My nephews step father has a low mile 3/4T 4x4 Ford diesel pickup (around a 2005) that spent it's life in Minnesota. Good truck but EVERYTHING was rusted away. Running boards fell off, fender flares fell off, and you could put 30 cats in the cab and if you yelled "scat" everyone could jump out a different hole. Nephew found an identical Texas truck with a worn out V10 so it was dirt cheap. Proceeded to put the Texas tin on the Minnesota truck. Every bolt zipped out of the Texas truck so cab and bed removal was a three hour job with the majority of that time being used for wire and hose labeling. The Minnesota truck was a NIGHTMARE. Every bolt/nut/screw was corroded away to an under size no tool would fit and the few with a head still on them twisted off. After soaking in Kroil none would budge so it got taken apart with a flame wrench. You guys that tend with this all the time must be ten times as good as us spoiled folks.
...or we just accept replacing our daily drivers every ten years. And if the salt isn't bad enough, the frost wreaks havoc on the roads. A friend recently snapped a LEAF SPRING after hitting a 'puddle' which turned out to be a 10-inch deep pothole. Welcome to New Hampshire!
Indeed Evan, Indeed. I grew up in Ohio. My dad bought a '72 C20, hugger orange and white, new from the local farm town Chevy dealer. I was just coming of age and that was the first vehicle I was around that was new, and daily driven. Dad drove about 30 miles one way to work, mostly on state highways. By 1976 rust had eaten the rear wheel wells. By 1979 the rockers and floor had rusted so bad the seat belt mounts literally pulled out of the floor. Dad gave gave the truck to my grandfather to use as a farm truck. I remember running a ground wire from the battery to the rear tail light housing becuase the rear lights quit working, due to a lack of ground from all the rust. By 1981 the trailing arms failed. I remember it sitting in Grandpa's driveway, the trailing arms folded, drivin down into his gravel driveway. We moved to Colorado in 2004. I bought a '69 Camaro in 2007. Bone stock original Colorado car. It needed new rear leaf springs. Me being an Ohio native I just knew replacing the springs was going to be a nightmare.. I just knew the front leaf spring eye mounts would be rusted fast, and the rear upper shock mounts would also be toast. Every fastener came right out.. even the rivnuts in the floor pan were still sound. What the heck? "Rust Never Sleeps"... Except in really arid climates, there, it's in a comma. _____ John
