So my cars are in pretty good shape as far as rust goes, but I would like to keep them that way, especially now that I am moving to the rust belt.
My biggest fear, and a hard place to reach, is inside a box frame. I fear that the holes that are in the frame from the factory are going to easily allow salt in, and they will.
I am reaching out to you pros so that you can educate me why I can't just put some duct tape over the ones in the side of the frame during winter? I figure that way, the salt can't easily get in to begin with. I figure the holes on the bottom are needed for draining any water out, not sure it would be good to cover them...well maybe not entirely.
Thanks so much for your help!
Welcome to the rust belt!
The holes are put there by the factory to let water drain out. (They are not perfectly sealed against the elements.) If you cover the holes up you'll be causing the frame to rot from the inside out as moisture gets trapped in there.
I spray Fluid Film on the underside of my winter-use vehicles, including inside those factory holes, each fall. It has done a very good job of retarding corrosion. There are a number of similar products on the market.
I have not heard of anyone doing that and my fear would be moisture getting trapped making matters worse. Listen to what Scotty says starting at 6:25.
By doing so, you'd be doing just the opposite. There are several rust preventative treatments available. Once you move up there, find out what's available and which seems to work best.
duct tape
duct tape would last a month, maybe two.
You want as much drainage and air flow through the frame as possible.
Nooo plugging holes, you want that thing to drain & be able to get into difficult spots with a hose.
If a vehicle comes with plugs, I pull them. Once I do all sorts of nasty such as nests & pounds of salt/sand come pouring out. Sometimes dead rodents.
Regardless of what you do in the rustbelt that vehicle will rot, it just depends on how quickly this happens by how much cleaning you put into it.
If you want something to last the only solution is to take it off the road from the first snow until the municipality sweeps the roads in late spring. Other than that the clock is ticking, slow down the speed with soap/water/wax at a selfserve wash where you can clean it all weekly.
