When did cars make a jump(s) in corrosion resistance?

L

larryq

I have a 1996 Dodge Neon that is rust free, and I live near the coast, so plenty of fog here. I've never garaged it, always parked outside at night. There are plenty of mid 90s cars in the same condition as mine, rust free, and even 1980s models.

However, how many 1966 Mustangs were rust-free in 1986? I'm sure there were some, garaged and babied, but I'm talking about the aggregate here-- I doubt many mid 60s vehicles didn't have rust problems by the mid 80s, those that were still around and not junked because of mechanical issues. And I'm sure mid 1950s vehicles were even worse in terms of metallurgy than the '66 Mustangs. (How many 1956 Bel Aires were still on the road in 1976 I wonder, that hadn't had serious resto work?)

Does anyone know what specific improvements were made that led to where we are today, and when they were made, I'm curious to know?
 
I don't remember when but seemed to me years ago like in the late 80's or early 90's there was some law that required new cars have a 5 or 7 year protection. about the time they started using body cavity wax, maybe someone else will know the correct answer???!!!
 
A more correct question would be---when did they start doing something about rust prevention. I remember in the 50s and 60s in the rust belt states, it was common for 3 year old cars to have a rust hole in the bottom of the front fender. In 1966 a friend of mine bought a new Ford and said he was going to keep it in the garage and only drive it at certain times so it would last 10 years.

Just information for the younger guys here, there were mechanical issues back then also, it was a milestone for a car to get to 100,000 miles in those days. I bought a 55 Chevy in 1964 that came up from the south, and it was one of the very few still on the road in my area.

The manufacturers were normally doing a major design change every three years, and it was meant for new car customers to replace their cars every 1-3 three years.

They sure don't make em like they use to. And thanks very much for that.:cool:
 
At some point they began completely immersing welded bodies into e-coat, which helped a lot. Also, many but not all makers now use double-sided galvanneal panels. I don't know the timeline for these changes, but it seems that they happened gradually during the '80s.
 
Where I'm at (W.Pa) guaranteed 3yrs and a truck will need patch panels on the bed sides or replaced altogether and rockers will start blooming. So I'm not sure about any good rust coating the big three are doing Honda's, Toyota's and Nissans are no better. The best longest lasting ones in my neck of the woods are the better German makes (BMW, Volvo, Jag and the newer Benz's). I think they have started to figure out where to seal them from the elements more so then applying a good coating. What they have to do is get rid of that crap spray foam they put in those tight spots because when I open the panels up for replacement it is always wet like a sponge and full of dusty dirt that grinds away at whatever coating they do put on and they apply foam before they apply a coating because it has that coating on the top exposed layer of foam.

So IMO they have a long way to go because when you buy a new 4x4 truck for example, at $50-80k IMO it better last as long as the loan payments before it rusts away.

At least with the older makes you had time to clean the rust and repaint and get buy a couple more years, now when you see it it is more then likely too late for any reasonable fix.
 
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This^ living in central MN it is not uncommon for a 5 year old vehicle to have substantial rust. The last truck I looked at was a 2012 and the substructure for the bed was almost completely gone.
 
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