Winter salt tips

With Winter and salt coming to many 1st gen owners... what are some good tips in keeping our corrosive-prone trucks less prone to salt corrosion?

- When to wash? (temperature dependent?)
- Keep salty truck outside of garage in below freezing temp?
- Other tips?

 

undercoat the hell out of er. i wash mine every couple of weeks in the winter,its usually when i cant stand to look at all the salt and sand all over the truck is when ill wash it. usually after i wash it ill bring it into the garage for a bit just so it doesnt turn into a block of ice then put er back out.

 

Make sure the frame has drainage. That is the problem with the first gens. poor drainage on the frames. Make sure the holes on the bottom of the frame are not plugged up.

 

FYI in Kelowna B.C they don't use a corrosive salt.
It's a liquid that has no harm on the vehicle

 

good idea. no flak from the environmental sector over that chemical?

 

nope, it's environmentally safe.
I'm sure it costs and arm and a leg though!

 

where are these drainage holes you speak of?

Also what's the rule with taking the car into the garage? something about salt's corrosive nature gets activated at certain temp.. when the car has salt on it, best to let it freeze..

I just stepped out.. my garage is around 50deg and it's 17deg outside.. wtf!?

 

yeah. if something truly is cleaner and at least as effective as the traditional method well, it's probably gonna cost more. if it survives, though...maybe we've got something here.

 

Drains are in the bottom of frame at the seam ~ some are very small. Mine had field mice make a nest in the frame, this and mud clogged the drain holes.

Salt requires moisture it is not temp active it is water active. Keep the water frozen and it is not active. The only issues I see with this is super saturated salt water freezes at 0-deg. not 32 deg.

Other things you may look into are the salt abatement chemicals and sprays used in the marine industry. Salt water boat engines live in it year round.

 

You talking about mag chloride? Yeah down here in Colorado they want us to think it's safer too. The insurance companies love it because it does it's job well, and it helps municipalities meet clean air standards because it reduces particulate matter in the air (less need for sand, ash, salt, gravel). But it's a bitch on undercarriages ... way worse than the standard low salt mix Colorado Dept of Transporation used to use. They sure as hell won't admit that because they've invested millions on new equipment to spray it, but talk to professional mechanics and they'll tell you horror stories about the corrosion. Vehicles sacrificed for sake of convenience. I'd rather have snowpack.

 

Weather permiting I wash as soon as its above freezing, I like to rinse the radiator area as it sucks in road salt, I do shove a oscillating lawn sprinkler under it for a few mins to rinse the under side.

 

There are alternatives to salt that don't cause corrosion.

Call/write the people salting the roads and ask them where to send the bill for damage. Better yet, make friends with an attorney and have him write the letter. Until people are held accountable for their actions (by kicking them right in the checkbook) they will keep doing these sorts of things........

 

They started using that brine stuff on our roads.
Putting water solution on snow covered roads in below freezing temps with car/trucks driving on top of it made hard thick ice.
It wasn't pretty.
I can't imagine suing the state for using salt. Being caught on black ice you are for the salt truck.
As far as the OPs question, I use a self server power washer followed up with a touchless drive thru. It also helps find if anyone has hit and run on your rig I have had paint flying before