Maintaining a beach truck

For those who take their taco on the beach, what sort of clean up do you do afterward? I take mine on sand every couple of weeks and just give it a thorough wash and undercarriage rinsing afterward. Is there additional cleaning I should do or wear on parts to look for? Thanks

 

I’m wondering about this too after reading about a couple of off-road warranty denial stories.

 

Haha that’s exactly what made me think of it

 

BEACH!!! Fun place but beach=salt water & sand. Sandpaper made of glued sand.
Same like you would use a sand blaster cooled by salty water...no good.

 

Get a beater truck and leave the new toyota at home?

 

^^^This
At least, before you drive it in the water, undercoat it because you are never going to be able to wash the residual saltwater out from between washers, nuts and the frame, and from anywhere else there are two tightly touching metal parts, not to mention what that conductive water will do to electrical components. Its best to drive something with a carburetor and minimal electronic parts on the beach or on a salty dry lake basin if you are running through any salt water there.

 

Just curl up into a fetal position and cry. That's the advice being given here. Just wash your truck, make sure your drums are clear of sand, and do what makes you happy.

 

Perhaps some type undercoating an id try to park the truck on a incline an hose thru a hole in the frame to flush what you can out.

 

Thanks!

I do Fluid Film in the Spring and Fall so hoping that helps.

I’m aware that it’s not good for the truck and that there will be long term affects. More interested in ways to mitigate those issues. Likely not much worse than driving after the roads have been salted in the winter? So maybe I should’ve asked what people do for that.

 

Diff breather mod in case you go into the water a bit.

 

Salt-away
Washing alone does not remove salt deposits.
You need to neutralize it.
I use a garden sprayer and spray it all down first.
Using a sprinkler under the truck does very little.

$55 Salt-Away® Concentrate Gallon (128 fl oz.)

https://www.amazon.com/Salt-Away-Pr...0000AXVG9/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

and

$90 BE PRESSURE 85.400.062 16" Undercarriage Cleaner, 4000 PSI

https://www.amazon.com/BE-PRESSURE-85-400-062-Undercarriage-Cleaner/dp/B0065OYYQQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1525478784&sr=1-2&keywords=BE+PRESSURE+85.400.062+16"

 

I lived in San Diego on the beach and used my truck to launch my boat and let me tell you it's wayyy worse than salted roads

 

Sprinkler under the truck after every beach trip.

 

No one told the coneheads that work for Motor Trend / Dirt Every Day about salt water. Tune in at the 18:00 minute mark if you want to cringe. I hope no one here bought this rust bucket off the lot “lease return”.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5OOW5fjXu4I

 

Saltwater? No problem. Rinse off? Not necessary. Rusted out? No worries. Lawyer up!

 

Drive thru a fresh water river, diff mod first though!

 

Its been said, but I will reiterate that I sure as hell wouldn't do it.

If you are going to do it, apply corrosionX (http://corrosionx.com/corrosionx.html) before you go out.
Afterward use a salt remover. I use Salt Terminator (

$43 CRC Salt Terminator Engine Flush, Cleaner, And Corrosion Inhibitor, 1 Gallon, Dissolves Salt And Leaves A Protective Coating

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00546F77G/)

 

this thread is pretty revealing of the different kinds of owner attitudes.

 

Rinse, repeat.......................................................................................................................................................

 

I had my 2000 Taco for almost 16yrs..Beach life is difficult,esp on the beach as much as I. I lived on the island and even the air is salty.
I finally gave up trying to wash it after each beach drive.
Wash it often,keep your bottom coated,DON’T drive in the water. Even washing doesn’t get all the sand/salt, so expect a shorter life the more often you go..