buying a van w/corrosion on it.

[ziggy]

i'm needing to replace my work van. a 99 chevy express 3500 w/5.7L vortec. has 206,000 on it.

i want the same van i got. i like it. so a chevy express 3500 cargo van. these aren't to easy to find but i found one 33 miles away.

problem, i think is. it has corrosion on it like a boat?????
the frame looks rusty. the body of the truck not so much. it's an 05 chevy express 3500 w/6.0L. 116,000 miles on it. also, it has white corrosion on the alum. parts. like the transmission and alt body. white spots all over them and anything else aluminum. also, some fasteners seem to be rusty. like the nut's that hold the seat base to the floor of the truck. the nut is rusty, but not the bolt....

my first thought is that it was sunk in water. flooded. but the car fax came back as that's not so...

i've talked w/ my mechanic and he says he's seem the likes coming from vehicles from coastal areas. that end up making there way to nebraska. this van was a leased truck that originated in oklahoma, then went to chicago, now, here via a dealer auto auction. so it didn't come from the coast.

the van drives good, don't have rust on the body except for a few minor dents that turned to surface rust.

my question. should i take my chance on this. my mechanic says the biggest obstacle will likely be repairing where ya have to take rusty fasteners loose. they'll break off and cause him pain and me money....

any ideas on how a truck would get in this condition? it's like it's been boating is salt water....

any comments on the 6.0L vortec engine. i'm not familiar with it. i want long lasting like my 5.7 has been.
the van is everything i want. price is 10k.
it's going to my mechanic for pre purchase inspection on monday.

 

[ziggy]

oh, and a link to the van in question....

 

[rbh]

it was a lease truck so you know who ever drove it probably did not to good care of it.
Any vehicle that was driven in an area where they use high amounts of salt or that liquid ice melter stuff is going to have corrosion issues, if it is just some aluminum oxidizing and rusting nuts you will need to spend a bit of time power washing the underneath and clean up the rusty bits, but if is already eating the metal skin, walk away.

 

[MTboatguy]

All it takes to form rust and corrosion on the aluminum and unprotected steel is a season of driving on treated roads in a snow/ice prone area, the last new truck I bought formed corrosion in one winter season where I live. They use a lot of corrosive solutions on the roads around here in the winter. It is not unusual to see surface corrosion on vehicles that have set for a while, it just depends on how well they were protected when new and how much humidity the area averages during the year. I dare say, there are not many vehicles out there that don't have some surface corrosion going on, they are really few and far between and normally come from very dry states like AZ, NM, NV, etc.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the corrosion you describe is common for those of use who grew up in the midwest (such as chicago). its called winter and road de-icing salt.

 

[thumpar]

Like other posted the, the de-icer is probably the reason for the corrosion. The 6.0l is a great engine but uses a fair amount of fuel from what I have heard. Do they offer them with a 5.3l? Those are great. The suburban I lost custody of had the 5.3l and 385,000+ miles on it and is still going strong. My Yukon with the 5.3l has 280,000 miles on it and that is what I use to pull my boat (about 4500lbs loaded).

 

[bruceb58]

My 1999 Chevy Silverado still looks like brand new underneath it. I would never buy a truck that had rust underneath it like that.

 

[MTboatguy]

My 1999 Chevy Silverado still looks like brand new underneath it. I would never buy a truck that had rust underneath it like that.

Bruce, you are blessed, unless we put a double undercoat on our rigs in the northern tier, we really don't have the benefit of turning them down because they have some corrosion on the bottom of them, there are some advantages to living in the southern part of the US.

 

[bruceb58]

I have a friend that lives in a state that uses salt. He is very religious about getting the undercarriage washed.

 

[Scott Danforth]

having spent way too many years maintaining vehicles driven in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois, you can wash every day, salt will still eat up the vehicles from the road up. Dad's truck has had new brake lines replaced 4 times, the cooling lines to the trans 3 times, 1 replacement oil pan, 3 replacement differential covers, 4 front fenders, etc. he will soon need a set of injector lines. road salt sucks. If you want rust free, look for a van from Texas that has not been on the coast.

 

[MTboatguy]

I have a friend that lives in a state that uses salt. He is very religious about getting the undercarriage washed.

Okay, unfortunately, that is not realistic for many of us. I spend 6 months of the year driving on treated roads.

 

[bruceb58]

I would pass on this truck and buy one from your region or another with no corrosion.

 

[ziggy]

thanks for the comments folks...

Any vehicle that was driven in an area where they use high amounts of salt or that liquid ice melter stuff is going to have corrosion issues, if it is just some aluminum oxidizing and rusting nuts you will need to spend a bit of time power washing the underneath and clean up the rusty bits, but if is already eating the metal skin, walk away.

well, they used salt here up till last year. now it's some beet juice/salt slime mix. so i am used to rust. but my 99 van don't have any white corrosion on the alum. parts. or rusted nuts.

from the sounds of the others comments. i'm sure considering passing on this van... i've been out camping sat. night and canoeing. even w/o reading these comments i'm leaning to not getting it. i've already in my life, ran 2 cars till they weren't safe to drive due to rust. so i am unfortunately famalier with it. i just never seen one with this white corrosion on the alum. that don't happen here in NE. just rusts the sheet metal bodies away..like on my 99 van. the passenger rocker is mostly gone. that's what i'm used to...

thank you everyone again for the comments.
now i just got tonight to mull it over. i sure am beat from a overnight camp trip and lots of canoeing.

 

[MTboatguy]

If you are having doubts, then by all means, don't buy it, that is never the beginning of a good relationship, there are lots of cars out there.

But I will tell you, white surface corrosion on the aluminum parts is really not a big deal, they don't seal the aluminum these days like they used to.

 

[ziggy]

thanks for the help folks.
i looked at that van again today. drove it 40 miles to my mechanic. while i was waiting to have him look at it. i got under it and crawled ft to back. just to much rust. all welds, every fastener, brake lines, trans. cooling lines, exhaust pipe, exhaust manifolds. the rust was bleeding from the fasteners to the body of the van, flakes of rust coming off the frame... i just couldn't do it....
i passed.....

thanks for all the heads up. iboats comes through again. i think ya folks saved me some grief... i'll have to wait for the next one to come along....

 

[bruceb58]

My brother is a used car dealer and currently runs a large auto auction. One of his most lucrative businesses was wholesaling clean vehicles to dealers in the rust areas from southern California.

 

[Maclin]

What all work does the current van need that $10k budget could not make like new? Just curious.

 

[ziggy]

What all work does the current van need that $10k budget could not make like new? Just curious.

point taken and i've certainly considered this option.
the list to the best of my knowledge.

passenger rocker panel, gone starting to take out bottom of both side cargo doors and ft. passenger door.
driver rocker is much better and almost intact, but ya can see the rust starting to bleed and i'd say it's on it's way.
engine clicks when ya start it up. in warm weather the clicking goes away in maybe 10-20 secs. in freezing cold weather it takes a min. or two before it stops clicking. lifters?
my mech. says don't tow as the pinion brg. is going out in the differential.

things i live with. air bag light on and security light on. the air bag i don't care about and the security light being on is what lets it start and run. the oem security system has failed. it's a known defect on that era gm cars and trucks.

who knows, i've tried to care for the engine best i can. regular oil changes etc. it might go for a while. if it died i suppose a new short block.

i have thought about it. what i've stated might be 10K. + the down time. when it's down, i don't work.

My brother is a used car dealer and currently runs a large auto auction. One of his most lucrative businesses was wholesaling clean vehicles to dealers in the rust areas from southern California.

yep, that's what i need. exactly....

if one of the above goes south. short of the body rust. i'll likely fix whatever breaks.

 

[Maclin]

I get the down time, makes sense to do a well-prepared "swap"..

 

[keith2k455]

You ever consider a lighter duty van and just upgrade the suspension