Hey all,

I've got a 94 f150 4x4 with a 302 in it. Relative to the area (BC, Canada), I got it for a good deal. It's got 270,000 kms (168,000 miles) and the engine runs strong. The rest of the truck is rough. Real rough. But I enjoy working on it and want to make it a project.

My biggest concern is the frame. It looks like it was painted before. No holes, minor pitting if any at all. I'd like to grind off and replace hangers, shock towers, etc. and add a lift which included in the process would be to remove the bed, sand down the rust and repaint the frame. So the question is.. is it worth it? I've attached a couple pictures. In my inexperienced opinion the frame is still okay and if I clean it up and coat it, it should be okay for a while longer. But let me know, this is my first time working on one of these.

 

Opinions will vary, and mine is that given what you describe and what I see - seems to be a lotta miles or kilometers, and quite a few years left to be got out of it.

On the other hand, it's a 30-year-old vehicle not in the collector's class, so whether the coming efforts you describe will be worth it depends on how much you personally value the truck, as it will be unlikely you would ever come close to break-even on the effort and money invested if/when you sell it.

 

Thanks Wde! I'll take that as permission to start ordering some new leaf spring hangers. I have too much fun in the truck it won't be resold and it'll never be pretty but I'll put the money in to make it reliable if I can. Appreciate the response!

 

For me, I wouldn't bother grinding and painting unless I'm taking it down to the frame itself. That's an enormous amount of work, and you're not going to get all the rust or even all the parts involved. Maybe just scrape all the loose stuff, and then do a full undercoating with something designed to go over rust, or try the method below.

If you're worried about bad spots, take a smallish hammer and tap the metal. It should have a ring to it. If not, look for rust-through nearby. Surface rust is no big deal. It's places that look thicker than normal that you really have to worry about.

Giving it a spray with WD-40 or thinned, used motor oil would achieve the desired results weather-wise. I use one of those pump-up garden sprayers. The metal will darken with this method. Just get the loose paint/rust off and spray away. I don't recommend this if you are wanting something dressy, but for a blow-n-go vehicle it's a cheap, easy method of rust prevention/protection.