- First Name
- Rick
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2022
- Threads
- 15
- Messages
- 582
- Reaction score
- 478
- Location
- Sarver Pa.
- Vehicle(s)
- 07 Focus wagon 06 Silverado 4x4
- Engine
- 2.5L Hybrid
Only the hood is aluminum. Unibodies rot out easier than a frame. Unibodies have lots of overlapping panels that are spot welded. Those actually rust easy between the layers of metal.Sorry but I had to correct the typos and improper grammar. It was driving me crazy. Now that it's fixed, I can answer your questions. Some of the traditional and cost-effective things to do would be a bug deflector, mud guards, and all-weather mats. If you live in colder climate, I would suggest a hard tri-fold tonneau cover so it can take snow atop of it. Like someone else mentioned, the tailgate assist is an easy, affordable and practical modification, especially if you plan on using the bed frequently.
Things not to do would be aftermarket lights and lifts. For me, this is more of a personal taste but I've never been a fan of trucks with 2+inch lifts that have giant, off-road boggers that generate a lot of noise and gaudy chrome wheels. It's one thing in you're in an environment where it's essential to have higher ground clearance such as living off the grid, on a farm or if you intend to off-road it for pleasure. But most is done for show and keeping it as stock as possible is the best and cheapest solution. Less premature wear and tear in the long run on your control arms, springs, ECM and battery.
I would say rust shouldn't be too much of issue since most panels on the truck are made out of aliminum such as the hood, roof and front quarter panels. And it's unibody so there's no separate ladder frame underneath the truck the body is bolted onto. No having to worry about frame rot. But there have been reported issues of bubbling paint on the steel panels. I wouldn't worry about it too much since it's an isolated issue. Taking good care your truck such as waxing and ceramic coatings helps preventatively.
Sponsored