Early 2007 ST - Rear Frame Rust

[BigBlockWagon]

I have an early 2007 Sport Trac Limited 4.6 V8 in what I thought was good condition. I noticed the trailing arm bushings were bad so I replaced them but in the process, I noticed some pretty bad frame rust in the area of the rear suspension. This is a 1 owner truck always maintained by a Ford dealer which is where I purchased it 2 years ago. Has anyone else found this with your ST?
Thanks

 

[Tike]

i took my bed off. 4 bolts. to in bed. 2 in bed storage ( have a flange on the head to prevent sniping -be careful not to break them. then a few screws for gas neck and cover. along with 2/3 wire harness clips. and then me and 2 friends lifted it off. its fiberglass so its very light. then i wire wheeled anything loose power washed. let dry and sprayed with OSPHO (converts iron oxide to iron phosphate i believe ) then i epoxy primed and painted. no issues in 4 years. Philadelphia / NJ living.

 

[BigBlockWagon]

i took my bed off. 4 bolts. to in bed. 2 in bed storage ( have a flange on the head to prevent sniping -be careful not to break them. then a few screws for gas neck and cover. along with 2/3 wire harness clips. and then me and 2 friends lifted it off. its fiberglass so its very light. then i wire wheeled anything loose power washed. let dry and sprayed with OSPHO (converts iron oxide to iron phosphate i believe ) then i epoxy primed and painted. no issues in 4 years. Philadelphia / NJ living.

Sounds like what I've got planned for the most part. I have Corroseal which does the same thing as you described, back in the early 80's I ran a body shop where we maintained a fleet of rental trucks where making them last was priority one and while it was another brand name it was the same product back then and it worked great! Epoxy primer is an added plus too. My only worry is getting as much coverage as possible inside of the boxed frame! As far as my topcoat goes I'm planning on good ol' oil-based Rustoleum semi-gloss as I have in past automotive frame restos including the pro-street 1954 Ford Tudor sedan I built from the frame up many years ago. If that worked on your Trac in the Philly area I'm sure it'll do the job up here in Massachusetts!
Thanks for the info

 

[Tike]

Sounds like what I've got planned for the most part. I have Corroseal which does the same thing as you described, back in the early 80's I ran a body shop where we maintained a fleet of rental trucks where making them last was priority one and while it was another brand name it was the same product back then and it worked great! Epoxy primer is an added plus too. My only worry is getting as much coverage as possible inside of the boxed frame! As far as my topcoat goes I'm planning on good ol' oil-based Rustoleum semi-gloss as I have in past automotive frame restos including the pro-street 1954 Ford Tudor sedan I built from the frame up many years ago. If that worked on your Trac in the Philly area I'm sure it'll do the job up here in Massachusetts!
Thanks for the info

i used a product by EASTON to coat inside the frame rails- basically a anti rust type paint / converter which a long tube and multi-directional head for the spray after getting a air nozzle and blowing out as much crud as i could.

i get some rust on the hitch and B the under body between the front and rear doors as water runs down that way. . i just do a quick wire wheel and spray with that ospho evey couple O months ~5minutes work

 

[BigBlockWagon]

i used a product by EASTON to coat inside the frame rails- basically a anti rust type paint / converter which a long tube and multi-directional head for the spray after getting a air nozzle and blowing out as much crud as i could.

Sorry for the long reply time but I was away for a while. I'll check out that Easton product as it sounds just like what I need. I want to make my Trac last as long as possible. I wish I would have known how poorly the design was of the frame on these allowing all the crud to collect inside the frame which is a recipe for rust!
Thanks for your help

 

[BigBlockWagon]

Since I made my last post I have been searching for EASTON products and all I come up with is sporting equipment. Could you tell me where you bought this product?

 

[Tike]

Since I made my last post I have been searching for EASTON products and all I come up with is sporting equipment. Could you tell me where you bought this product?

Since I made my last post I have been searching for EASTON products and all I come up with is sporting equipment. Could you tell me where you bought this product?

ah man i am real sorry i was over seas till about 6 hours ago, and that name popped into mind. it was EASTWOOD
Eastwood Internal Frame Anti-Rust Coating, 14 oz. Spray

i did mine after i power washed the frame and got the big chunks of dirt and crud off then let sit for a very dry day - honestly bought the products and planned painting around the weather.
again - highly recommend dropping the spare then, pulling the bed off if you have a team of 3/4 people for 5 minutes.

***warning - do not paint over rust with just any old paint. that makes it worse and will seal in the moisture to the metal, with no breathing! ***

PS - also here good things about Krown products for these type of in-frame situations, although i've never used it personally.
here is a good video from a youtuber i respect

 

[BigBlockWagon]

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly, I just posted it yesterday as I was away although only to Rhode Island. I had wondered if that was what you meant as I'm familiar with Eastwood products and have used many of their stuff in past projects. I'm going to take a look at the other brand as well. This fall I can't pull the bed as I have too many irons in the fire plus we had to put my mom in a nursing home not to mention taking care of two houses. However, I want to do as much as possible with the bed on dropping the spare of course until next spring when I have more time. Most of the rust on my Trac is around the area just forward of where the axles pass through the frame towards the back. I just replaced the trailing arm bushings when I noticed it. Also what pait did you use over the rust converter? I've included a pic of my Trac from when I picked it up at the Ford Dealership which was where it was bought new and serviced all of its life. The one thing I can't figure out is what type of wheels are on it. I know they are not OEM but they are 18's w/oem size tires that I have to replace soon.
Thanks for all your help, Ken

 

[Tike]

i used an epoxy primer over the rust converter then an automotive paint. recommend using a clear coat with hardener for best results (if you have light surface rust you could also look up POR15)
i still HIGHLY recommend removing the bed. it will make your life 100% easier and allow you to get full-better coverage of the frame rails and you will not have to be under the vehicle painting inches from your face. i learned from experience but just my 2 cents!
no idea on the wheels.

good luck!! good paint job is all in the prep work!