Wanted some thoughts regarding the drip rail area of the cab. We all know by now that that part of our trucks is prone to rust due to cracking seam sealer that allows moisture to sit in the drip rail groove.
I've learned from Keiths posts showing detailed photos of not only how to detect this problem but also how to help prevent it. (Thanks Keith
) As most of you may know, Im preparing a cab for my 70. I've finally got the floor done so before I actually set it on the frame I wanted to take care of the drip rail area while its still easily accessible.
With the cab still sitting on the ground, I've found it much easier to work on the entire roof panel and drip rail because its currently about shoulder heighth to me right now.
Not having to crawl across a hood or stand and balance on a frame rail or ladder to properly reach this area has been nice so far.
I have dug out every bit of old seam sealer and cleaned out the entire drip rail with a wire brush on a drill. All the way down to bare shiny metal.
After inspecting every inch of the drip rails top and bottom side I was delighted to find no rust. None, nada, zippo.
So far, I've treated the whole drip rail (Top and bottom) with Permatex brand rust treatment. But that was just temporary cuz I had nothing else at the time and didn't wanna leave bare metal while I worked on other parts of the truck.
I now plan to apply a coat of Rust Bullet as I've come to like this product and then apply primer and finally paint.
Might seem overkill to most folks but I have just experienced first hand the sad damage that can occur when that area begins to rust and I don't want it happening to this cab.
My question is this:
I think the proper thing to do is clean out the drip rail, treat the area with some sort of rust preventative, and then apply a new bead of seam sealer before painting.
But what if no new seam sealer is applied?
What if a person just properly cleaned and treated/painted the drip rail instead?
Wouldn't it be easier to keep clean and detect future issues before they cause any permanent damage?
My thinking is that if there is no seam sealer in the groove to crack and trap moisture then there shouldn't be an issue with that area rusting as long as you keep trash from accumulating up there.
What do you think? Im open for suggestions.
