Rust is considered to be the cancer of the automotive world, as the damage it causes is rarely fixable. But if you prevent it from happening to your truck in the first place, then you're ahead of the game.
Crawl underneath your truck to look for any rusted spots on the frame or the body. Early detection is the key to stopping rust.
Brush off rust or scale from the body or frame using the wire brush. You want the rust to be minimal and not get any worse.
Spray rust encapsulator on the rusted spot. This will stop the rust from growing any further and not allow it to grow anew.
Paint over the rust encapsulator using the black spray paint after the rust encapsulator has cured. This will keep the area looking good.
Spray rubberized undercoating on the bottom of the cab and bed of the truck. Rubberized undercoating is thicker than normal paint and is more difficult to scratch or chip. One of the ways rust gets into the vehicle is through bare metal. Putting a heavier coating over it will help to seal it from future damage.
Wash off the vehicle thoroughly after driving on a salted road, particularly the underbody. Salted roads cause significant rust problems for trucks. The key is to get it off quickly. Spraying down the truck with water after a drive will help to curb rust problems before they start.
Avoid parking near the ocean for days or weeks at a time. Salt air also causes damage to vehicles, so if you have a place on or near the beach, try to park a little farther away. Alternatively, wash your vehicle frequently to keep any residual mist off of the vehicle.
