Rust Problem

As you can see in the pictures, my 2000 Expedition has some pretty bad rust on it. The rocker panels are very bad, and there a lot of rust in the rear wheel well area. The frame is rusted as well, but it still seems solid. The bottoms of the doors are getting quite rusty on the inside. The rest of the vehicle still looks nice and the floor pan isn't bad at all.

I'm planning on coating the frame and the underside of the truck, and painting what's left of the rocker panels before I cut them out and replace them. Does anyone have any suggestions about what I could do to fix the rust in the wheel wells? I don't have a welder, so is there any way I could put on new rocker panels without welding, such as self tapping screws?

I've had the truck since February of this year (2016), and it has about 171,000 miles on it now. I really like this tuck and have become extremely attached to it, so I don't know if I could give it up. Do you guys think I should try to fix it, leave it and cover it with paint, or try to find a different vehicle?

Thanks.

Looks pretty rusted and needs major body repair. Consider selling it and getting a newer model.

Buy a one way plane ticket to somewhere that doesn't use salt and buy something else. Road trip back.

Or just keep what you have and drive it. Me personally, I'd never try to breathe life back into something super rusty like that.

Check your rear trailing arms for rust.

I was in the same position on my 99 although not as bad. I ended up replacing all 4 doors and welded in new rockers, new paint, all done by myself.. here is the thread
http://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/project-rocker-replacement-pics.21046/

Sorry man but that potato is way over cooked. You are way beyond standard cut and replace mitigation. Find a new one.

You probably want to take a look at the front mounts where the front of the engine bay attaches to the frame.

http://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-the-expy-today.15732/page-241#post-241673

I'm replacing mine, doing the work to get the truck cleaned up. I already paid to have the roof done at the top of the windshield opening. I need to address the bottom of the doors, and deal with the rockers. I'll probably get the same shop to do those as well. I can do body work but prefer to get a pro to do it where it's visible so that it looks good. Plus, it's not an effective use of my time any more. Underside and/or hidden I can deal with.

I like these trucks a lot so am willing to put the effort and money into it at this point. This truck will never see winter again. If you don't have any money into the truck then consider getting a better one as a better starting point.

reece146 said:

You probably want to take a look at the front mounts where the front of the engine bay attaches to the frame.

http://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-the-expy-today.15732/page-241#post-241673

I'm replacing mine, doing the work to get the truck cleaned up. I already paid to have the roof done at the top of the windshield opening. I need to address the bottom of the doors, and deal with the rockers. I'll probably get the same shop to do those as well. I can do body work but prefer to get a pro to do it where it's visible so that it looks good. Underside and/or hidden I can deal with.

I like these trucks a lot so am willing to put the effort and money into it at this point. This truck will never see winter again. If you don't have any money into the truck then consider getting a better one as a better starting point.

Click to expand...

Reece, Do you have more pics of that Rad support project you have going. Being that is a huge rusting spot on these trucks and the supports are available cheaply at LMC truck I would like to see more of whats involved

I haven't gotten any further than that image. I've ordered the sheetmetal and new lines and misc. but it is waiting for me at my mail drop box in Ogdensburg for pick up. I was hoping to be further along but my wife had other ideas for my week off work and I've been away on business the rest of the time.

Hoping to make the parts run this week and start the more involved portion. I'll snap a few images while I'm at it.

FWIW, this is the spot weld cutter that I picked up.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B006SJFI40/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Supposed to be a decent tool and should last a couple projects.

I have an Expedition in similar condition.
My trailing arms are rusted through in several places. I will be replacing all four immediately.

If you haven't already, check all four of your trailing arms for rust.

Just wanted to give an update.
Thanks for the suggestions. The trailing arms look like they only have surface rust on them, but I'll be replacing those in the near future anyway. As far as the body repairs are concerned, I want to try doing them myself next summer. For now, I'm just going to paint over any exposed or rusted metal to keep it from getting worse, and focus on some of the mechanical issues that the vehicle has. Although I agree with the people who recommended getting a different truck, I really want to see how many miles I can get out of this truck. It needs work definitely, but I didn't pay much for it anyway.

Thanks.