Best rust free years?

[Earlthe3rd]

Anybody have any opinions of the best rust free years of these classic trucks (47-87)?

I know my 69 has ALL the typical areas rusted out but I'm just curious whether or not chevy had a good run of designing their trucks to not rust completely out..

I often see stories of some older 30's rods being pulled out of farms and they still have enough metal on them to work with.
What were the glory years?

[litew8]

The earlier the better I'd guess.

[69 4by]

The 47-54s where not bad, The best where the 80s ish trucks

[skorpioskorpio]

By the end of the run of the 73-87 C&Ks (and 88-91 R&Vs) body style they started to use galvanised steel and figured out how to drill drain holes and make drain ducts between the double wall construction and, well what do you know, the iron termites stopped eating all the GM trucks. Pretty simple concept coat the metal before you assemble it and give it a way to dry out if it gets wet, duh.

[Palf70Step]

I'd say none really. I grew up in western PA, and almost nothing survived well there, no matter what the year or brand. As mentioned the steels/metals have been made more resistant to rust over the years, but the salt land of the north will destroy anything. Those trucks from the earlier 50's surviced a bit longer because the salt use wasn't nearly as bad when they were main vehicles.

[71K20chevy]

Where the truck comes from has for mare to do with it. My dad's '99 Silverado that's lived in Indiana is WAY more rusted out than my '71 from South Dakota.

[19673ontree]

Its not the best rust free years its the best rust free areas , a truck bought new here where I live in virginia from 1930 to now rotted up to the door handles because of the coal and the chemicals used it got on the road and ate metal , now any truck bought new from 1930 or so to now that was in arizona had a better chance of being rust free , The funny thing I have found over the years is that people will advertise a car or truck for sale and put ORIGNAL VIRGINIA CAR OR TRUCK ! in the ad ?? Lol

[19673ontree]

Originally Posted by 69 4by

The 47-54s where not bad, The best where the 80s ish trucks

the 73 to 87 trucks had rust before they left the dealer they were made of recycled metal that was already rusted to start with

[cdowns]

2014's dont have much rust on them yet

[Earlthe3rd]

Originally Posted by cdowns

2014's dont have much rust on them yet

I sure hope not!

GM claims they are the most corrosion resistant trucks EVER! http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/n...silverado.html

[JJH Jimmy]

Originally Posted by cdowns

2014's dont have much rust on them yet

If they are in Michigan they do! IMO the newer the better when it comes to rust prevention. The manufacturers are using the latest technology paint and processes for applying it to get it in the areas that will trap moisture.

On my 72 Jimmy the underside of the floor boards in the rocker box area had absolutely no rust protection at all it was bare metal. Luckily it spent its whole life in the southwest Colorado mountains. If it would have spent its life in Michigan it would have been sent to the crusher in the 80's.

[motorcritter]

The worst combo is a vehicle from the 'Salt Belt', moved down to coastal Florida, and driven on the beach (Daytona) for a few years. From the bottom up, to the top down, and anything small and steel (like brake lines and components, suspension items, assorted gizmos) turn to solid, crumbly, junk. Oh yeah, any sort of electrical connection is subject to mysterious failures. Any year, any marque, all the time.