My poor old truck!

David Stifle

David Stifle

Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
10,188
I bought my Dodge 1500 Ram in 1999. It's got 139,000 miles on it now and runs just as smooth as can be, and doesn't have one thing wrong with the interior either. I had visions of keeping it another 10 years or so, maybe putting 300,000 miles on it, but it's starting to rust out at the bottom of the doors. By the time I noticed it, the rust is almost all the way through. My problem is the truck is only worth around $3K now, and I don't want to sink any money into it. The guy at the repair center told me the best thing to do is put new doors on it, at a cost of $1K. Don't want to drive around in a rust bucket, but I will. I'll drive it until it rusts right out from under me. I'm fond of this truck too, silly huh?

Dave
 
Call your local wrecking yard every week and you may be able to come up with some good doors off a truck that has been totaled. I got the tail gate for my Chevy for 1/4 the cost of what the dealer quoted. I did drive around with a red tail gate on a tan truck for a while.
 
Yes, I have been searching for some doors at the junkyard, but so far, all of them have been rusted worse than what I have now. But I'm still lookin

Dave
 
I actually feel like a member of the family has come down with an illness. What gets me is--there's not a darned thing wrong with her other than the rust, which I've discovered, is worst than I first thought.

Dave
 
Rust proofing is part of routine maintenance, and my belief is if you don't rust proof your vehicle then don't bother changing the oil, plugs or anything else because by the time these need replacing the vehicle will be finished. This is the case anywhere where they use roadsalt and other caustic ice melters.

If you like your truck not all is lost if it is still structurally sound. Do a basic restore such as replacing the doors and fenders. While doing this replace all the brake/fuel lines and the tank(s). I say this because if the body is going then these are usually in worse shape as they hold moisture and salt longer than body pannels.

Give it a coat of paint, and then get a good annual rustproofing program from a reputable rust proofer. Your vehicle will probably last forever after that.

I drive a 1994 F150 I bought from new, with just under 150,000 miles on it, rust proofed every year and the truck is mint with the exception of some stone chips in the paint. Brake lines and fuel lines are like new still.

And they use tons of salt around here, often when the roads don't even need it. I think they use salt on purpose here to subsidize the auto industry, because if a vehicle isn't rust proofed they are rusted out by the time they are about 7 or 8 years old- like totally falling appart.
 
I know the feeling, David. I keep my vehicles for many years too. About the only thing that convinces me it's time to trade in my truck is when the repair bills start to exceed the monthly payment on a new one. Body damage means nothing to me... it's a utility vehicle, not a prissy little show car. I don't care about turning heads... I care about reliability. A truck that treats me well over the years and the miles earns my respect and loyalty. Treat them like hell and they still treat you well. That's what makes a truck worth having.

- Greg
 
Hey, Bufford...nah, I'm not going to put any money into the old gal. I'll probably drive it until my butt's dragging on the road, and when I'm forced to-I'll buy another (and make sure it's rust proofed!!!). I figure I can get a few more years out of it. And yes, the DOT dumped tons of salt on the roads just this last winter.

Greg, I completely agee. What irritates the heck out of me is how good the engine, drivetrain, and even the interior is, not to mention the body doen't have one dent, but as I said, I just can't see putting money in it.

I may take a shot at fixing the rusted areas myself. Clean it out, JD weld, primer, and paint-how hard could it be? (Probably famous last words:)

Dave
 
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David, if you really want to try it yourself, you should watch a few episodes of Overhaulin' to see how they deal with rust. Basically, you cut it all out and weld in fresh steel. Sounds hard, but they make it look totally doable if you have a MIG or TIG welder. After that it's just finish work (sanding, priming, painting). Doing any less is just asking for the rust to spread faster.
 
My 2000 Dodge Cummins just turned over 222,222 miles! It's just fine. Down here in West Texas, we don't have to worry about rust - it's too hot and dry! :) I'm planning to make it a million mile truck. The haulers do it all the time with the Cummins, and I nearly never pull a trailer. Pretty easy life.

I thought "skinning" a door was pretty easy for a body shop? You ought to be able to get that fixed!
 
Greg,

I don't have a wielder, but figure I can find someone who does. I found out you can buy a lower 1/3 sheet metal door shell for $54.00 on the after-market, so now I have a better idea of materials costs. Not sure what I'm going to do, but I'm going to deal with it.

Dave
 
Another thing that's good about rustproofing is that I don't worry about washing the truck so much. Back roads are unpaved, and often the truck looks like a pig for weeks on end. No sence washing it unless there is a dry spell going on, or a long deep freeze during winter as its only going to be filthy again after.
 
I wash my truck once a year whether it needs it or not... unless I forget... which I usually do. My wife is good about reminding me... but I don't listen to her very often on matters pertaining to the truck. I usually just apologize instead... "ooo, sorry... I forgot (again) to wash the truck." "Oh, sorry about that mess on your pants... I'll wash the truck soon." And so on.

Here's a tip... when you really want to have the truck washed, schedule some maintenance. Most dealer service shops wash the vehicles after service. Saves me the trouble and keeps the wife happy.
 
Hey Greg, as much as it rains in Seattle, all you gott'a do is run out and pour some dishsoap on it.:)

I washed my truck fairly often, I really think she rusted just over last winter, as we had tons of snow, and they really poured the salt on the roads.

Chainring, congratulations, Man! It's really cool you've got so many miles out'a your truck, and still roaring along. Those cummins engines are friggin awesome.

Bufford, perhaps I should have had my truck rustproofed, but I was told they come rustproofed right from the factory, so I didn't have anything else done.

Dave
 
I knew of a guy who had a rustproofing service. He would take people's cars to a remote area and spray the underside with used motor oil. I heard it was very effective, and, of course, cheap. :)
 
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