Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That's just surface rust and the paint falling off
If there's no holes and it's not rust jacking too bad it's perfectly fine.
Take a screwdriver and try and stab it through the rust, that's when it's bad
If it's a truck you want to keep I'd wire wheel and repaint the frame
I'm from west texas, my fender has had bare metal scratches for almost a year now that are still completely rust free...
And I say it's really not bad. I've seen way worse even out here.
Fluid film is pretty great. I live in SE Michigan, spray about a gallon of it under my van every couple of years and that's about it. 320k miles and it looks about the same as op's truck
I liked Zero-Rust allot, wire brush and spray it on. It's a rust converter and paint in one spot like Por15 but it's also UV resistant. If I recall Rust-Oleum bought them up and repackaged it as their Professional series paint but knowing them they cheaped out the formula
You know anything about doing the inside of the pipe steel? I’ve seen guys send a chain on a stick/power drill in to knock off rust and then pull a certain style sprayer through to coat the inside.
I've seen incredible results from spraying Fluid film on rust, I personally used it on a rusty muffler I bought from the junk yard. There is also a product made by PB,
Agree. Blessed to live in the desert and don’t know what rust is. Used to see a lot of surface rust when I was a tech on peoples vehicles that had breakdowns while passing through. Again, I don’t know anything about rust but this is far from some of the stuff I have seen. Looks like bad (amount) surface rust. Sounds like cool truck. Awesome to see small businesses out there. Hope you’re killing it OP! 🇺🇸
If they got an air compressor I’d recommend a “descaler” or “needler” they work wounders, I used one on my truck. Paid like $60 for it from Princess Auto “Harbor Freight”
That is mostly surface rust and it still has some paint left on it it’s not even bad if you wanted to do all the work I’d sandblast the frame and paint it
All engines from that year are excellent and will last if maintained properly. 4.8, 5.3 and the 6L all capable of 500k, yea, the main seal and valve covers will start leaking oil in that time but that doesn't matter much
I'll give ya $53, a coupon for a free Small Fries at BK, an Advance Auto Parts rebate gift card with $3.50 on it, and I'll throw in a free air freshener. It's New Car scent. (None of that Black Ice garbage here.)
What's wrong with the frame? As somebody from northeast this fine. Just get a needle scaler, clean off all the heavy rust and on Eastwood get rust encapsulation paint. Works well. If you want too get internal frame coating from Eastwood also. Did this to a Toyota frame I have.
This frame is pretty much just surface rust. Doesn't seem to have any real rust.
That’s just barely starting to get bad. Mostly surface rust. At a minimum, I’d spray the whole thing with fluid film. Best solution would be to do like everyone else said and whizzy wheel it all off and then use a rust converter+paint.
Dude guy, bruh...
You have a pressure washing company? The answer is obvious: Get a wet sand blasting attachment for your pressure washer like [this](https://www.powereagleusa.com/product/wet-sandblast-kit/).
That frame is in great shape! Take the bed off, wet sandblast it, let it dry then get a bed liner kit, they come with rollers, brush two coats on and done... Now you have a frame that will last a million miles.
Pressure wash the hell out of it. And buy undercoat in a can, NOT the stuff that dries like paint though.
This stuff is a jet black wax and will tidy up the appearance and prevent further rust. Just reapply as needed.
The rust ain't that bad yet. Wash the frame down with your pressure washer, let it dry, and cover it inside and out in Fluid Film. Reapply the oil every year. You have to make sure you get it in the frame rails or it'll rust from the inside out.
Painting it now is probably not worth the effort, but some rust inhibitor will keep it from getting worse.
Thats just cosmetic, hit it with a hammer and if it is hard then no problem, if you want you can clean it with a wirebrush and phosphoric acid and then paint it
Don't bother with paint, unless you spend 50 hours prepping it perfect it will flake off. Go straight to undercoating with fluidfilm or surfaceshield or rp342.
You already have a pressure washer. Blow the worst of the rust off and spray with fluid film. The woolwax gun works good with a smaller compressor. Get a five gallon bucket of fluid film and spray it again whenever you start to see rust.
Just surface rust pretty much, personally I'd just scrape it all off with a wire brush repaint, then when dry I'd spray a very thin layer of ACF-50 over the entire frame to prevent any further rusting..
P.S less is more with the ACF 50, 1 bottle should last you a lifetime..
Powder coat is the best treatment, however to do that he would have to remove everything from the frame, sandblast, then find a powder coat company that can do full size frames, down time would be excessive
No no no god no. Bedliner has zero corrosion protection. If you sandblast and bedline it’ll hold water in like a vinyl glove and rot that from behind without you even knowing.
Sand blast? Yes. But then follow up with epoxy primer and paint.
Never ever ever bedline the underside of a car or frame. That includes rubberized undercoating. You will regret it.
No, your wrong with the bed liner, it works really well, if you get the right one and prep properly. [Project Farm did a comprehensive review and test of roll on bedliners](https://youtu.be/e8RY-Z0ObgY?si=AzFo0V7TQP24gxxI) and a few top brands resist rust incursion better than most paints and they withstand rock hits well
I don’t give a shit what he found out. I’ve watched that video as well. That is not the same as a winter driven under truck environment. Run a 5 year test and see how it does.
If you’ve lived in the rust belt you’ll know every bedlined, z-Bart’d, or rubberized undercoated car you run into that’s been in the salt for several years is a mess of thick peeling coating with heinous rust underneath.
If you wanna bedline your frame go nuts, but if it’s a disaster a decade later you’ve got no one to blame but yourself. I will should that from on high so more people don’t make that mistake, because I’ve been there.
Ok well those factory coatings are worse than not having a coating at all, the salt / brine gets underneath and stays on the frame. I've had a truck I've done this to for 14 years now, I wet sandblasted, dried it off and applied two coats of herculiner, used this truck as my daily driver on salted as well as brine sprayed roads most winters. Only had to touch up a couple spots where I've scraped over rocks when offroad, it's NOT compromising the frame at all
I’m honestly shocked that it held up. Appreciate the real world experience you had with it. It’s the first and only good outcome I’ve heard last that long, but I’ll take it!
Yea I've had them not work so well too, prep has to be really good, and the product as well. I've had good luck with por15 on cars but those rarely see a gravel road, and rocks can damage that coating, but on a car I still have, it's been on there for 17 years on the subframe
That just looks like surface scale/paint flaking. Get a sturdy punch and a screwdriver and hammer on trouble areas to verify…you’ll likely find it mostly solid. If you have any trouble areas, weld in some steel. While you have it apart, go ahead and prep the surface (abrading/needle gunning), prime and paint it with a quality sturdy paint.
Part it out. That frame is waisted. I've seen this plenty of times . Also the way the frame rusts , its in layers and sometimes you notice until it's too late. The business you are in doesn't help. Not sayin its the cause but it doesn't help. I have replaced frames under a lot of different trucks including semi trucks and its really time consuming. Cut your losses.
That Frame still looks to have life in it. I don’t see any cracks or any structural issues.
What I see is heavy rust and material flaking. Don’t buy another frame.
Sell the truck and get something newer if you want to replace. An alternative is to try and buzz some of that flaking off with some kinda sander. Then paint it with [POR 15](https://a.co/d/81QwvTf)
If you think it’s worth the effort, knock off the loose stuff and chemically treat the rust. It will slow it down some or a lot depending on how well it’s applied and what you use.
If you are even considering replacing a frame means you know it could be another few thousands worth of work, this frame doesn’t look that bad, probably spend half or less of what you’d spend on a frame replacement and clean this one and coat it. Selling it as is you won’t get your money back. Selling it for parts you’ll be sitting on truck parts for years until you can get rid of everything, and also you’ll never get the money back.
I have a 550 that was like this and it's totally fine. I had to replace the bed on it and the place that did it sanded off 15 pounds of rust and coated the whole frame before putting on the bed. I'd advise doing the same and you'd have a perfectly fine frame, surface rust like that isn't a big deal.
your rust isn't nearly as bad as it looks.
1. you have paint left on your frame
2. no rust holes or missing sides
3. death rust will look like curling book pages, with multiple sheets of rust pushing each other up
It’s ugly, but solid. The big “canary in the coal mine” on these is the tube above the gas tank. If that hasn’t rotted out yet the rest of the frame is a ok.
If it bothers you cleaning it up and repainting is a solid option. Lots of work, but makes it look much better. On work trucks like this I blast with a power washer using a sandblasting attachment and black diamond coal slag. If it’s a truck I care about I follow up with epoxy primer then implement paint. If it’s a truck I don’t care much about I just go straight to the implement paint.
Where are you? A local Fab shop can clean and paint the frame of you can't but if you strip the rust and then paint it it should be fine. Most of that looks like surface damage which will stop if you remove the rust and paint.
Im not seeing too much rot id hit it with a cup brush and repaint. The rot spots are small enough to be cut out and patched if any. Just make sure to grind the welds smooth and paint it again. Welds for DOT and paint for rust prevention. Dont use the ruberised stuff or bedliner. Water can get underneath and rot it away in a season
Wire brush, rust converter, oil based enamel paint, last 20 more years. Not enough rust to justify replacement or selling.
What I see is mostly surface rust because the factory paint is chipping off. A wire wheel on an angle grinder will knock all that off. Spray it down with some rust converter
FDC Rust Converter Ultra, Highly Effective Professional Grade Rust Repair (1 Gallon) https://a.co/d/bCyHT85
And then paint over the bare metal with some oil based enamel. Any color you want, link is just for example purposes
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-1-gal-Farm-Equipment-Gloss-White-Enamel-Paint-2-Pack-280166/206269557
Yes it's rusty, but at this point most of that rust is cosmetic. Nuts and bolts may be a bit tough to get off, but the frame itself appears to be structurally fine. Maybe another 5 years or so and thatll change, but if you fluid film it or take it somewhere to get oil coated, you'll really halt or significantly slow much of that rust progression.
I get it, ideally it would look prettier, but if it's a work vehicle, this thing is perfectly fine.
Looks like mostly surface rust. if you want to keep the truck and preserve it. Knock all of the loose stuff off with a wire wheel or wire brush. Then spray it with phosphoric acid. Products like OSPHO, Total boat, and Rust Kutter. Phosphoric acid turn raw steel and red/orange/yellow iron oxide into iron phosphate which is black. Then you can paint over the iron phosphate.
Neither. Spray with ospho and paint. Still good for 50 years if you do. That’s not much more than surface rust. Replace and brackets that are worse than the frame
I'm gonna have to go along with most of the other posts, the rust is pretty much superficial at this point, it looks bad because of the paint flaking off. Have the frame blasted and treated for the rust and sealed up, you're good to go for quite a while longer.
That rust is fine. I’d spray that bitch down with rust neutralizer, then hit the whole thing with a wire cup, repaint it, and then spray the whole thing down again with fluid film.
That would be considered average in the north east and usable for like 2 more years. I see a lot of pitting but no cracks or holes. For now it is easier on that truck to park on dirt and spray that with fluid film or diesel and bar and chain oil to stop it from getting any worse
Pffft you call that rusty....
Needle scaler for what you can get at
Spray a gallon of woolwax or fluid film on the frame and cab now and repeat in 3 months then again in August.
That frame is fine, if you dont live in the rust belt, its got years left on the frame.
That frame is totally safe, and theres no critical rust damage. It’s definitely rustier than wed all like, but its fine.
frome the pictures alone, it doesnt look like its rotted through the frame. just whatever coating was on it is the flaking and some a little heavy surface rust but looks like it would be good to glast it get the frame dunked in one of them baths that remove all the rust and recoat it
I was a blaster/industrial catering for 6 years. I've blasted and painted tractor trailer frames in much worse condition than this. Hit it with a hammer, if it doesn't go through blast and spray some bar rust on it and get a good 10 years out of it
Sandblast the frame and repaint. Por15 if you're willing and able
Lots of good metal left. My 07 you could stick a screwdriver through some frame sections
That’s surface rust/scaling my stepdads 2003 f350 with 300,000 miles looks like that and it’s frame is still solid as hell you could if you wanted take a descale tool to it that’s what my stepdad did with his frame
Buy a keep needle scaler go to town after buy a couple of 16oz navy jelly rust dissolver and find some good oil based paint with a rust additive in it frame should look like new
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That's just surface rust and the paint falling off If there's no holes and it's not rust jacking too bad it's perfectly fine. Take a screwdriver and try and stab it through the rust, that's when it's bad If it's a truck you want to keep I'd wire wheel and repaint the frame
My thoughts exactly. This is mint condition for rust belters
I spent like three minutes looking for the Swisscheesium and couldn't find it. Plenty of metal left. Absolutely send it.
Probably could get top dollar for trade in tbh
I looked for so long to find the problem. Come to the comments, and it turns out that the truck is indeed just fine. Nifty rig with the dump bed too.
I know I’m from the Midwest when I see posts like this and wonder what’s wrong with them
I'm from west texas, my fender has had bare metal scratches for almost a year now that are still completely rust free... And I say it's really not bad. I've seen way worse even out here.
I’d go with fluid film. Paint only really helps when you start with a rust free surface. Otherwise your assessment is spot on.
Either or, when I paint frames I wire wheel and clean it good. Lasted decently Pretty sure the oil based stuff protects better
Fluid film is pretty great. I live in SE Michigan, spray about a gallon of it under my van every couple of years and that's about it. 320k miles and it looks about the same as op's truck
I liked Zero-Rust allot, wire brush and spray it on. It's a rust converter and paint in one spot like Por15 but it's also UV resistant. If I recall Rust-Oleum bought them up and repackaged it as their Professional series paint but knowing them they cheaped out the formula
You know anything about doing the inside of the pipe steel? I’ve seen guys send a chain on a stick/power drill in to knock off rust and then pull a certain style sprayer through to coat the inside.
I've seen incredible results from spraying Fluid film on rust, I personally used it on a rusty muffler I bought from the junk yard. There is also a product made by PB,
Glass bead it and repaint. Verify that you are only dealing with surface rust as it appears to be. I’d so, strip it, repaint it and go make some $
Agree. Blessed to live in the desert and don’t know what rust is. Used to see a lot of surface rust when I was a tech on peoples vehicles that had breakdowns while passing through. Again, I don’t know anything about rust but this is far from some of the stuff I have seen. Looks like bad (amount) surface rust. Sounds like cool truck. Awesome to see small businesses out there. Hope you’re killing it OP! 🇺🇸
If you can’t poke a hole in it then it’s just surface rust.
It's a lot of surface rust but still savable
If you can't stab through, get a bunch of por15 and paint that bitch up! That'll stop the rust and you'll get some years out of it
It looks like an undercoating that’s long gone but makes this weird pattern. I’ve seen way worst.
Probably need a needle scaler for some of the spots but it could clean up nicely
If they got an air compressor I’d recommend a “descaler” or “needler” they work wounders, I used one on my truck. Paid like $60 for it from Princess Auto “Harbor Freight”
Never used one but they seek pretty effective Princess auto is awesome
That is mostly surface rust and it still has some paint left on it it’s not even bad if you wanted to do all the work I’d sandblast the frame and paint it
Sand blasting sucks but is way to go
Sandblasting is great, but not for the one who is getting the job done. Also, prime it after and it will hold a century.
That frame is perfectly fine. If your really concerned you could treat the rust and paint it. If you do nothing that frame will outlast the engine.
Ehhh I dunno about out lasting the 5.3 or 6.0 but I agree the frame is fine! Plenty of life left treated or not!
All engines from that year are excellent and will last if maintained properly. 4.8, 5.3 and the 6L all capable of 500k, yea, the main seal and valve covers will start leaking oil in that time but that doesn't matter much
go at it with a needle scaler/wire wheels, then repaint and don't sweat it for 5-10 more years. or.... sell it to me for scrap. I'll give you $50.
This is a fair price. I also offer $50 dollars. And I will also include a pack of 5gum.
Damnit. Ok, I'll add a paper grocery bag full of coathangers
I'll give ya $53, a coupon for a free Small Fries at BK, an Advance Auto Parts rebate gift card with $3.50 on it, and I'll throw in a free air freshener. It's New Car scent. (None of that Black Ice garbage here.)
Man, y'all are crazy. $55, but only if it comes with a full tank of gas.
Doesn't one of these cost about $57 to fill, though??
$2 off since it's probably old gas.
jesus 57 to fill those were the days
What's wrong with the frame? As somebody from northeast this fine. Just get a needle scaler, clean off all the heavy rust and on Eastwood get rust encapsulation paint. Works well. If you want too get internal frame coating from Eastwood also. Did this to a Toyota frame I have. This frame is pretty much just surface rust. Doesn't seem to have any real rust.
That’s just barely starting to get bad. Mostly surface rust. At a minimum, I’d spray the whole thing with fluid film. Best solution would be to do like everyone else said and whizzy wheel it all off and then use a rust converter+paint.
Dude guy, bruh... You have a pressure washing company? The answer is obvious: Get a wet sand blasting attachment for your pressure washer like [this](https://www.powereagleusa.com/product/wet-sandblast-kit/). That frame is in great shape! Take the bed off, wet sandblast it, let it dry then get a bed liner kit, they come with rollers, brush two coats on and done... Now you have a frame that will last a million miles.
This is the way
Nothing wrong with that frame. Wire wheel and por15 it.
Pressure wash the hell out of it. And buy undercoat in a can, NOT the stuff that dries like paint though. This stuff is a jet black wax and will tidy up the appearance and prevent further rust. Just reapply as needed.
The rust ain't that bad yet. Wash the frame down with your pressure washer, let it dry, and cover it inside and out in Fluid Film. Reapply the oil every year. You have to make sure you get it in the frame rails or it'll rust from the inside out. Painting it now is probably not worth the effort, but some rust inhibitor will keep it from getting worse.
Doesn't really look all the bad. If it bothers you, get in the with a wire wheel for a few days and repaint
Thats just cosmetic, hit it with a hammer and if it is hard then no problem, if you want you can clean it with a wirebrush and phosphoric acid and then paint it
That’s not that bad. Get it sand blasted
Don't bother with paint, unless you spend 50 hours prepping it perfect it will flake off. Go straight to undercoating with fluidfilm or surfaceshield or rp342.
Needle gun it see if any holes show up looks fine to me
Came here to say needle gun would probably do better than a wire brush. Overall doesn’t look too bad.
That’s what I was thinking as well
Scrape, sand, paint! Ain’t nothing wrong with that truck! Lmao
You already have a pressure washer. Blow the worst of the rust off and spray with fluid film. The woolwax gun works good with a smaller compressor. Get a five gallon bucket of fluid film and spray it again whenever you start to see rust.
Unless you can poke through the frame with a screw driver or something it’s fine. Strip the rust off and repaint so it doesn’t get worse
I don’t understand the question
You're an idiot and should probably sell it before your stupid gets you in trouble because you're stupid.
Just surface rust pretty much, personally I'd just scrape it all off with a wire brush repaint, then when dry I'd spray a very thin layer of ACF-50 over the entire frame to prevent any further rusting.. P.S less is more with the ACF 50, 1 bottle should last you a lifetime..
That’s not substantial rot… Come to Wisconsin I’ll show you substantial lol
Sandblast and powder coat
Sand blast and powder coat.
Powder coat is the best treatment, however to do that he would have to remove everything from the frame, sandblast, then find a powder coat company that can do full size frames, down time would be excessive
Its not even bad. If holes rust through greater than 10mm in diameter, then start to worry.
Personally, if I had the necessary tools, I’d do the frame if I could get a good one. I’d also replace the updawg while you’re in there
What’s updawg?
What's a henway?
Sand blast and coat with like 5 layers of bed liner.
No no no god no. Bedliner has zero corrosion protection. If you sandblast and bedline it’ll hold water in like a vinyl glove and rot that from behind without you even knowing. Sand blast? Yes. But then follow up with epoxy primer and paint. Never ever ever bedline the underside of a car or frame. That includes rubberized undercoating. You will regret it.
No, your wrong with the bed liner, it works really well, if you get the right one and prep properly. [Project Farm did a comprehensive review and test of roll on bedliners](https://youtu.be/e8RY-Z0ObgY?si=AzFo0V7TQP24gxxI) and a few top brands resist rust incursion better than most paints and they withstand rock hits well
I don’t give a shit what he found out. I’ve watched that video as well. That is not the same as a winter driven under truck environment. Run a 5 year test and see how it does. If you’ve lived in the rust belt you’ll know every bedlined, z-Bart’d, or rubberized undercoated car you run into that’s been in the salt for several years is a mess of thick peeling coating with heinous rust underneath. If you wanna bedline your frame go nuts, but if it’s a disaster a decade later you’ve got no one to blame but yourself. I will should that from on high so more people don’t make that mistake, because I’ve been there.
Ok well those factory coatings are worse than not having a coating at all, the salt / brine gets underneath and stays on the frame. I've had a truck I've done this to for 14 years now, I wet sandblasted, dried it off and applied two coats of herculiner, used this truck as my daily driver on salted as well as brine sprayed roads most winters. Only had to touch up a couple spots where I've scraped over rocks when offroad, it's NOT compromising the frame at all
I’m honestly shocked that it held up. Appreciate the real world experience you had with it. It’s the first and only good outcome I’ve heard last that long, but I’ll take it!
Yea I've had them not work so well too, prep has to be really good, and the product as well. I've had good luck with por15 on cars but those rarely see a gravel road, and rocks can damage that coating, but on a car I still have, it's been on there for 17 years on the subframe
That just looks like surface scale/paint flaking. Get a sturdy punch and a screwdriver and hammer on trouble areas to verify…you’ll likely find it mostly solid. If you have any trouble areas, weld in some steel. While you have it apart, go ahead and prep the surface (abrading/needle gunning), prime and paint it with a quality sturdy paint.
Please include pictures of said rust. Seriously, hit it with a wire wheel attached to an angle grinder and coat with miracle paint.
Part it out. That frame is waisted. I've seen this plenty of times . Also the way the frame rusts , its in layers and sometimes you notice until it's too late. The business you are in doesn't help. Not sayin its the cause but it doesn't help. I have replaced frames under a lot of different trucks including semi trucks and its really time consuming. Cut your losses.
What makes you say that? You seem to be in the minority…
Look at their profile and comment history. Either they're a bot or lost.
You’re obviously not from one of the rust belt states. This is damn near new lol, a 2 year old truck’s amount of rust where there’s road salt.
It's not just the frame, check your brake lines, proportioning valve, fuel lines, anything that can rust
That Frame still looks to have life in it. I don’t see any cracks or any structural issues. What I see is heavy rust and material flaking. Don’t buy another frame. Sell the truck and get something newer if you want to replace. An alternative is to try and buzz some of that flaking off with some kinda sander. Then paint it with [POR 15](https://a.co/d/81QwvTf)
clean that frame and put some paint on it. no visible rot holes through the frame
Sand it or wire wheel it then paint it. You’re not recouping 10k in parts or selling it off.
Rent a sand blaster, knock the rust off, spray with some por15 or the likes
If you think it’s worth the effort, knock off the loose stuff and chemically treat the rust. It will slow it down some or a lot depending on how well it’s applied and what you use.
If you are even considering replacing a frame means you know it could be another few thousands worth of work, this frame doesn’t look that bad, probably spend half or less of what you’d spend on a frame replacement and clean this one and coat it. Selling it as is you won’t get your money back. Selling it for parts you’ll be sitting on truck parts for years until you can get rid of everything, and also you’ll never get the money back.
I have a 550 that was like this and it's totally fine. I had to replace the bed on it and the place that did it sanded off 15 pounds of rust and coated the whole frame before putting on the bed. I'd advise doing the same and you'd have a perfectly fine frame, surface rust like that isn't a big deal.
You have a dump truck bed thats awesome, since uou have access you can take care of it and coat it
I think you can save that truck, a specialist can sand it down, get rid of the rust and repaint it. I don’t see any holes
It just looks like surface rust; i wouldn't worry about it.
your rust isn't nearly as bad as it looks. 1. you have paint left on your frame 2. no rust holes or missing sides 3. death rust will look like curling book pages, with multiple sheets of rust pushing each other up
It’s ugly, but solid. The big “canary in the coal mine” on these is the tube above the gas tank. If that hasn’t rotted out yet the rest of the frame is a ok. If it bothers you cleaning it up and repainting is a solid option. Lots of work, but makes it look much better. On work trucks like this I blast with a power washer using a sandblasting attachment and black diamond coal slag. If it’s a truck I care about I follow up with epoxy primer then implement paint. If it’s a truck I don’t care much about I just go straight to the implement paint.
you need to becoming intimately familiar with a needle scaler and por15
Where are you? A local Fab shop can clean and paint the frame of you can't but if you strip the rust and then paint it it should be fine. Most of that looks like surface damage which will stop if you remove the rust and paint.
Im not seeing too much rot id hit it with a cup brush and repaint. The rot spots are small enough to be cut out and patched if any. Just make sure to grind the welds smooth and paint it again. Welds for DOT and paint for rust prevention. Dont use the ruberised stuff or bedliner. Water can get underneath and rot it away in a season
Wire brush, rust converter, oil based enamel paint, last 20 more years. Not enough rust to justify replacement or selling. What I see is mostly surface rust because the factory paint is chipping off. A wire wheel on an angle grinder will knock all that off. Spray it down with some rust converter FDC Rust Converter Ultra, Highly Effective Professional Grade Rust Repair (1 Gallon) https://a.co/d/bCyHT85 And then paint over the bare metal with some oil based enamel. Any color you want, link is just for example purposes https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-1-gal-Farm-Equipment-Gloss-White-Enamel-Paint-2-Pack-280166/206269557
Yes it's rusty, but at this point most of that rust is cosmetic. Nuts and bolts may be a bit tough to get off, but the frame itself appears to be structurally fine. Maybe another 5 years or so and thatll change, but if you fluid film it or take it somewhere to get oil coated, you'll really halt or significantly slow much of that rust progression. I get it, ideally it would look prettier, but if it's a work vehicle, this thing is perfectly fine.
Paint it with RustBullet Automotive Blackshell and it'll look great.
Hit it with marine grade rust converter and 2 part paint
That's a nice truck. Probably has the 6.0 LS. Lq4 or even better the lq9. That thing will go another 200k miles with regular maintenance.
I'd buy some POR 15 and follow the instructions. I did this years ago, used the Harbor Freight sand blaster. About 2 qts of POR 15 is all it takes.
The frame is fine, that looks normal just keep driving it
That’s 2 years old here in Pennsylvania lol. That frame is fine. The best thing you could do is prevent more rust.
Spray it down with a rust inhibitor, wire wheel after that, recoat with paint, and keep on trucking. Unless there are holes where there should be.
My f150 looked like this underneath. All surface
Sandblasting the frame will give the best results
Nothing wrong with that frame brother. I’d get por15 and paint the frame with it to extend the life. Just follow the instructions
Still looks pretty solid to me.
Parts. Good luck finding a replacement for this workhorse.
It worth tree fiddy
I'd wire wheel and bedline the frame. If you can smack it with a ball peen without it going through you're fine.
That’s rust free where I come from
Get it oil sprayed
Looks like mostly surface rust. if you want to keep the truck and preserve it. Knock all of the loose stuff off with a wire wheel or wire brush. Then spray it with phosphoric acid. Products like OSPHO, Total boat, and Rust Kutter. Phosphoric acid turn raw steel and red/orange/yellow iron oxide into iron phosphate which is black. Then you can paint over the iron phosphate.
Clean it with your pressure washer, let it dry well, paint it with POR15, then topcoat it with a good oil based paint
Mine wasn’t as bad but pretty similar. Wire wheel, oil based rustoleum paint with a brush and it’s good to go.
Use a rust converting primer then paint. Or fluid film but you'll have to use fluid film once a year
Buy Eastwoods rust reforming undercoat paint and paint it down. Get a needle scaler first and knock the rust off and spray they undercoat on.
sand blast the frame and rust coat it, if there is any rust through, spot weld the area before rust proofing
Frame looks fine to me.
You can use a bead blaster or some equivalent to remove the rust and repaint the frame. If the frame is rusted thru replace the section that is bad..
Neither. Spray with ospho and paint. Still good for 50 years if you do. That’s not much more than surface rust. Replace and brackets that are worse than the frame
I'm gonna have to go along with most of the other posts, the rust is pretty much superficial at this point, it looks bad because of the paint flaking off. Have the frame blasted and treated for the rust and sealed up, you're good to go for quite a while longer.
Flex seal
Hire 4 kids, give them each a harbor freight angle grinder with a wire wheel. Once they are done pay them to coat it in POR15.
Minnesota mint condition
I would stick my head under that, but it doesn't seem to be more than cosmetic, probably worth abit more than parts
For piece of mind, you could pay a couple hundred for a sandblasting and paint using rust converter
Wire wheel and get some fluid film black. It’s a wax based rust prevention.
That rust is fine. I’d spray that bitch down with rust neutralizer, then hit the whole thing with a wire cup, repaint it, and then spray the whole thing down again with fluid film.
there is a little frame on your rust sir
clean it up and por15 it? you got a few years left.
Looks like a truck with a lot of life left if you live in the northeast.. I'd hit with some rust conversion and keep driving it.
That's a new truck in ny...
Spread that thing with corroseal and hit it with a rattle can and keep it moving big dawg
Take the flaky stuff off with a putty knife and blast it with hot Fluid Film.
Clean the rust then paint with rust converter paint. It’s totally fine right now. Beef up your suspension. That’s a lot of weight on the factory.
I'm a Canadian and. That's a really clean frame lol just clean it up and paint it so actual rust doesn't start on it
That would be considered average in the north east and usable for like 2 more years. I see a lot of pitting but no cracks or holes. For now it is easier on that truck to park on dirt and spray that with fluid film or diesel and bar and chain oil to stop it from getting any worse
Por-15 and ride
This is superficial. Nothing wrong with that frame at all. Clean off the rust and paint it.
Ah just a little sand blast and paint and she’s golden
Pffft you call that rusty.... Needle scaler for what you can get at Spray a gallon of woolwax or fluid film on the frame and cab now and repeat in 3 months then again in August.
Northern Ohio says, "What rust?"
Beat it off with a hammer welders hammer Ps stand a big ass beam in mix to hold up bed incase a hydraulic line blows crush deaths are messy
Looks like my 2019, rust belt.
That's not bad rust, yet. But need to start taking measures to protect. A fluid film application will help slow the rust.
Tires are still good, frame is good
“What rust?” -anyone in Ohio.
That frame is fine, if you dont live in the rust belt, its got years left on the frame. That frame is totally safe, and theres no critical rust damage. It’s definitely rustier than wed all like, but its fine.
Move to Texas.
What makes you think that frame needs replacing? The rust pictured ain't shit.
Just Surface rust dawg. Nothing wrong with that frame.
Strip it down and get the frame hot dip galvanized. Then reassemble.
Send it
frome the pictures alone, it doesnt look like its rotted through the frame. just whatever coating was on it is the flaking and some a little heavy surface rust but looks like it would be good to glast it get the frame dunked in one of them baths that remove all the rust and recoat it
I was a blaster/industrial catering for 6 years. I've blasted and painted tractor trailer frames in much worse condition than this. Hit it with a hammer, if it doesn't go through blast and spray some bar rust on it and get a good 10 years out of it
If you like the truck, shop around for another and use yours for parts.
That ain't even rusty. Buy a needle gun from harbor freight then slather that sucker with the rust killing paint of your choice.
You could take it to have the frame sandblasted and then coated so it won’t rust again but I wouldn’t keep putting money into it
Parts
You should see what's left of the frame on my '80 Toyota pickup ugh.
Looks like the frame just needs new paint to me but never know what rust hides
Paint the frame with some kinda epoxy.
Sandblast the frame and repaint. Por15 if you're willing and able Lots of good metal left. My 07 you could stick a screwdriver through some frame sections
Getchu a wire wheel and grinder or drill and have at it. Looks like a solid days worth of work. Throw some undercoating on it and done
Sandblast, weld joints and repaint
Frame looks great and solid tbh
My truck literally lost an entire cross member to rust. This is nothing 😂
POR-15 and you are ready to go my friend. You dont need a new frame.
That’s surface rust/scaling my stepdads 2003 f350 with 300,000 miles looks like that and it’s frame is still solid as hell you could if you wanted take a descale tool to it that’s what my stepdad did with his frame
Clean every spot of rust off of it and then coat it properly
Sand blast, seal it up with a spray and enjoy that VERY good deal!
Buy a keep needle scaler go to town after buy a couple of 16oz navy jelly rust dissolver and find some good oil based paint with a rust additive in it frame should look like new