1st Gen Frame Rail treatment

What should I spray on these frame rails to keep them mint? Noticed the paint has been wearing off but no rust. I was thinking just fluid film inside/out and call it good. I'm in area of Montana that doesn't salt. If it does snow they just throw some sand down.

 

Fluid film is the way to go. I live in Montana as well and have a frame replacement on the way! Will be doing the same thing to my new one without fail. I want the damn frame to outlast the truck, not the other way around!

 

Yeah I hear ya. Mine is a 2000 with 110k on it. Want it to last another 16 years.

 

I've seen 40 year old trucks that rarely ever saw a carwash and lived outside their whole lives and only had a few surface spots of rust on the frame. I don't know why Toyota frames are so different but I doubt there will be any Tacomas left in 40 years with just surface rust like that! Lol

The frame on my 1967 F250 is a prime example, lived outside it's whole life, been used hard as a work truck plowing snow and an ex tow truck. Frame is still immaculate in that thing all these years later. Toyota, take cues and build frames like that dammit! Haha

 

Good Lord, that thing's spotless!

 

3M rustfighter

 

Yeah thought about using a 3M rubberized type undercoating. Think it may just trap moisture in the long run.

 

That is unreal!! Don't move to the east coast of Canada where I live, for a 16 year old truck that is more mystical than a unicorn here!

Fluid Film, I use KROWN, Rust Chek, all top notch rust protection products.

 

Yeah, its all in the quality of the steel. Toyota's have always had a frame rust problem since they were introduced as a Hilux in 1979. So, they must know about it. I guess its cheaper to give away a few frames than to put better steel in them. I hear that they're trying to use better paint, though. The trouble is that they sand the roads a lot too, and that salt/sand mixture is just liquid sandpaper. The paint gets blasted off at highway speeds and on gravel roads.

 

Yeah probably just paint the frame freshen it up then use fluid film, krown or amsoil HD metal protector inside/out. My concern would be the inside frame rails but from what I could see its as clean as the outside. No doubt in my opinion this truck will last another 16 or 20 years on the original frame with proper preventative maintenance.

 

If it looks like that after 16 years I'd say you have nothing to worry about. You wouldn't even believe what a frame looks like where I live after 3 years if it doesn't get undercoated. Some new trucks on the lot have rust colour around welds/seems on the frame and they are brand new 2016's.

 

No. Look up what 3m rust fighter is. It's an internal panel coating. NOT an undercoating.

 

Fyi if you guys want something to get inside the boxed areas eastwoods makes a few different rust products and some of them come with an extended tube/wand type deal off of the cap to slip into the various holes in the frame to get better application inside of thoses areas. Then fluid film or whatever the shit outta that thing!

Never thought about it till now, but a guy might be able to get some of those aresol extended nozzles by themselves and possible use them on other cans if they fit. I know there are different types of nozzles cause bout every time i loose or break one it seems when i rob off another can the damn thungs dont fit! but might be worth having a few around?

 

how do you keep your undercarriage so clean?!?! lol mine is all messed up from that Carolina clay

 

I started with a South Carolina truck and moved it to MA. Before I even used it I loaded the inside of the frame with Eastwood's green phosphate internal frame coating paint, primed all the frame welds with grey rust converter (not much rust but know welds are suseptable to rust more) Painted the entire frame with black rust bullet paint. Waited 2 weeks for it to dry/cure then fluid filmed the crap out of it. Been using fluid film each fall after through pressure wash and dry. So far so good.

 

Thanks to everyone's comments on how to treat my frame. Good info as always. Looks like I will be doing some prep work later this summer.

 

Don't forget about the fuel tank...