2000 SR5 - 140000 miles. Frame preservation?

[Pilgrimtrucker]

I've poured over all the rust repair threads here and on YouTube.
I've read and watched most of the rust converter applications from the sand, grind and apply to pressure wash and brush it on over the rust.
My frame is solid but rusty. It looks like an undercoating has been applied so my question is;
- should I leave the undercoating alone, pressure wash the underside and just apply a coating of WD-40 twice a year? or should I attack the frame and remove the undercoating working my way down to bare metal and reapply a new coat of rust converter and paint?
Obviously I'll never get the frame completely clean, so I'm leaning towards the latter option. Your thoughts?

 

[DaMonkey]

Is it originally a Minnesota truck?

If frame is still solid, it's just surface and not chunky yet, have you looked at POR15?

Spend a few hours with a wire brush to scrub the surface and then apply POR15 is a great product for this region. Rock hard protection and applies after surface rust has already started. Would be best if you can temporary body lift so you can clean and coat the top of the frame too.

Only thing about that stuff is there is no UV protection, so only really good for under carriage.

 

[T4R2014]

You can sand off the rough stuff and put a rust converter + paint for looks. It all eventually bubbles back up with enough time. Skip WD40, too thin. Use fluid film. Used motor oil is excellent too. You can pack grease into some tight spots. Don't forget the body can rust too. Moral of the story, lube it up.

 

[thegipper]

Grind/sand off the rust and put a fresh coat of frame paint in the areas that need it.

You can help prevent future rust by using products like Fluid Film or LPS 3. I did some testing of various products and found those two to be the best. Motor oil was actually one of the worst.

Good luck

 

[T4R2014]

Motor oil was actually one of the worst.

No no no, used motor oil. Big difference.

 

[Pilgrimtrucker]

Is it originally a Minnesota truck?

Would be best if you can temporary body lift so you can clean and coat the top of the frame too.

The truck spent its first 17 years in Wisconsin, so the frame is solid. I like the idea of lifting the body but had no idea where to start that search topic. Has anyone done a write up on this?
The condition of the truck makes it tempting to remove the body and really do a job on the frame, but as this question might suggest, I haven't looked real close at what that would entail.
If the original undercoating is stable, should I let it be?

 

[Mark_BC]

If the original undercoating is stable, should I let it be?

Original undercoating is sh!t. Timmy the Toolman has a video on body lift.

 

[thegipper]

No no no, used motor oil. Big difference.

Fair enough, I did use new oil.

Still need to try used motor oil on a test piece.

 

[dogtail]

You can sand off the rough stuff and put a rust converter + paint for looks. It all eventually bubbles back up with enough time. Skip WD40, too thin. Use fluid film. Used motor oil is excellent too. You can pack grease into some tight spots. Don't forget the body can rust too. Moral of the story, lube it up.

Here's what my WD-40 coating does, year round grime barrier. The grime build up really works, that's my real experience with it. Thin is not a factor at all. Doesn't wash off, I never wash my undercarriage and it stays on.
You can use a great product and do a poor execution also. If you get hard core and do things right, there's a lot of different ways you can prevent rust.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[DaMonkey]

...
The truck spent its first 17 years in Wisconsin, so the frame is solid...

What does Wisconsin do different than Minnesota? Seems like everything gets brutalized here no matter what. I see the same style salt trucks scatter throughout MN and WI. But in CO I see they squirt stuff.

 

[thegipper]

Wisconsin is just as bad for rust