Zincs or other tips to stop rust on truck ?

[Seaweed Doc]

I'm thinking about replacing my 16 year old Dodge Dakota pickup. I'd hope to run it another 10 years and let it slowly rust away, but reliability is starting to be an issue.

Since I've become an Instructor, my "dives per year" has increased and so has the rate of oxidation in the tailgate and bed of the truck. If I pay for a new truck, I'd want to minimize this as much as possible. Any advice on any of the following?

1. Has anybody attached zincs to either the tailgate and/or the bed of their truck? Did it work?

2. The new Fords have aluminum bodies. Does anybody have comparable experience with these vs. steel truck beds?

3. My current truck does have a Line-X sprayed-in bed liner, but bolts penetrate through this.

4. I try to rinse out the bed after diving, but knowing who I am there's no way I'm going to hose it down after a weeknight dive in the middle of a freeze in January. And I may be tempted not to after an afternoon dive under the same conditions. Or for that matter, the bed rinse may get skipped if family plans make for a crazy day post-diving.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Jcp2]

Zincs won’t work in air because they depends on electron flow through the water to act as the sacrificial metal. The aluminum beds on some trucks are likelier better solution, although that won’t stop rusting on other parts that are still steel.

 

[broncobowsher]

Toyota has a plastic bed. But I have also heard that the frame rust issues are not completely gone away either. Just not as bad as they were.

Pouring salt water (dripping salt dive gear) is going to be hard on anything. I've seen plenty of pitted aluminum tanks to say that it isn't a perfect answer either.

Your anode idea will probably make things worse with galvanic corrosion. Anodes work in things with lots of water, like boats and water heaters.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

How about putting gear in plastic containers?

 

[happy-diver]

I sealed the bed with some sort of gunk and put a 10mm sheet of sacrificial custom wood on top

The tailgate was the sacrificial annode, the top of that got abused

It's all not that difficultly replaceable

 

[chris kippax]

How about putting gear in plastic containers?

Yep, I just use big ass Nally tubs

 

[johndiver999]

Uline Trash Can - 32 Gallon, Gray H-3687GR - Uline

 

[Seaweed Doc]

How about putting gear in plastic containers?

"johndiver999", post: 9480109, member: 20234"]How about putting gear in plastic containers?

Ordinarily yes, but the cool part about a truck is I can sit on the tailgate and take off my tank. That's where I think most of the problem is happening. My suit and BCD leave a lot of standing water in the depressions on the tailgate. I also carry a buoy (large, aluminum frame and innertube in the middle). It won't fit in a plastic container.

@johndiver999, same issue with the trash can. That, and the truck's canopy.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

I sealed the bed with some sort of gunk and put a 10mm sheet of sacrificial custom wood on top

The tailgate was the sacrificial annode, the top of that got abused

It's all not that difficultly replaceable

That's where most of my rust issues are. That, and the bumper. But as you note both are replaceable. Maybe that's how I should think of it.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Toyota has a plastic bed. But I have also heard that the frame rust issues are not completely gone away either. Just not as bad as they were.

Pouring salt water (dripping salt dive gear) is going to be hard on anything. I've seen plenty of pitted aluminum tanks to say that it isn't a perfect answer either.

Your anode idea will probably make things worse with galvanic corrosion. Anodes work in things with lots of water, like boats and water heaters.

Isn't galvanic corrosion the goal? Get the anode to corrode instead of the steel or aluminum? I'm wondering why it would be worse when dry. No effect makes sense to me, but I don't know the chemistry behind why it would be worse?

I'd appreciate an education on this....