Rust issues

[hammermachine]

I've had my current K5 for almost three years. I helped install the lift kit and did some of the repairs. That said. I live in the rust belt and the last two years have been hard on my truck. The rockers I replaced two years ago are now starting to pit. The tailgate that was solid is now...not.

Question: What options do I have? Would painting the underbody with something like POR15 help stop the rust or is it a complete waste of time?


Any advise would be useful!

 

[1BEATK5]

Move west. That's all I can tell you.

 

[Cornfield creations]

What I did when I replaced panels that were welded in, or heavily exposed to possible rust, was spray this waxy oily stuff in them. I do it every so often just to make myself feel better, but then again I haven't driven her in the winter since 2002.

http://www.eastwood.com/rustproofing-and-undercoating-system.html

 

[str8axle55]

If the rest of the underside looks like that tailpan, it would be a waste of time. If that area is that bad, then the other usual suspect areas prob are as well. I would pull the carpet and start poking around, drive it for the winter, and learn to weld by spring. The suspension and chassis would benefit from a coat of paint or something. I would suspect the body rot is pretty bad, the replacement rockers aren`t as good quality as the factory. The rockers also should have been prepped with some weld through primer and seam sealed after.

 

[Deuling]

IMO everything made of steel can be fixed with a welder and some time. Question is, is it worth your time??? All depends on how much you like it, if not get rid of it, if so get some cutting wheels on ur grinder, some .024 in a welder, and get to town . And when ur done BEDLINE THE EVERLOVING S**T OUT OF EVERYTHING!!!!

 

[hammermachine]

rust

The tailpan is the worst as far as I know right now. It was thin when I got the truck and the last two years just ate it up.

 

[Deuling]

The tailpan is the worst as far as I know right now. It was thin when I got the truck and the last two years just ate it up.

Id drop the tailgate, chop all the nasty out, get some steal and weld it in, your carpet will cover up the patch anyways. Get a good coat of bedliner on everthing and call it a day.

 

[1BEATK5]

Keep driving it until the body falls off or gets too bad to drive. Then come out west, get a donor, take it home and undercoat/bedline/paint the livin ****e out of it. Otherwise I think you would be wasting your time.

 

[diesel4me]

Keep driving it until the body falls off or gets too bad to drive. Then come out west, get a donor, take it home and undercoat/bedline/paint the livin ****e out of it. Otherwise I think you would be wasting your time.

I'd say its kind of late to paintor bedline any of the original metal...you'll be sealing in salt thats already in the pores of the metal,it'll continue to rot under whatever you put over it...unfortunately its just the climate here in the northeast ,plus road salt,that eats up our trucks within 5 years or so,once rot shows up somewhere...I have tried it all--POR-15,drain oil,rustoleum,asphalt chassis black paints,etc--they all delay rusting to some degree,but nothing stops the inevitable destruction--I think the oil works better myself,and gets into crevises paint cant penetrate,but it needs to be applied often ..moving to AZ is one way to own a rust free truck---or never taking your truck on the streets after the first snowfall here,that might add a few more years to the life of the body,but eventually it'll end up looking the way it does now...I know firsthand how sickening it is to watch a truck you like crumble away into rust flakes..I think GM used recycled crap steel to make their trucks bodies,especially in the 70's and 80's..

 

[smier]

Check and see if your seatbelts are still attached at the B pillar, also the support for the bedside where your tailgate meets the 1/4 panel is shot. You are about to find a lot more rust than you think you have, don't ask how I know...

 

[magik235]

I suggest pulling all the rear carpeting to see how bad the rust is under it. Please post pictures of the exposed bed for suggestions after the carpeting is removed. I have played this game.

 

[Bowtie85]

I have played this game.

Havent we all.....

 

[Chevy305]

Rust never sleeps...

Trust us when we tell you that.

 

[hammermachine]

Rust

I will try to check this weekend, if its not too cold. One question, how long does it take rust to eat away and destroy sheet metal. I know this timeline probably varies but does it take years, months... what. I'm trying to decide if repairs is a waste of time...

 

[diesel4me]

Up here,about 5 years is all you'll get from a patched up truck--even if your anal about cutting out all the rust and welding in new panels...eventually it comes back and nothing much you can do to stop it,unfortunately...delay it longer maybe,but never stop it...for this reason I now would rather look for a nicer truck than fix a rotted one AGAIN...done it so many times ,its nauseating..if you patched it up and moved to AZ,then you'd get maybe 10+ years out of it before rust re-appears...

 

[hammermachine]

rust

Wow that is depressing. Its not like there is an endless supply of K5s around. That is sad that no matter what we do, (short of relocating) whatever we own will rot away. Regardless of the hipe no product can completely stop this cancer. I am now completely bummed....

 

[Deuling]

You just gotta keep on fixing it Then it can last forever!!

 

[hammermachine]

Newer vehicles

So does newer cars (mid 90's) also suffer from this terminal issue?

 

[diesel4me]

Dont mean to bum you out man,but its reality..

I used to think I could just keep welding my trucks and cars back together,and theoretically you can--but after awhile its nothing but a pile of patches welded together,more than its the truck it started out as...eventually the frame gives out too,I've had to scrap a few trucks that had fixable rot on the cab ,etc,but the worth of it when done with a bad frame, made no sense to me to fix anymore..



.nothing lasts forever,especially if its made of steel,and not good steel--I've seen photos taken of GM's plants that had huge rolls of metal they used for the bodies and doors,beds,back in the 70's,lying in a pool in the flodded cellars of the stamping plant...you can do everything to preserve steel from the outside,but when its had rust IN its pores from day one,its a impossible task keeping it from rotting away..

Some trucks seem to hold up better than others,I have been pretty lucky to find a few real decent ones in MA,a rareity,sadly,I always seem to never get enough cash and ambition to do the preservation before its too late,and next thing I know the rockers are holy,the floor is thin,and the roof has holes appearing above the windsheild..I've had to watch my once decent trucks become rotboxes,while they get beaten plowing about 5 times over now..

I have yet to own a 88 or newer GM,I find them not as pleasing as the old body style,and few are in decent shape,the newer they are,the worse they rot in my opinion..

I'm not trying to discourage you from fixing up your truck--just letting you know what to expect later if you do,so you wont feel the same dissapointment we all did when we see rust returning,no matter how anal we were about "eliminating" it...it wouldn't be right to do what most folks here do,and scrap it,when you CAN get at least 5 more good years use out of it..if its worth saving,by all means,DO save it..

I've seen some really solid trucks get scrapped here,and I also see many rotted deathtraps still being driven (or restored) that are not anywhere near as good...or worthy of being restored--its a shame so many of the decent oned get junked because of title problems or people who were tired of "wasting money on gas "..and so many clunkers that should be in the boneyards aren't..

 

[hammermachine]

The last time...

This is my second K5. The first one I bought in terrible condition, many gofer holes in the body floor. I've been losing interest in this hobby so part of my disappointment in my newer K5's problems comes from that. Once its spring I hope to rekindle that spirit. I've posted some pics of my first loss to rust.