Rust Problem? 1997 1500

[Rickyxxl]

Howdy all. Recently acquired this truck. First thing I did was check for rust and it looked minimal. All wheel wells are clear and fine. I did notice though the frame it seems has a light coating of orange on it which wipes off. Not sure if it’s actual rust or other chemical reactions but I’d like some help on what to do. This truck was always garage kept from the past owner and now it will fully be exposed to the elements and mainly snow as I live in South Lake Tahoe. Also I am in higher elevation, does this affect anything at all? Different gas? Oil? Air filters? Let me know thank you.

1. the bed of the truck has small rust spots, should I sand this down and prime it or paint it? I won’t be getting a bed liner for at least a couple months so until then I wanna keep it clean.

2. in the photos you can see the rust on the frame, should I get under and wire brush it off and coat it with something of what are your suggestions?

 

[Caman96]

Stop please. I’ve seen more rust on trucks new in the dealership lots up here in the north east. Post some pics so we can see it.

 

[Laredo]

Looks comparable to the rust on my 1998 K1500, which spent its entire life in northern California until 2022 and had developed a patina. It should be fine for many years to come, but if you want to address it, you have two primary options:

1. Remove the rust using a wire brush and apply a top coat.

2. Apply a rust encapsulator, such as POR-15.

I would lean towards the first option, focusing primarily on the outer frame rail surfaces. I would also recommend you use satin black from Rust-Oleum to paint the frame. All other things being equal, I have always achieved my best results when aeresol painting with their products.

Good luck, and keep us updated (with photographs, too, of course!).

P.S. - You could also do what I did and take the truck down to a bare frame and have the frame sand blasted and powder coated. I don't necessarily recommend this option, however.

 

[Caman96]

I was exaggerating…somewhat. It’s in fantastic shape after 27 years, likey will be after the next 27.
Keep a clean air filter in, not sure what elevation your at. Don’t some run 85 octane at higher elevation?

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[jjester6000]

Howdy all. Recently acquired this truck. First thing I did was check for rust and it looked minimal. All wheel wells are clear and fine. I did notice though the frame it seems has a light coating of orange on it which wipes off. Not sure if it’s actual rust or other chemical reactions but I’d like some help on what to do. This truck was always garage kept from the past owner and now it will fully be exposed to the elements and mainly snow as I live in South Lake Tahoe. Also I am in higher elevation, does this affect anything at all? Different gas? Oil? Air filters? Let me know thank you.

1. the bed of the truck has small rust spots, should I sand this down and prime it or paint it? I won’t be getting a bed liner for at least a couple months so until then I wanna keep it clean.

2. in the photos you can see the rust on the frame, should I get under and wire brush it off and coat it with something of what are your suggestions?

You'd better do something about it quick, or that truck may only have another 500 years before completely it rusts through.

Nobody in California will buy a truck with such serious rust, so you might as well send it out to me here in Illinois where I can dispose of it properly (I'll be there with a trailer tomorrow).

 

[Rickyxxl]

You'd better do something about it quick, or that truck may only have another 500 years before completely it rusts through.

Nobody in California will buy a truck with such serious rust, so you might as well send it out to me here in Illinois where I can dispose of it properly (I'll be there with a trailer tomorrow).

Nice

 

[Rickyxxl]

I was exaggerating…somewhat. It’s in fantastic shape after 27 years, likey will be after the next 27.
Keep a clean air filter in, not sure what elevation your at. Don’t some run 85 octane at higher elevation?

You must be registered for see images attach

Yessir to be edited soon.