Finally got around to removing the bed to get a good look at the condition of the frame, and everything else down there.
The good news is that whatever undercoating got applied years ago (maybe at the dealer?) has done a good job for 30+ years, the bad news is that the areas that the undercoating did not cover, basically anything on the top side of the frame and out of view from below paid the price.
You can see on the second picture the line where the undercoating ended, and all the rust above it. Overall not too bad, but there are some gnarly parts that need some serious attention. There's a few spot where the metal is flaking, that can't be good.
This is my plan, would like to hear if you all think it makes sense or if I should consider other options:
1. Hit the rusted up areas with a wire brush attachment on a drill until I get most of it out
2. Use some kind of rust reformer to stop the corrosion from getting worse
3. Cover the frame and other metal parts with a fresh coat of undercoating
4. Probably do a fuel filter delete since on my specific configuration (2 gen, short bed, single cab, carburated) the filter is almost impossible to reach otherwise, and I have another filter on the line inside the engine compartment
5. Maybe do a rear differential fluid change (it looks like it's leaking) since it easy to reach now
Some questions for you:
1. Am I missing anything? Should I be doing something else while I got the bed off?
2. What is the best product to use to stop the rust? Would rustoleum suffice, or do I need something stronger, especially on the flaky parts, like rust-mort? Something else?
3. Do you all see any areas of real concern in these photos? Anything that I should have a welder address?
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks