Daily Driver?
 

Hello!

I have a 68' C10 my dad gave me as a graduation present. It needs a lot of work but that does not bother me. I am in the planning stages of my build. I was going to apply a lot of rust prevention techniques and use it as a daily driver. However, I live in central Indiana. They use really nasty salt on the roads. Combine that with the fact that it freezes and thaws a lot during the winter and you have a recipe for rust problems. Today's winter storm has me wondering, is there anybody on the forum in the Midwest, specifically central Indiana that uses their truck as a daily driver and how is it holding up against the salty roads? I am reconsidering the daily driver idea because I want this truck to last a while since it's a present. Any help or advice is appreciated.

Re: Daily Driver?
 

If the truck is a well-preserved original, probably not a great idea to use it in the salt. There are rust-protection products, the most well-known name is Ziebart, that you can have applied to the inside of the sheet metal that will slow the progression of rust coinsiderably but not stop it. Also if you do decide to drive in the winter make sure to wash the truck including the underside frequently.

I brought my 71 east from Arizona and it does not see the road between the first snowstorm and the second hard rain in the spring.

Re: Daily Driver?
 

buy a beater honda for $700 to drive through the winter while youre repairing the existing rust situation...problem solved!

and dont let the SoCal location fool you. i moved here 3 years ago from Buffalo NY. i know a thing or two about winters...

Re: Daily Driver?
 

Thanks for the advice. For a 48 year old truck it's not in bad shape. Basically all four corners of the cab and bed floor need patched.Other than that it just needs some new paint. I will probably fix it up and use the rule of thumb you mentioned above. Thanks again!

Re: Daily Driver?
 

Yea, the more I look outside, the more I like the old beater idea. I would hate to have to put in all the work then redo it in a couple of years. Thanks for the advice. Off to Craigslist I go!

Re: Daily Driver?
 

"$700" honda." Or if you want to have fun, $800 miata... lol. This is also the cheapest way to spend less on gas and still have a roof.
I drove my truck several winters. The new rockers rusted out before the paper sticker deteriorated....(maybe 7 years) plenty of new rust spots on an otherwise very clean old truck. I wish I would have gotten my jap beater sooner.

Re: Daily Driver?
 

Nice little car you got there. I have been curious about the miata ever since I watched Stacy David drop a V8 in one.

Re: Daily Driver?
 

They are a lot of fun even with 100hp. The last pic was at the local autocross. I was 1 second slower than the flared race prepped vette in front of me... its fun beating up on cars with tires that cost more than your whole car.
Rev limiter shifts, ripping through the gears and not breaking the speed limit is a bit of a trip. If you have a stock exhaust nobody (including cops) will notice how much fun you are having. Something I can't say about my truck.

Re: Daily Driver?
 

Now that's a cutie :D :ito:

Re: Daily Driver?
 

Just like others have said undercoat the truck and spray off the salt when you get a chance.

Re: Daily Driver?
 

Be smart....get and go with the winter beater.
As mentioned I'd pick up a little honda or toyota...great gas mileage, never quit, great heaters, good traction....but...most of all....you don't have to sweat their condition or the issue of rust.
If you store your truck over the winter months every year you put it back on the road the novelty will be similar as to when you just bought it and you'll be happier with it longer and ultimately you will have less work to do on it over time.
....again, get a winter beater...the only way to go.;)
C.:chevy:

Re: Daily Driver?
 

Yea my truck isn't going out in this Springfield salt crap either, it's nestled in the garage til the salt is gone.It rusted out the rockers on my daily cavalier real fast

Re: Daily Driver?
 

Do yourself a favor and park the truck for the winter.

Many years ago, I had a clean 70 GMC from California. After a couple Chicago winters it developed serious rust issues. Back then, it was my only ride.

Earlier this week, we had a light snow on frozen roads. Dummy me takes my 71 C/10 to work to haul something. Forgot how light our trucks are in the rear end. Ass end slides out, fish tail across 3 lanes, almost saved it before kissing a guard rail. Now my baby dropped to beater status when it should have never left my driveway :(

Re: Daily Driver?
 

My truck won`t see any salty roads too.
My winter ride is a 2007 Ford Fiesta with less power than the starter of my truck:hh:.
Winter sucks!