye on the known trouble spots .... no, I haven't heard of anyone making better access doors in the panel body [there already are 3 small ones down each inside interior skin of a TF panel], but after restoring 2 panels and parting out one that was beyond recall, I decided to do it right, getting too old to do another, totally rebuilding a TF panel trucks rockers is the "incredible amount of work" .... but recovering a vehicle that's spent 60 continuous years on wet roads is always work, what's to fear?

you say "My truck has had nothing done, and there is very little rust for 60 years."
so your truck is obviously not a panel truck, and I'd question whether it's been in continuous use in the PNW climate, without being very well taken care of before you got it, and low mileage - even a pickup in this climate has rotten door bottoms unless it's had some work done, at least all the ones I've seen here on the Island, and definitely all the 55-59 trucks, probably after only 20-30 years use on the wet coast

it's all about how you use them, daily driving of vintage vehicles that were originally intended to last maybe 10-20 years takes 'due care and attention'

Bill

I make a special effort to keep the cavities protected using fisholene , there are several other waxy, penetrating, preservatives that can be sprayed in the cavities and allowed to soak into the seams. paint won't do it. I have been fortunate that reapplication each 5yrs seems to be enough here. Also regular hosing under the fenders and a good coat of underseal (also checked and reapplied as necessary) seems to work ok.

Bill makes a good point about accumulated debris in the cavities. I have made a point of enlarging drain holes and flushing the cavities, blowing dry with the vacuum cleaner, then the fisholene etc.

It all takes a while but Ive used my truck daily for the last 15yrs and all's well.

ps. I did the same on a '56 Belair that I owned for 10yrs, it also survived well enough that a subsequent owner exported it to Australia (it was in such good condition).

I know what the point of the discussion is, it is very clearly stated in the topic. Which is "how to best protect/preserve my truck" not restoration. I only brought up the show car thing as an extreme example of something that people go to great lengths to preserve. I went back and looked at my post, and no where did I even mention it might be a panel truck, and if by "continuous use", you mean daily driver, no one mentioned that either, as a matter fact Larry stated that he didn't really want a number one daily driver. I wouldn't use one of these trucks as a daily driver simply because the mileage is horrid and the emissions are approaching criminal. And no it hasn't been in the pacific northwest for 60 years, only 30. And yes I suppose if you do drive it every day in the rain and then let it sit out in the rain when you aren't driving it you will get rust. Whereas I try not to drive it in the rain, and have kept it under cover for the last 25 years or so. Here again I have given an extreme example of how long these things can go if given good treatment. So in the midst of my explaining things to you. I hope I have also given Larry my suggestions. Mostly that would be to try and keep it out of the weather, and use a reasonable car like the honda Larry was mentioning as the daily driver. These make wonderful toys, but as a daily driver, in my opinion they are extremely irresponsible.

Gentlemen;

All great comments. As I said initially, I was lucky enough to get a Suburban in really good shape that had spent its life in a dessert like climate. I think it would be a shame to just use it and hope for best without doing something to preserve it.

Being in the Army, preventative maintenance is always drilled into you. I know the vacuuming my sound nuts, but a few hours every 6 months spend protecting my investment would be well worth it. I may not go that far, but I do want to capture all the good ideas that I can use to keep it in good shape.

Keeping things clean is very important (as mentioned earlier). I have a AD truck and I spent a lot of extra money to get a rust free truck from Arizona and like you I wanted to keep it that way.

The first thing I did was to vacuum out the problem areas (behind the seat and cab corners). LOTS of dust and dirt had accumulated there over the years. I took the doors off, turned then upside down, and used high pressure air to make sure the pinch seam at the bottom was free of dust and dirt. Then there is the front cowls, on the right side there is an access panel on the inside. On the left, someone already cut a hole to put a speaker in. I blew these areas out real well. There was a LOT of desert dirt/dust in all these areas.

Next I will treat the inside surfaces to POR and/or epoxy primer. Problem is I cannot work on my truck for two more years (out of the country on biz). In the meantime I keep it in the garage out of the elements.

Really that's about all you can do. If you drive it in the winter in a state that salts roads it (and every other vehicle) will rust. If you store it in the winter, it won't rust till long after you are gone...

Mendonjo;

Great tips. Thanks.

Good luck on your business venture. I just came from 10 years overseas is the Army, so this is the first time I've had a truck and the time to work on it.