Gas tank rust

What i want to know, is why explorers commonly gets all rusty near the gas tank. I tried sanding down the rust a week ago and found out that it was rusting from inside out. So now i have a 2 inch hole. Its a shame that early explorers didnt have good paint like a Yukon 2 door. Have anyone seen a yukon 2 door with rust? I haven't and we got lots of salt here.

 

[ajevenson]

The reason that the X's all rust out around the gas tank is that salt, dirt and other crap gets kicked up by the back wheel and and sits on top of the box that houses the tube to the gas tank. This junk stays forever wet and slowly eats the metal out until it comes through the paint. In order to prevent this from happening you have to spray religiously up there very time you wash your truck and remove all that crap.

 

[mahieber]

I just pulled my tank to replace the float and where the back strap connects to the frame there was all kinds of crap that I could recognize from at least 7 different geographic locations.... kinda like an archeological dig of my first 10 years of 4-wheeling. I cleaned it all out, sprayed rust inhibitor and then covered it wil spray on bedliner. I was lucky that I didn't have any real cancer, but I never have had it on salted roads. I am suprized though that the beach sand I found didn't take it's toll.

 

[Alec]

I find Moab sand every day in my truck, and it's been 12 months! Add to that AZ dust, TX beach sand, Houston soot and mud, grass and stuff from camp. Geez, my truck is a rolling history of my travels!