Why Ford frames are rotting out so fast and often now

[@navvet4518]

It’s Money for the manufacturers. Why would the design a truck to last 20 years. They answer to shareholders not their customers.

[@ProleDaddy]

That's capitalism we're talking about, just so we're all clear.

[@kaidwyer]

⁠​⁠That’s not capitalism. It’s government-enabled corporate cronyism. In a free market, the first guy to make a clearly serviceable, long-lasting product would catch all the market overnight. In this world, that guy would catch a bullet between the eyes and a 1-way ticket to the Tijuana desert. Companies are too big right now because only the big ones survive lobby-designed regulations.

[@navvet4518]

@@ProleDaddy It is the backbone of a prosperous and profitable nation. Where else can you make 6 figures in a union job performing unskilled labor? Do you feel you shouldn’t have to work for a living. Are you one of those?

[@fieldthrasher]

Wrong. It's living in the rust belt. Have your vehicle oil sprayed. Here in Ohio they use salt and a calcium chlorine brine, which is very corrosive. Frames have all kinds of nooks and crannies, salt and brine will rot them from the inside out.

[@captainotto]

I have a '17 ranger double cab here in the UK. It had almost as much scale throughout the frame seams and more importantly inside the box sections and crossmembers. It had the factory sealant on it and had never been treated since. I gave it the full inside out inspection including borescope through the frame and in the fenders and rockers and whatnot. One thing I would point out is that there are baffles throughout the frame. The baffles accumulate mud, lifted paint, rocks, sand, etc and this abrades the paint/surface coating inside, sometimes even plugging drainage holes. Fortunately there is a cheap and relatively simple solution to the issue. There are access holes throughout the frame that are large enough to stick one of the cheap drain jetting nozzles and hoses inside the box sections and some of the crossmembers. That can then be used to jet away all trapped mud and debris, remove lifted paint and some scale, and provide a clean and more stable surface for a wax or oil coating. Any electric pressure washer can power it but you need one of the cheap home drain jetting kits with a hose, not one of the expensive and larger kits for professionals.

[@james102377]

I've seen ads on Instagram for a magnetic jet you connect a garden hose to and insert it into a frame hole and it sprays in multiple directions. You just leave it in there onto the frame for a while and let it spray. Think it was around $100. You're only relying on whatever your water pressure is though.

[@captainotto]

@@james102377 I haven't come across those but it sounds like they are on the right track. I don't think it will remove much of the bad stuff though. Might be good for a quick flush but you really want to give it a good blasting because breaking up scale isn't really possible without high pressure. The other point that comes to mind is that drain jetting nozzles use some of the power to propel themselves (they have rear facing jets). This means you can start on one end of the frame, turn the thing on, and just fish it through the entire member in a matter of seconds. Then start on the other end and do the same thing. Now you've thoroughly flushed out the frame including sediment on both sides of the baffles, top, bottom, etc. Oh and if you ever try this, don't bother with the static nozzles. Just go straight to the rotating jetter. It's the only one that's really applicable to this job in my experience.

[@xs650abear6]

I've always wanted the military H1 with the diesel engine. H2 is cool too. I haven't had any problem with salt sticking to the fluid film but if it did there is still a barrier of film between the vehicle frame and the salt. Yes dirt and dust will stick to the fluid film. In spring just go through a car wash and get the chassis bath if you want the fluid film and dirt gone

[@captainotto]

@@xs650abear6 I'm almost a year in on my first lanolin treatment and its held up very well. I really can't speak highly enough of it. I did my rear inspection a week ago and only found one spot where a little bit of scale had formed and it was the towbar. Leaf springs had a bit of orange dust deep inside as well but that was it.

[@xs650abear6]

If you live in the rust belt, fluid film or wool wax the entire frame / undercarriage every fall just before winter starts. Here in upstate NY they salt the roads heavily and almost daily. My 07 Silverado frame is like new thanks to Fluid Film.

[@james102377]

This came from an auction so I was repairing it for resale but it's pretty insane for the year that the frame would rot to that point. They need to go back to the old style frames not box style. I've looked at every ford pickup that's come in and that spot between the cab and bed is always the worst spot so it's definitely the start point for rot due to rain coming down to it whether you live in the north or south. My hummer h2 frame has a lot of rust but nothing that'll make it weak. I thought about the oil undercoat but for some reason I can't help but think won't salt stick to it. I called to see how much it costs and the process and they said it's best to go up and down a dusty dirt road a few times after the coat which completely put me off confirming my thought that salt would stick as well. Not that I play but if I ever came into a large amount of money I would have my frame completely restored due to how much I love my hummer and how much money, blood, sweat, and tears I've put into it the past 2 years I've owned it. Everyone is always shocked and in awe of it's massive size and looking even larger being lifted and now with 40" tires it's even more impressive.....lol

[@robertkaspert4092]

Frames always get wet it's on the bottom of the truck. It doesn't matter what company makes it.

[@james102377]

It gets wet parked outside in the rain which makes it worse. What I'm describing, the rain comes down the frame from above just being parked outside and runs down the frame and into the frame through any of the factory holes in it. So if you already have old road salt or dirt in there from winter splashing up into it, just rain from above during the summer keeps wetting the crap inside rotting it outward so it rots year round hard instead of just winter. It's hard for me to explain it right.

[@johnkelly8525]

That looks great dude .l.know that works not easy

[@james102377]

Thanks

[@johnkelly8525]

Only stateing the truth my friend

[@Gilmore304]

Ok, A for effort however there’s factors at play here friend as being part of rust belt you have a process you never mentioned as part of PM responsibility. (Preventive Maintenance) You must do pre and post season on your vehicles living in area & this truck is either of the 90’s or early 2000’s I just can’t seem nail it but bevel in frame before rear tire I’ve seen before just can’t place exact year and make

[@james102377]

I've repaired a few now but this is the first time this bad and I myself didn't understand why until I had to take multiple days on it and it sat parked in the rain after part of the repair and I could see where all the rain was running down my repair the whole way. So just follow down between the cab and bed to the frame and go towards the front all the way to the transfer case shield bolts. You really can't tell they're rotting out like they are until it's too late. The driver's side was so bad I had to spend a whole day dropping the the gas tank and repairing the inside of the side praying I wasn't going to catch anything on fire. Had baggies zip tied around lines and blocked out of the way with pieces of steel but yea sparks were flying between welding and grinding. It worked out good though.

[@catbird1759]

You can thank your state for salting the roads. Don't see that in NC.

[@nikolap.9963]

Buddy..... 6bolts & bed is off so now you can look like a good WELDER ... just saying.

[@williamlogan1775]

OEMs dont manufacture structural chassis. Something like that is a result of living up north. Dont have those problems in middle tennessee.

[@JJLconsulting]

Where did you get the ladder and rack for your h2? Gobi?

[@james102377]

Came on it when I bought it but apparently certain packages came with that stuff because I've seen them for sale used. The company isn't in business anymore, MANIK. One of my Instagram friends turned me onto a company where he buys his ladders and racks. Fairly pricey though. Gobi.com I almost had to replace my ladder and gobi ladders are $400 each but not chrome.

[@edgerrr]

This is apparently a 2012. Ford now uses aluminum frames.

[@nathanmiller4754]

They do not use Aluminum frames just the cab and beds are aluminum even for the new 2024 year still steel frames

[@james102377]

Good to know. I've heard from someone else they went to aluminum frames too but never actually checked up on it myself because I don't ever plan on buying one but it would seem you'd need steel to meet safety standards among other reasons.

[@nathanmiller4754]

@@james102377yeah I’m a full time collision tech and we get a good amount of those trucks at the shop I work at

[@edgerrr]

@@nathanmiller4754 My bust. I got some bad info. You are correct.

[@eugenecundiff-nv2tn]

They thought about it because you can buy replacement frame from ford for around 1500 bux

[@james102377]

Lol i didn't know that but who's going to do that much work?

[@scubasteve7946]

Boxed frames are not better than C channel for this reason

[@james102377]

Yes! That's why Ford used to have great frames but crap bodies. Now it's reversed....lol

[@thomasdisharoon2512]

No way is that a new Ford truck. You never said what year. Is it in the rust belt. It is most likely a 2004 through 2014. And every vehicle has problems with road salt. Last I checked, aluminum does not rust to like steel bodies.

[@james102377]

I heard they went to aluminum but haven't seen one yet. Yea this is a 2012. My version of newer is less than 15 years old. Fords never had frame issues back in the day. The bodies would rot off and frames would still be sitting there. Now on Facebook marketplace you see these f150's in practically mint condition for parts because the frame is rotted out and yes they're older than 2014 but New Englanders especially massholes were I see most of them wash their vehicles on a regular basis and for the most part keep up on maintenance only to have frames rot out from under them. I can't wait to see what the calcium does to the aluminum frames. I see what it does to everything else.....lol

[@17kcotsdoow86]

What year are you working on?

[@james102377]

KZbin isn't telling me i have comments. It's a 2012 f150

[@17kcotsdoow86]

@james102377 Thanks for the heads up. Sadly, they're not the only ones. Just in the last few years, I have delivered many brand new full frames to Toyota and gm dealerships to replace rusted out frames on warranty.

[@michaelanthony1797]

FORD, just a four letter word.

[@vanpenguin22]

Good thing Ford trucks are way the hell overpriced

[@ProleDaddy]

It's the lowest cost 1/2 ton out there, last I looked.

[@vanpenguin22]

@ProleDaddy If the other yahoos are upward of $60k they can all go to hell

[@skyw4278]

water is wet.

[@james102377]

😂😂😂😂

[@shaun8256]

Recycled steel!

[@james102377]

😂😂😂 from china

[@everettpittman3536]

evidently this guy doesnt know his arse from a hole in the grown that frame rot is not from rain water running down bwrween cab and bed its from that truck being up north where they used salt on the damn roads not from the rain

[@james102377]

If you had a half the brain I have, you'd be able to identify that there's an issue beyond that. When they're rotting the worst in the same spot and the rust gets less the further out you go from that point, it because there's an issue at that area that needs to be addressed. Same goes for anything else. If a house burns down you can't assume just because it was old all the wiring was bad when it mightve been the wood stove that caused it. Stupid analogy but I'm in a hurry because I'm at work. I have a methodical mind and was pulling apart things and destroying things in elementary school just to see how they work. You would have to have seen what I saw prior to repairing to even start to understand how I came to this conclusion. I can't go on about other parts of the frame because I haven't dealt with other parts but this section gets hammered with rain whether your driving or parked. Water runs down and in holes and any sediment that has collected in the frame continues to stay wet eating away at it.

[@lazypurplepeeps4393]

Just dont buy a Ford!!

[@tylerking27]

Or any other brand, they’re all junk these days!!

[@ProleDaddy]

It's systemic, boys. Profit is a capitalist deal.