Frame rust prevention

Good morning all! I am sorry to bring up a topic that has been beaten to DEATH, but I do need some advice.

I have a 2004 Double Cab 4X4 TRD that had the frame replaced in January by Toyota. I live in NC and while we do not have bad winters, sometimes our state is over zealous in laying down road salt/brine. I want to keep the frame as pristine as possible as I fight the little bit of rust the track has (shocks, rear bumper and a little on the rockers) currently.

Current plans before winter sets in are to pull the bed, replace the rusty rear shocks, install my Dakars, hose out the frame and let it dry while temps are still above 70 or so and then fluid film the inside and outside of the frame. From watching videos, searching here and using it on my 4runner, I have seen lots of good stuff from Fluid Film and it seems that a yearly respray will help keep rust at bay.

With the bed off, I figure it will allow for more access to the top/inside of the frame and maybe a closer inspection for built up rust that may be hidden, while allowing me the best access to the rear shocks. As we all know our frames rust from the inside out and i figure any coverage I can do inside the frame will help prolong the truck as it only has 185K miles on it.

Is there anything else I should do while the bed is off, pay special attention to or anything else I am missing?

 

you can never beat rust topic to DEATH

 

@GQ7227 I have poured over your topics on the subject lol. Lots of good material.

 

i need my bed off to get all that back area that just cannot get hosed down efficiently
its going to take me an estimated 200 hours to clean all that and replace the paint

thank goodness my frame passed inspection in 2o11 or they would've crushed my truck in front of my eyes
but that was it, no further advice from them on what i need to focus on until TW popped up on a search engine

 

@GQ7227 I am hoping it doesn't take TOO long, I figure I can get the bed off and frame hosed out in a few hours. With no rust on the bolts, it SHOULD be a quick zip out with my impact. It's 6 bed bolts, 2 harnesses for the tail lights, the gas filler neck and then lift from there.

 

your DC probably has a smaller and much lighter bed?
i will need to replace my shocks as well when i finally get it off but will probably have to wait until April, its getting colder here now into the 30s /40s

 

I use fluid film and love it and recommend it.
You may wanna also look into Amsoil HD metal protector. It's starting to make me a believer and possible converter in the future when I run out of my 4 gallons of FF.

 

@GQ7227 yes, DCs are the shorty bed.. I have 2 friends that are always willing to help, so I figure with us 3 lifting and my wife spotting, we can yank the bed no problem and have 4 saw horses setup ready for us to sit it down.

From the limited research out there, the short bed is roughly 250lbs.

 

does the amsoil go on thick like this FF does?

 

@pudge151 I have a friend on my FB who is an Amsoil dealer that I get all my gear oil, oil and driveshaft grease from, I may need to hit him up about deals on the metal protector. Amsoils Polymeric Offroad NLGI #2 grease has done wonders to stay in place and stop my driveshaft clunk.

https://motoroilinfo.com/amsoil-products/grease/synthetic-polymeric-off-road-grease-nlgi-1-nlgi-2/

 

Nope, it goes on thin and actually dries to the touch but can be scraped off like candle wax with your fingernail. It does not trap moisture under it like some coatings. From all I have seen and read, it stays on for almost twice as long. Is much less vulnerable to wash off from road spray than the FF we use. I am considering it for high risk areas like wheel wells and high road spray frame areas. Again, that's a few years away cuz I have 4 gallons of FF still, and who knows maybe I'll just stick with FF because it works just fine.

 

If you have a connection , I think I'd go for the amsoil HD metal protector. It's hard for me to say that cuz I have not used it and have had great results with FF. But I have seen with my own eyes good results with amsoil too.
I am not the kind of person who will only recommend the stuff I use and think is superior, or the guy who is afraid to admit when hes wrong or bought a junk product. I would take a good look at the amsoil stuff if I wasn't flush with gallons of FF

 

great results over just 4 or 5 winters?

the FF probably holds its value well and can resell it to someone else in the area

 

I may buy a can of each and do half the truck in each one for my own personal comparison.

One thing that worried me about FF is that our local car wash has an under sprayer so I will generally drive over it until it cuts off each time I wash my truck to wash any residual offroad junk off the frame.

 

i read awhile ago that oftentimes these car washes may be required to use recycled water so that means salty water from all the other vehicles that have been through it
and that its best to use just the fresh rinse water wand which is a hassle to get it really clean since its usually low pressure rinse

 

NC? I personally wouldnt worry about a new frame rusting unless youre in Boone or something. NC winters/salt isnt gonna rust stuff away like other states. Just hose it off after every snowstorm and youll be fine. Only reason why I fluid film mine is cause it was a Virginia truck before I brought it down here, I do it to stop any pre-existing rust from getting worse. That is, the rust that I cant sand off and fix.

 

you did just give me an excellent idea for testing the FF application and its durability with the underbody wash
i have a once-a-day club wash pass with 10 days left until renewal before i need to cancel it
since i have the FF drizzled all over the passenger side currently i will stuff the frame holes with shop rags (so anymore FF does not creep inside) and run it through the wash daily and check how well it has stayed put!
it needs to come off anyways so i can at least primer it when i get a couple days of warmer weather

 

fluid film scores extemely well in the below linked test. Another one that can be found locally is bioshield t9. It does not do as well as fluid film, but it drys to a wax coating, it may hold up better on a truck in places due to this.

https://corrosion-doctors.org/Inhibitors/CPCs-testing-Spray.htm

https://boeshield.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/stoprust.pdf

 

i hear/read the wax coating is not good because it does not 'self-repair' itself

 

True, but in the right places it might do better as it might be more resistant to washing off. I would think places like the front of the axle, front of the spring it might do better.

I saw a test where a guy took a bare steel plate, sprayed bioshield on it, wiped it off. After a year in his back yard it had no rust on it. Does that compare to on a vehicle, no, but thats not bad.

BTW bioshield was developed by Boeing, so there is science behind it. But that still does not make it better, just another option that you can pick up at home depot.

also its safe for electrical connections