1966 Torque boxes

Is there an easy way to clean the dirt and rust from the inside of the torque boxes in a '66? I have noticed that they collect a lot of trash and I would like to clean them and solve this problem long term. Any help is appreciated.
[addsig]

pressure washer and an air gun after you are done.

Water doesn't cause rust by itself, the rust starts when the water doesn't drain. Mud stays moist sticking to the metal, thats one of the big problems with early Fords.

A lot of designs had places that collect mud...57-58 Fords are notorious for collecting mud in the eyebrowse above the head lights, in the lower edge of the front fenders, near the door hinge, in the pockets above the rear wheel wells and in the pockets between the trunk floor and innner/outer fender. Almost everyone of them will have rust in those areas.

The reason so few 64 Galaxie rear bumpers survive is rust, mud collects after being thrown off the rear tires, collects inside the bumper just below the tail lights, and starts the rust. Its hard notice and easy to miss when cleaning the cars, so you could easily collect pounds of sticky southern clay mud back there (or road salt) which would not be noticed until the rust start bubbling through the chrome...of course, by that time., the bumper is lost.

As you noted, 65-66 Galaxies have trouble areas in the frame rails, front torque boxes and the kick up above the rear axel. There is very little in the way of drainage from the bottom, but lots of little opening which can allow dirt, road salt to get inside the frame and stick to the walls. Frames that look perfectly solid from the outside could be as thin as aluminum foil - rusting from the inside out. the way to handle the problem is to keep them clean and clear inside. what you don't want to do is cover or seal either the drain holes or lock the moisture and rust under an undercoat...that only hides the problem - it'll simmer under there and come back to bite a hole in your wallet for a replacement frame down the line. Just make sure you clean the frame inside at least every year. If you just have to spend some money, body off, have the frame sand blasted, clean and dry - then powder coated. I would still do the annual cleanup though.

_________________
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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Beoweolf on 4/18/07 11:28am ]</font>

Is the entire frame a concern? Can all of the trouble spots be hit with the pressure washer? Is a product like POR15 a good or bad idea after drying? I'm concerned because I used a screwdriver and poked at the caked, dried mud. A lot came out along with some flakes of rust. Your right when you say rusting from the inside out.
[addsig]