So I just bought a "new" Chrysler Town & Country for us. It's a 2005 with 120k, and, here's the important bit, I flew down to the South to buy it, so no rust! This is opposed to my 05 t&c that's lived in CT all it's life and the rockers are rotting away.
This is a common problem on these vans, they rust like a Miata in front of the rear wheels, but also in the same area behind the front wheels. It's exacerbated by Chrysler deciding it was a good idea to fill the running boards with foam that holds the moisture quite effectively.
I've already done the rear rust repair on my "old" van, and I'm soon to start the front.
How dumb do you guys think it would be too cut the bottom of the running boards out to remove the foam and install a few oiling ports into the "new" rust-free van when I reweld them back in?
Or would the smarter thing to do be to wait a few years until it starts rusting and then deal with it?
Unfortunately, the rust preventives aren't going to work here due to the expanding foam..
Yup ! That's dumb as dreck !
I'd do the foam removal now. And any areas that will get tire spray directly into them and can trap it should be closed up.
Remove the foam. But before cutting and welding, is there a chemical way to eat the foam out? Like Styrofoam and gasoline.
You're nuts. Drive it 100k miles, and sell it with less rust than the other 20yo 220k mile vans for more than the other vans.
Worry less.
Vigo
UltimaDork
8/26/17 7:37 p.m.
I would not say this idea was crazy except that those vans are so easily replacable. If you want to keep this one a LONG time then go for it. If you don't, just let it rot and then buy another newer southern vehicle.
I spray Fluid Film under my truck liberally 2 times a year and it works really well. That being said, it's 30 years old and hard to find up here. A Chrysler van , I'd probably spray the underside really well ONCE then just make sure to run it through a carwash once a month. If it dies, you aren't emotional attached to it I hope.
Fluid film. My mom's 05 astro came from utah 5 years ago and still looks like it's never seen salt. We did the truck and charger before winter and will do them every fall.
Dusterbd - I like that idea. Fortunately(?), It's accessable on my "old" van. I'll see what dissolves it. I'm thinking acetone.
I don't think fluid film will help much here, the underside of the other van still looks good, it's just the running boards/rockers/whatever-you-call-it area that seems to rot from the inside out, and I can't get good coverage inside of there due to the foam.
Also up for debate:
Fluid film vs Eastwood's internal frame coating?
Also, it's not really an issue of being attached to the van, per se, it's an issue of throwing away a $5000 vehicle because I didn't do 8 hours worth of work..
The question really is if I'm going to invite more problems by opening it up and preemptively dealing with it than if I waited.
It was difficult to find metal to weld the repair to on the other van.
