6xStang

The body panels and sources of rust-through warranteed. Surface rust on the rear differential, springs, etc, will not harm anything; the rust is actually a protective coating.

I suppose if you are planning on keeping the car for 25 years then a painstaking painting or protecting program might make some sense, but this is not something new or unusual for American cars. Japanese cars started the factory undercarriage coating concept years ago to keep the untreated surfaces from rusting on the long, damp and salty boat rides from the land of the rising sun.

Yeah it's prettier if its painted, but surface rust is not necessarily a big deal. My 1996 Jeep came looking all nice and unprotected like the photo above, it surface rusted almost immediately, and 10 years later is doing quite well (though I sold it to my BIL).

Here in the Nation's capital they started installing unpainted steel highway barriers on some scenic roads a few years ago, on the theroy that they would get a nice rustic protective rust coating that will look "natural." It works fine, there are numerous 10 year old barriers taht still look fine except for some on the rust stains on the concrete that look a little seedy.

IMO those gunky undercoating treatments of the undercarriage just make it messier and sloppier to work on the car........

Stoenr

[sm=oopssign.gif] wheres the pic?

6xStang

I'm far too lazy and disorganized to go find my own pic; I was referring to your pretty pic in post #16 of this thread. My jeep looked like that when it was new, then parts quickly became orange, then the undercarriage took on the typical grimy undercarriage look.

Stoenr

Oh, lol sorry. Yeah, rust, the unique feature....

ford4v429

yeah- and I kinda think it may also contribute to the fuel filling issue- the only visible lines from one tank to the other(I know - its actually one tank) go into this- looks like maybe the charcoal vapor canister is in there, and I'd read somewhere that this was restricing venting somehow...lot of weird plumbing in there...I think the pump is in the tank, but maybe its back there with dual inlets? I'll have to listen and have someone turn the key on before I get mine back on the ground.