Every now and then, there's some un-sexy, mundane, stuff that we do to our trucks just to keep them in good working order. These don't usually get a lot of publicity since they do little to increase the cool factor, and don't have the high-profile pizzazz worthy of the 'gram.
So today, I did a bit of maintenance. Since getting the @RelentlessFab sliders installed a couple of years ago, they've done everything I've asked of them and have required essentially no maintenance. But, as time has passed, I've noticed that the area where they were welded to the frame has started to develop some surface rust.
This is of course, normal. The frame was ground to bare metal there, and welding burnt off any surrounding paint that was left. A bit of spray paint was applied afterwards, but there are lots of rocks that get kicked up down there, so seeing it wear off after a couple years is to be expected.
The fix is reasonably easy. I started with a wire cup on the angle grinder, which i used to remove as much of the rust from the frame and slider plates as possible. Then, I applied some Rustoleum Rusty Metal primer to hopefully convert the last of the rust.
Finally, a few coats of black Rustoleum Professional enamel, and everything under the truck looked like new again.
...and yes all yee keyboard commandos of the internet, I know that there's likely rust inside the frame as well due to paint removal from welding. But for now at least, I'm betting that the frame of the truck will be just fine for as long as I'm going to be driving it.
Since you brought it up....Ive been experimenting with Linseed oil as an economical undercoat for the ole Taco. Its cheap ($100/5gal can), don't quote me but I don't think it will eat the rubber (i need to test that), it takes a couple weeks to fully cure which allows it to creep into cracks and crevices, wont leave a toxic chemical slick in your driveway and ive read (haven't done it myself) that you can mix it with some black Rustoleum to completely redo the underside. It does NOT protect against UV...for that you would need to add 1 part ground butterfly wings, 3 parts unicorn tears. To be on the safe side, my "controlled study" includes having coated my rear leafs and my hi-lift jack which sits on the rear tire carrier. so far so good. I plan on coating the underside before the rainy season this year and see how it goes. Gotta keep the rust devil away.
I dig the blogs by the way! Very motivating!
Take care, Matt
04 Dbl Cab, 205,000
White Salmon, WA
Hey, this is a great idea with the BLO. And mixing it with some black paint is an interesting idea. Thanks for the suggestion and glad you're digging the posts!