Excessive rot 2003

[pamoffa]

Hi guys, My last post was about how my brake line busted and I crashed into the car in front of me, I got all the brake lines replaced due to excessive rot. and was happy,, but the other day one of my leaf spring shackles gave way due to rot. My question is... just throwing it out there. What does Gm coat the bottom of these trucks with? or is it an option like rusty jones or something. The truck has only seen 6 maybe 7 winter seasons and what is confusing me is the exhaust is origonal and still in great shape. Isn't the exhaust usually the first to go? plus the body looks really good. I don't get it.

[clinebarger]

The exhaust is a low grade stainless & Does not degrade from the road salt.
Your truck is not defective, You live in the rust belt.....Water & Salt will destroy mild steel (Brake lines, Spring shackles, Frame, Floor pans & body panels).

[pamoffa]

Thanks clinebarger, I didn't realize I had an all stainless exhaust, that expalains what has been bugging me about it. What is going on still bugs me though. I put over 300k miles on my 93 silverado without these major rust issues. only 81k on this 2003 and the body looks great but the under neath looks like it's from 1960

[pamoffa]

Funny story, I was under my truck one day installing a traler hitch and 3 neighbor kids from across the street walk over and start razzing me and making conversation, they were about 8 years old playing ball and just made the short jont across the street and asked me what I was doing. one of the little boys said wow it looks pretty rusty done there.

[MadManAndrew]

To answer your question, they coat the frame in a wax that comes off very easily and doesn't work very well in the first place.
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[pamoffa]

My magnet sticks to all the componets of my exhaust on my 2003, is that telling me that it is after market?

[andrewmp6]

Some stainless steel is magnetic some isn't and being gm they used a lower grade stainless so it magnetic.If it was aftermarket it would be a higher grade of stainless that is not magnetic.The rust problem isn't just you most 99 up trucks around here have the rockers and or extended cab doors rusted out on them lately.I think gm rushed the truck to market too fast and cut corners,Ford brought out a brand new truck in 97 dodge had a new truck in 94 then did a face lift on it in 98.

[pamoffa]

Thanks, for info on the hybrid alloy, I wish my brake lines were made of the hybrid alloy, I new I could get good info from you guys. case closed.

[pamoffa]

I called the Chevy dealer that sold me the truck and they got back to me right away with the name of the previous owner, I sent him a letter asking him to get back to me because I wanted the vevicle history. He called me back. He's a 70+ year old guy, he bought the truck new and it was garage kept, he told me me babied it and was surprised about the rot issues. He told me the only thing it was exposed to was regular worcester road winters.
I sent in a claim to general motors and explained about my accident and I also explained that there is no reason that this truck should be in the condition its in. Looks like they are going to reinburse me the 2k for the brake lines. I just lost the rear leaf spring shackle 2 weeks ago. I don't get what is going on with this rot and why it took off like it did. Is it possible that they coated it with something that was acidic.
issues:
rear brake backing plates gone
rear shackle brackets gone
the frame part that you mount the trailer hitch to very rusted
bleeder screws so rusted that the wrench just spins
brakelines gone
fuel lines look bad.

[Vintage Windmills]

If the prevous owner had a heated garage and stored the truck in there with salt on the chassis that is likely the source of the problem. The heat just accelerates corrosion.

[67ChevyRedneck]

"Garage kept" means absoultely nothing if it was driven on salt covered roads and never had the undercarraige rinsed off in the spring. I doubt the the older fella ever rinsed it off underneath. Rot is nothing new for vehicles where you live. I grew up south of buffalo, NY and I was driving my (at the time) 10 year old toyota truck and the FRONT UPPER A ARM SNAPPED on it while driving down the road. The rear half of the frame was also about to snap from rust. The rust belt just plain sucks. One of the many reasons I moved...

[Vintage Windmills]

This is why I don't drive vehicles I care about in the winter here. My friend has had good luck coating his chassis every late fall with linseed oil/mineral spirits mix applied with a garden/deck sprayer. It really forms a protective oil coating on everything.

[6BT 56]

Just putting in my 2 cents .

My friends dad had a avalanche abt the same year as yours .

We all live in the rust belt in Ontario Canada . The stuff they put on our roads is just horrable on trucks. But back to my point . His avalance rusted like no truck we have ever seen before . It had 60,000 km on it and abt 3 winters. All the brakelines were done , all the cabels for the power window motors rotted off. Trans lines , u joints done twice , all of them . If it was mild steel on this truck it was gone! Door hinges , etc. It was rust proofed every year to boot. Yet it was black and still had a real nice shine and no ext rust . He got rid of it long ago but we were quite sure it had some kind of stray current problem causing the excessive rust. Maby a ground wire off, etc.

Beleive me we know rust up here and how long a truck should last and this truck was just not right . You would quite often get a little shock when you touched it as well. Like when you drag your feet across the carpet and touch someone else . Lol. Anyways just thought I'd tell you you werent alone and I have heard of that vintage chevy rusting prematurely before .


My build

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=556908

[solidaxel]

WOW, I just read some of these rust stories, I guess we are blessed with 45 days above 100* so far this year!!

I will never complain about the heat again after reading your stories.

I guess that is why I can appreciate all of my classic vehicles here in the Southwest.

So it a good place to buy engines and transmissions in your area?

[fxdxharley]

My 2000 extra cab is a rusty pig. Bed is total shot, replaced drivers side inner and outer rockers 2 yrs ago and now just replaced pass side. replacing all brake lines as they blow. i hit a car ( like you) last winter in a panic stop because one line blew. my frame is getting bad too. I got maybe 2 yrs left and its going to be toast. Its just the area we live in combined with the poor quality of steel used and lack of rust proofing. So your not alone.