Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living What a mess!

One of my side saddle tool boxes mounted under my flatbed truck decided to start leaking at the seals of the door.

Guess it was over a week since I opened it. Opened 'er up and about an inch of water was standing in the bottom.

Channel locks, hammer, a socket set, and a cotter pin set were the worst victims.

Thick, black rust on there.

Anything I can do to help recover the items that weren't chrome plated?

Ideas?

Soak em in penetrating oil, like Grandad used to do.

Got things soaking in a gasoline/diesel mix now.

Maybe that'll help a bit.

Vinegar is cheap and removes rust pronto....

I'd bead blast it off.

Yep, vinegar or lemon juice and a brass brush.

I had the same problem on one of the boxes on my wife's horse hauler.

Soaked them in diesel fuel and then wire-brushed them. The sockets and cotter pin kit I'd have to consider the reverse electrolysis process if they really meant that much.

Ed

Toss some pea gravel and coarse sand into your cement mixer,and the rasty items in behind, run ...good "never sweat" primary process.

Pull the cotter keys back out with a magnet.

GTC

You're a pretty fart smeller!

I mean smart feller!

I'd do exactly that iffin I had a mixer. Kinda thought about getting one, but just wouldn't use it much right now.

Do have a sand blaster though. May give that a spin.

Thanks guys!

Works on short pieces of chain too. miles

Those side boxes are the worst for leaking.


BTDT all the time.

I put some soft weather stripping all around the seal.

It worked for the other side last year. Hope it does for this side as well... We'll see.

maybe drill a drain hole....?

I tried that with the first one. Ended up taping it up.

That used to work for me in a truck bed box, but it let more water in on the bottom boxes when driving on wet highway. Probably aerodynamics pulling the water through the hole and venting out the seal at the top? Just guessing...