I live in southern MN, and my 87 is pretty rusty, the frame is not rusted bad, just the body in the typical spots. I hauled 1300 lbs of scrap in last weekend, it squated a bit but it still drove like it usually does.

Hopefully she holds up, I have about 10-14 ton of scrap to haul/pull with it this winter.

 

Definately ! The big bad truck killer is road salt and most especially calcium chloride. If you don't live in a place that gets snow on the roads in the winter it's apt to be less of an issue.

Still ... we had a guy here a few months ago from North Carolina who had rust issues with his frame. It's hard to know what's up with that.

The other thing even with a truck from a dry climate is metal fatigue and stress cracks. The engine cradles on some of the Ford trucks have cracked. That's come up here as well.

And of course ... there's always the brake lines and hoses. A light surface rust is no big deal but if there's any pitting the lines are compromised.

Chances are that the rotors and drums have been cut a few times over the years. That does affect braking performance even if they are still within spec.

It's normal for the springs to sag over time.

All of the steering linkages are probably worn to some degree.

Given the overall .... ya know ?

It's not a new truck. That doesn't make an old truck a bad thing but perhaps the sensible thing is not to push it too hard. Downgrade it a little bit. If it was originally intended for 1,500 lbs of cargo scale it back 750 or 1,000.

 

thats why i upgraded trucks lol. something that my f150 would have trouble pulling/hauling, i hardly feel being the 250. but yes there are normal wear items like you have outlined that should be inspected regularly and replaced as needed.