John Christopher
Full Access Members
That's a lot of rust. Are you going to repair it or just let it go?
WNY Rust
- Thread starter Plati
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
That's a lot of rust. Are you going to repair it or just let it go?
JExpedition07
That One Member
Radiator support still looks brand new paint and all, same with body mounts. Only rust is these rocker panels, I think they fixed the radiator support and body mount issues on the 3rd gen though.... obviously not the rockers.
Mostly letting it go. Not going to throw money at a losing cause. I will do some Gorilla Tape repairs and possibly some other no cost jury-rig last ditch stopgap patches. As long as its safe and gets me out & back again, I'll milk the 2003 for all its worth. Beater.
The more it rusts, lighter it gets, better MPG!
With the second row seats & the big 3rd row seat gone, its kind of like a cargo van ...
...... too bad side doors dont open wider though
Last edited:
Came up with the best way to flush out the rocker panels. I stuck a garden hose in the big holes on the inside and turned the water on FULL. Did this in each hole (4) on both sides. Lots of crud came out and now fully flushed out prior to the Krown treatment next week. I took a few before pictures of the underside of the vehicle and will post those along with after pictures, once Krown is done.
Car wash all you want, it wont get inside those rocker panels to clean them out. The road salt, will however find its way in there. My guess is thats how they rust out.
I also dropped the spare tire today & hosed that area clean. The steel rim gets fugly over time and collects crud. I cleaned up the tire/rim and I'm gonna touch up any rust spots on the rim and hanger & lubricate the mechanism. I'll leave the tire off while they do the Krown treatment so they have easy access to the frame. Looks nice being wide open now.
Car wash all you want, it wont get inside those rocker panels to clean them out. The road salt, will however find its way in there. My guess is thats how they rust out.
I also dropped the spare tire today & hosed that area clean. The steel rim gets fugly over time and collects crud. I cleaned up the tire/rim and I'm gonna touch up any rust spots on the rim and hanger & lubricate the mechanism. I'll leave the tire off while they do the Krown treatment so they have easy access to the frame. Looks nice being wide open now.
Last edited:
John Christopher
Full Access Members
This looks like a great idea to get rid of the salt. Can anyone think of any reason we should not do it?
Thanks, JC
I just googled this and found on F150 Forum they actually have tape covering them. I had considered doing that???? BUT there is a huge opening under the front mount for running board & I want stuff to run out not be trapped in there. Must be oiled!!! Oil again before winter too
http://www.f150ecoboost.net/forum/3...-not-eb-specific-inner-rocker-panel-tape.html
http://www.f150ecoboost.net/forum/3...-not-eb-specific-inner-rocker-panel-tape.html
Last edited:
Had 2014EL Krown treated today. Just swung by shop and there is "oil" dripping. I'm gonna let it sit there for a couple days to save my driveway the insult. I'm gonna go bonkers if they didn't soak the Rokker panels well enough to suit me. I want it better marinated than a Jamaican Chicken! I think I'll set myself up with Fluid Film for the occasional refresh ...
Last edited:
JExpedition07
That One Member
Good technique on the rocker panel cleaning there Polarizer, I’ve heard of that before. Or just wait until your rockers are gone and they won’t hold salt lol. I’ve asked about the stickers too, not a bad idea.... the drains for the rockers are those little ribs that go up and down between the inner and outer at the bottom lip not those holes. ALL the factory stickers fall off within a few months and it’s been like that forever, I guess ford doesn’t think they are needed.
Last edited:
John Christopher
Full Access Members
That looks pretty good. I don't know about lasting 2 years but it is easy to reapply if needed.
John Christopher
Full Access Members
Did you apply a layer inside the body and that stuck to the outside tape? Let us know.
Reason I say 2 years is, been doing this for about 5 years in various places. After 3 years the tape starts to disintegrate.
All GTape is on outside, inside too rusty and not a good surface (or no surface) to tape to. Tape holds really well to the plastic and painted black body. Short 90 degree & then 180 degree folds at bottom, back onto itself.
I've built a lot of things out of GTape. Made a cooler using that and numerous other parts that better than a Yeti and cost about $20.
Last edited:
Someone reminded me to oil the gas fill tube area, so I did that today. Sprayed Fluid Film on it, put my hand up there to rub it around the back & it rained rust chunks. Took as must rust off as easy then Had to respray.
Theres a third tube there, I have no idea what its for but appears disconnected .... hmmm
in the engine area, I hit a few spots ... such as this
(I don't like corrosion)
Theres a third tube there, I have no idea what its for but appears disconnected .... hmmm
in the engine area, I hit a few spots ... such as this
(I don't like corrosion)
Last edited:
Latest rust casualty on my 2003XLT. I'll probably just wire it up. The exhaust is now riding on the frame & coupling the exhaust system vibration to the cabin. Sounds like a big problem at times.
While down there I peeked at the spare tire, which has never been off. I do not think its would be a good idea to use that for driving. Not even sure I can drop it now. Looks welded on. No point in lugging this POS around like that. Maybe I'll buy a used wheel and stick it up on the roof? For anyone with an Expy thats more than 5 years old (unless you live in Tucson), probably good to Fluid Film that up to prevent this.
I'm not a big fan of rust. Big fan of Fluid Film = yes.
While down there I peeked at the spare tire, which has never been off. I do not think its would be a good idea to use that for driving. Not even sure I can drop it now. Looks welded on. No point in lugging this POS around like that. Maybe I'll buy a used wheel and stick it up on the roof? For anyone with an Expy thats more than 5 years old (unless you live in Tucson), probably good to Fluid Film that up to prevent this.
I'm not a big fan of rust. Big fan of Fluid Film = yes.
Last edited:
JExpedition07
That One Member
Take it to the dealer, will be covered under the 20 year warranty.
In all seriousness corrosion is a part of life, esp here in the northeast. Nothing lasts forever, and for a 2003 in New York it looks about as I’d expect unless garage kept and washed constantly. That trucks still got some life left in it. Rust did my muffler in on my 2007, I replaced it with a stainless steel one.
In all seriousness corrosion is a part of life, esp here in the northeast. Nothing lasts forever, and for a 2003 in New York it looks about as I’d expect unless garage kept and washed constantly. That trucks still got some life left in it. Rust did my muffler in on my 2007, I replaced it with a stainless steel one.
Last edited:
Temp to permanent fix for tailpipe hanger using "parts I had laying around". Solid attachment. Will last about 1 year, probably. Tailpipe fixed firmly in position. Cost = $0.00
Wrestling match to drop spare. Rusted into position. Screw would not turn, had to PBlast. T welded on! Glad I did this in driveway vs side of road. Tire/wheel is OK to keep using as spare. Banged the rust off .... with a spray coat of plasti-dip, will be good to go.
Frame looks good down there. Surprisingly good.
Wrestling match to drop spare. Rusted into position. Screw would not turn, had to PBlast. T welded on! Glad I did this in driveway vs side of road. Tire/wheel is OK to keep using as spare. Banged the rust off .... with a spray coat of plasti-dip, will be good to go.
Frame looks good down there. Surprisingly good.
Check your body mounts, especially by the radiator. AAA will not mount a rusty spare. I bought a hard spare tire cover, off a Toyota FJ cruiser, on Craigslist($25). It fit my spare and keeps the wheel clean. During the winter the new spare, now goes into the back(no 3rd row).Temp to permanent fix for tailpipe hanger using "parts I had laying around". Solid attachment. Will last about 1 year, probably. Tailpipe fixed firmly in position. Cost = $0.00
View attachment 27640
Wrestling match to drop spare. Rusted into position. Screw would not turn, had to PBlast. T welded on! Glad I did this in driveway vs side of road. Tire/wheel is OK to keep using as spare. Banged the rust off .... with a spray coat of plasti-dip, will be good to go.
View attachment 27641
Frame looks good down there. Surprisingly good.
View attachment 27642
Last edited:
Just read an interesting book on Rust & Corrosion.
RUST The Longest War by Jonathan Waldman
Learned a few things, such as there is an internet store that specializes in products for that
https://www.theruststore.com/
RUST The Longest War by Jonathan Waldman
Learned a few things, such as there is an internet store that specializes in products for that
https://www.theruststore.com/
Similar threads
