I just moved from California to Illinois and was wondering if anyone does anything special to the underside of your trucks to help with rusting problems from the salt on the roads. This truck has never been driven in the snow, and now that I live where it snows, I want to protect this truck as best I can! Is there any special sprays to help protect it? Or, is washing the underside every couple weeks the best option? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

The best way is not to drive it in snow or salt, get a beater vehicle if you can afford one.

The trouble with the salt is that the spray gets everywhere and gets places you just can't wash and will eventually rust it out from the inside out. Taken mine 13 years, but the rockers are bad and it needs the drivers side cab corner.

 

I spray my vehicles with chainsaw bar oil, it attacks rust and is easy to get. I use a pesticide sprayer to apply.

 

I have used Dextron ATF which does not attack rubber, special grease based undercoats that used to be sold, and aerosol rattle cans of spray undercoating. Nothing works to stop the rusting once you have taken it out for a winter in the salt. If your state does what they do here in PA nothing works. They mix the salt with fine gravel or sand which gets kicked up from your tires or the car in front of you and provides a wet sand blasting media. This mixture gets tossed into the crevices that you can't see and continues to collect moisture and mixes with the residual sand, salt and dirt all year round. Best bet is to park it for the winter and you will have it for a long time. Buy a beater for about the price of a body repair and paint job and you will be many $$$'s ahead.

 

We have lots of salt on the roads where I live. I get all of my vehicles sprayed every year with http://www.rustcheck.com/ This stuff helps a lot. The other thing that I do is wash the vehicle a lot in the winter, paying special attention to the underside.

 

I agree, get a beater if you can,if you can't spray the under side with drain oil and transmission fluid. I figure that stuff seeps into the tight places.An electric spray gun works well.A hand pump oil can works OK.

 

Since your truck is 2wd, you may want to look for a cheap 4x4 as a beater. There's alot that you can do to slow down the rust damage but no way to prevent it. If you want to keep your truck rust-free, park it of the winter and remember that the salt stays on the roads long after the snow is gone so the first few spring rains are still part of salt-spray season.

 

You do not want a 1st gen in the snow....You will hate it!.........if you must ,buy some good snow tires for the back and add 500 pound to the rear of the bed,drive slow and u will get by.

when it turns white, wash it!!!

 

Thanks everyone! I'm a little tight on the funds to buy a beater, but I will look into it. I will try a couple of your ideas also.... again, thanks

Chris