First of all, I live in Mass. where our salted roads do a number on any vehicle.

Last week I noticed rust forming on the bottom of the front fenders...on the inside, looking in there with the doors open. Jeez......already!!

Then I crawled under the truck and looked around....OH DAM.... all fluid lines, brackets, etc, etc...

When my truck was new, as soon as I got it home, I spray-painted the entire front end, and frame. I rust-proofed the underside of the body and bed.
That stuff looked good....but anything I missed then is real bad now.
I'm glad I did what I did back then.

I bought a couple of quarts of Rustoleum "Hammered" black paint.
This is great stuff....I know POR15 would be better, but I have some of that stuff, $50.00 a quart, and it's too hard to work with. If you get any on you, it doesn't come off, and you'll get high on the fumes (not that that's a bad thing!).

I removed the front plastic wheelwell liners, washed the fender lips, and bottoms of front fenders. I coated the fenders' rusty areas with the POR15.
I sprayed the fender lip, and all around the underside with 3M undercoating.
Then I painted everything I could see, touch and get to with the Rustoleum.
Front "hooks", brackets behind the bumper, brackets that hold the headlights, the bracket that is mounted in the center of the radiator.
(I removed all these to paint them right). I painted the entire front suspension, steering components, (rack-and-pinion, and lines were really bad). Started on the frame, but ran out of time....
Wifey was getting upset that I was ignoring her and the kids....oh well.
It's the price we pay to maintain a vehicle right. I'm psyched, the stuff I've painted looks better than new!
I'm going front to back, and I'm painting EVERYTHING!!....
This truck was $28K, and I'm going to do my damdest to make it last....
Sorry, there isn't pictures attached. I'll try and get some soon.

Do yourself a favor and check around your truck up close, you might be surprised at what you find.

ALL COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.....

 

Thats the reason i live in texas hell when it does snow here they throw some sand on the bridges and its done i couldnt stand driving my truck up there in salt

 

My truck may have seen road salt 4 times in 5 years and each time I went to the carwash and pressure sprayed soap and rinsed from a creeper.
Vehicles from the north always resale for less than the exact same car from the south for the reasons you stated.
Good Luck!

 

I've had my truck for 3 years and when I first got it I went underneath it and wire brushed all the loose rust off. Then I got some kind of rust inhibitor that you let sit for 24 hours and it eats the rust down to bare metal. Then I got POR15 and painted the whole underside of the truck. And every winter I get the frame and body panels oiled. So far all the paints still on the frame and the suspension and everywhere else I painted.

 

I've been doing the same thing. Winters in our towns stinks

 

Thanks for the replies.....
It's nice hearing that a '96 is still holding up....
Ford should offer a "Rust-free" option...fully coated seams and panels, all stainless lines, stainless exhaust, everything else epoxy coated, including the back sides of the bumpers.
That option would be money well spent.

Moving the family to Texas isn't an option....although I wouldn't mind living in a warmer part of the country!
John-It's not my business, but I wouldn't display my license plate on-line. You never know what wackos are out there..

 

What can someone do with you license plate?

And my truck sits in the garage when the roads are salted lol

 

I agree about the salt package. That shot is to show the grille, I don't think there is much people can do with th eplate though, No worse than people seeing it on the road.

 

I was thinking people could get your address or records? I guess you're right!

Badstx- I normally carpool in a small car...but since I have the 4wd, I drive in the snow. The [lack of] wear and tear, and saving $$$ on gas is worth it.