Keeping my old GMT400 chore truck rust-free...despite having to keep it outside year-round
Given how much fun quality rust repair isn't, an ounce of rust prevention is worth a pound of cure.
(Then again, it's more than 16x easier/less expensive -- so maybe we should update this old saw to
a gram of prevention is worth a kilogram of cure? :0)
After decades of trying to keep my cheap fleet from disappearing in a cloud of rust dust, I finally came
to the realization of the following: I have
never seen rust under an
unbroken paint film, in much the
same way that I've never been electrocuted while using a live extension cord when handling it via an
unbroken insulation layer. (!)
The point I'm trying to make is that when our GMT400 vehicles rust, we are witnessing an
electro-chemical reaction in action. And the more we protect/insulate the metal from this electro-chemical reaction
(best to worst: Completely sealed > dry desert air > distilled water > sea water > Rust Belt salted roadway slurry)
...the longer those iron/steel bits stay factory strong.
EDIT: Here's a concise explanation of rust: (
What is Rust?)
****
So, if you think of paint in the same way that you think of the insulator on a
live electric wire, it takes a lot of the mystery out of rust. It all makes sense.
Here's some common-sense rules to keep in mind while trying to figure out
how to best preserve your GMT400 in the 21st century:
* Live in a dry environment. There's a reason why the USAF located it's own
aircraft spare parts Treasure Yard at Davis-Monthan
AFB. (Tucson) They only
get ~11" of rain per
year + 10-20% average humidity.
* The wetter the locale where you live, the more benefit you will derive from
parking your GMT400 in dry storage. Note: If you drive year-round, a heated
garage is
not your friend, for as we all learned in high school chemistry, heat
speeds up chemical reactions. (!)
* If you are a mere mortal like myself & find yourself living without a garage to
park your treasured machine in, then keeping your vehicle virtually dry
(via a hydrophobic coating) is the next best thing.
In English, keep a good coating of WAX on your ride. In this photo, you can see
where I've protected the chore truck with a fresh waxing. Meanwhile, everything
but the roof of the DD is still being protected from the elements with a waxing
within the past couple of months. And finally, looking at the roof of the DD you
can see that I've been a slacker and it is no longer being protected from the elements.
And up there, if there's any tiny cracks/crazes/scratches/etc then rusting will inevitably start up. :-(
You must be registered for see images attach
Getting back to the
unbroken paint film thing, the first thing I always do is buy enough touch-up
paint to fix all the chipped paint & scratches on the vehicle. But in the case of my scratched up
chore truck, I found it was *much* more cost-effective to buy a few ounces of custom mixed touch
up paint at the local Auto Body Supply
store, as opposed to buying 3-4+ of these 0.5 oz scratch
touch up paint kits:
Indigo Blue Metallic Dupli-color
I've also found that polishing/buffing off the dead paint layer on top makes the surface act less
like a porous sponge holding onto the conductive salt-laden spray.
NOTE: Upon close inspection, the original ~25 year old paint is showing signs of
minor crazing in a few places. (See attached close up of the old pin-striping for an example.)
I also saw evidence of crazing on the leading edges of the hood itself. In these cases,
waxing over these minor defects helps to keep the moisture away & help prevent wicking
inbetween the paint film & the metal underneath & causing those rust spots from starting.
****
Last but not least, I've included a couple of photos of a newer Salt City bruiser
that I photographed a couple of days ago...maybe 5 minutes from home base. Why?
A: Seeing trucks just like this on just about every single local errand I run gives me the
motivation to keep the water beading on my chore truck that is exposed to the elements
on a 24 x 365 basis.
(BTW, apologies if I am guilty of stating the obvious to those who are all-too-familiar
with protecting their rides against the rust belt clime. The above was targeted at
someone who's new to the old truck/SUV hobby, and is interested in preserving what
they've got without spending $$$+ to do just that.)
And to end this on a lighter note -- the days have already started getting longer, so I
keep telling myself that spring is just over the horizon. :0)
Now to keep the shiny side up 'til then!
Cheers --