Relocating to DC area. Thoughts on rust? (1 Viewer)

[Bryan062087]

I might be relocating to the DC area this fall. I'm worried about exposing my FJ62 to the winters and the accompanying salted roads in this area. Is this a valid concern? Currently, my truck is pretty much rust free and I want to keep it that way. I never drive it when it snows and that's currently feasible thanks to the climate in West TN. However, I think this will be a different story in DC/Maryland area. Is the use of salt common?

I could attempt to not drive it in the winter or during snows (or at least minimize its usage). However, I'm sure it takes a while for all the remaining salt to be washed away, so it would probably still get some exposure. Additionally, I most likely won't have a garage, so it would probably be parked outside.

Thanks.

 

[iptman]

I'd get a beater to drive from the first snow through winter and cover the 62. They use salt and a brine solution as a pretreater. I try not to drive my 80 when there's salt on the roads and it's far from pristine.

 

[ace10]

Your 62 will get eaten up. End of story.
And if the salt, gravel and brine doesn't get it, the s***ty drivers and snowplows will.

 

[StaleAle]

Sadly, it's best to not drive a cherished vehicle in the DC Metro area for the reasons above. That said, I drive my '71 FJ40 on occasion and to club events, but never in the winter from the first road treatment of the season until after the pavement has fully dried after a very, very heavy spring rain.

We also have more than our share of idiots on the roads around here and they will dent and crinkle your baby without missing a single text message.

 

[emorth]

We also have more than our share of idiots on the roads around here and they will dent and crinkle your baby without missing a single text message.

He speaks from experience.

 

[Tikicruiser]

I pretty much agree with what has been said, but will also add that in comparison to the rest of the Mid-Atlantic and NE, our area is not that bad at all. We just don’t get that much winter precip, and I have a Silverado 4x4 that has lived its whole life outside and is my snow/weather beater vehicle, and its 19 years old and not that rusty at all. Being from CT, I’ve seen newer models of the same truck turned into Swiss cheese by much more frequent road salt and harsher conditions of New York, NJ and New England.

 

[76FJ40]

So how's the interior of the Silverado holding up?

 

[iptman]

There's also that undercarriage spray people use. I can't remember the name but I recall @jonheld uses it religiously on his 80s with good results.

 

[jonheld]

Fluid Film the crap out of that truck before exposing it to salt/brine.

 

[Jakes40]

This post is worthless without pics!!
Let's see what you are driving!!



I would coat the underside and wouldn't drive it around here when they are peeping for snow.

 

[Bryan062087]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

This post is worthless without pics!!
Let's see what you are driving!!

 

[iptman]

Nice Tradesman rack. You don't see many of those around.

 

[Jakes40]

Oooooh White! My second favorite color.

 

[NearJetties]

Posted this in another similar thread but I’m planning to take mine to Krown in southern PA.

I try my hardest to avoid driving when salt is down but this will make me feel better

 

[Betteron2wheels]

Avoid driving when in the salt and do what the Marines do when they operate equipment (think AAVs) salt water, fresh water rinse ASAP and don't forget the nooks and crannies.

 

[1MOA]

A huge factor is when you drive. The DC metro area is very proactive in pre treating the roads 6-10 hrs prior to any precipitation events where it will drop below freezing. If you look at the road it will have a few lines down the road from the pretreating. Driving over/through that mixture is pretty much a dip in acid for steel.

 

[DirtNap]

I'm kind of with TikiCruiser on this one, but I don't hold myself out as an expert (certainly not about FJ62's - are they more rust prone than other cars?).

I've lived in the area about 16 years total. I'd say DC area tends to get on average 2-3 actual snows, maybe 2-4" each. Plus a few "false starts" that may elicit the pretreating shown above. Maybe a bit more out to the NW (Loudoun VA, Winchester, Frederick MD) and a little less east/SE (e.g., Annapolis). I don't think that stuff stays on for long (washed away by melting snow, rain, etc.).

Allow me to pontificate. What one does with one's truck is partly based on how one views it: is it a "pampered pet" to keep in pristine condition like a classic car? Or is it a purpose-built vehicle to be used and enjoyed, but at the cost of wear-and-tear? A non-SUV example, is a Porsche 911 a life's dream to be kept in Concours-condition, and taken out only on sunny days? Or is it a street-legal race car to be well-maintained but pushed to (your) limits on track days? No judgment from me on either extreme!! I started as more of the former (esp. when I bought a Boxster back in 1998!) but am now more in the latter camp.

Another way to think about it (sorry, more pontificating!): It's a 30-year old truck, and assuming it is a daily driver getting miles, it is going to die of something eventually. I can't tell exactly, but it looks like you do take the FJ out for some off-road exercise. In which case I say just drive it!

HTH/DN

 

[Bryan062087]

I ended up driving it. Arrived in the DC area today. My truck did great on the 14+ hour trip, no problems whatsoever. Was a bit nervous since I did not have a chance to do any preventative maintenance before leaving. Only thing that surprised me was how fast semi-trucks and passenger cars drive on I-81 in Virginia. Also, realized I need much brighter headlights.

 

[bkfj40]

keep in mind....anything over 80 mph could be considered reckless driving. I've had mr. trooper remind me of that previously.

Glad your trip went smoothly.

 

[fjman]

I'm planning to look into fluid film this fall. It took a while to find a not crusty 100 series around here and I'm hoping to keep it that way! (I'm also looking to dump the fj60 for a DD since the 100 is so thirsty. The DD can rust away then!)

Nice 60 series btw!!!