Advice needed: 2003 Taco original frame with no rust moving to the NE

I originally posted this in the Gen 1 forum, but hoping to get a few additional responses in the NE forum on this topic:

I just acquired a 2003 Tacoma that has lived its entire life in Washington State. The frame was treated at date of purchase with the spray on coating that the Toyota dealership encouraged. I haven't run a camera inside of the frame, but from close inspection with flash light while crawling around underneath it, I have found no evidence of rust.

I have a Jeep TJ from Vermont that does have some frame rust as an outcome of winter road treatments. While in VT I would fluid film coat the frame annually.

I will definitely be fluid film coating the Tacoma annually (early fall).

For everyone with Tacoma rust experience: What rust precaution/practices/frame preparation advice can you provide so that I can drive this truck for a few hundred thousand miles without the original frame rusting out from underneath me?

 

Keeping after it all the time

Then if your in the town it is bad enough will you be driving on the normal Vermont Commute of 60 to 100 miles one way ??

Any Chance the Truck will live in a warm garage in the winter you know just above freezing ??

 

If you don't want it to rust out, not driving it in the winter is the best advice I can give.

Otherwise dousing it in FF is really the best option you've got.

 

Fluid film for future prevention. Corroseal to kill any rust spots that pop up... Google it.

 

Fluid film it is. Will be checking out Corroseal.

 

Fluid film is great stuff. It's also pretty rancid smelling. It's made from sheep wool, so imagine smelling the wool of a sheep that's been dead in a waterlogged ditch for a week... thats the unmistakable odor of fluid film! It does stop stinking after a day or two.

I sprayed some on a few bolts under the hood, and they are still coated in it over 2 years later. It stays ok in rain, but will eventually wash away. Most people spray it in the late fall and it will help through most of the winter.

Corroseal is also an amazing product. It looks and smells like thinned Elmer's glue, but has a mild acid in it that attacks the rust and converts it into a black shell coating similar to a primer paint. Any rust areas just hit with a wire brush, then hand paint it on with a cheap paint brush. I hold it in a red solo cup and just paint away. Put a tarp down do it doesnt stain the driveway. Same goes for fluid film.

 

When I got my 1st gen the frame was only a few years old due to the recall. I bought a can of Chassis Saver (same as POR-15) and painted the entire frame with a paint brush by hand. I then had a body guy spray raptor liner on the entre underside of my truck. After 3-4 NYS winters the frame still looked mint with only some minor surface rust spots coming through. Keep the truck clean. I frequent the self serve car wash bays whenever I can and just spray down the truck to get salt off. Then on warm days at home I will do a real good job hosing the underside as best I can. Once spring time hits get crazy under your truck spraying everything out. Make sure you spray into the upper wheel well areas and also into the holes in the frame.

With that being said, I recently sold my 1st gen and bought a new 3rd. This truck is going to be Fluid Film'd in the fall. This will be my first vehicle using this type of product. I was really not impressed with the hard undercoating type liners that places spray on.

Good luck and just keep that underside clean. Touch up every spring with that Chassis saver stuff and you will be in good shape.

 

I'll definitely be spraying the chassis after mud season. I'll likely apply a generous serving of fluid film in October or November and allow that to sit untouched by the pressure washer until spring when I will give it a thorough rinse and inspect the frame for any spot sanding and sealing that may need to be done.