Do you have rust on your 2005+ Mustang?
Do you have rust on your 2005+ Mustang?
Mach 1 Member
Joined: August 25, 2006
Posts: 914
Likes: 0
If I had rust on a 8month old car I'd be ****ed.
The only place I expect rust is on the exhaust components just because they get hot and cold and are subject to a lot of water hitting them..
then again it rains here in Socal probaby once a year.... if we are lucky.
The only place I expect rust is on the exhaust components just because they get hot and cold and are subject to a lot of water hitting them..
then again it rains here in Socal probaby once a year.... if we are lucky.
Mach 1 Member
Joined: August 31, 2006
Posts: 644
Likes: 0
I just posted on this topic. I think on the GT Tech forum. My rear suspension is pretty rusty in a few spots. Car is an '05. The axle shaft housings, brake mountings, and parts of the shock mounts, etc. I've just been cleaning them up and painting them with Rustoleum. Looks much better. I think it's from the liquid ice melter they use on the roads out here. It's pretty nasty stuff.
Bullitt Member
Joined: July 24, 2005
Posts: 440
Likes: 0
In regards to rusty exhaust manifolds:
Almost all factory exhaust manifolds are made of cast iron. Almost all factory exhaust manifolds are NOT painted. They are not painted because they run so hot that paint will just burn, discolor and flake off. So yes they will rust. They are also very thick and I have never seen an exhaust manifold rust through. Crack yes but never rust through. It's only surface rust and while it doesn't look good it's harmless. Due to these reasons they also rust on every other car that was ever made. This is nothing new and nothing peculiar to the Mustang. A good excuse to replace them with ceramic coated long tube headers. They run cooler which reduces load on your cooling system and will reduce under hood temperatures to say nothing of the benefits of greatly improved flow characteristics. With these S197 cars long tube headers are the ONLY exhaust upgrade that will show any significant gain. (Usually somewhere between 20 - 30 hp with a good tune)
In regards to other parts rusting:
These like other cars are mass produced. No car manufacturer can keep production costs down and provide intricate detailing on any mass produced car. The solution:
If rusty parts bother you, remove the ones that you can, prep them, paint them and put them back on. That's what I did with some of them, some I painted in place but that's just me.
Almost all factory exhaust manifolds are made of cast iron. Almost all factory exhaust manifolds are NOT painted. They are not painted because they run so hot that paint will just burn, discolor and flake off. So yes they will rust. They are also very thick and I have never seen an exhaust manifold rust through. Crack yes but never rust through. It's only surface rust and while it doesn't look good it's harmless. Due to these reasons they also rust on every other car that was ever made. This is nothing new and nothing peculiar to the Mustang. A good excuse to replace them with ceramic coated long tube headers. They run cooler which reduces load on your cooling system and will reduce under hood temperatures to say nothing of the benefits of greatly improved flow characteristics. With these S197 cars long tube headers are the ONLY exhaust upgrade that will show any significant gain. (Usually somewhere between 20 - 30 hp with a good tune)
In regards to other parts rusting:
These like other cars are mass produced. No car manufacturer can keep production costs down and provide intricate detailing on any mass produced car. The solution:
If rusty parts bother you, remove the ones that you can, prep them, paint them and put them back on. That's what I did with some of them, some I painted in place but that's just me.
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: October 2, 2006
Posts: 4,777
Likes: 16
From: Southeast Michigan
In regards to rusty exhaust manifolds:
Almost all factory exhaust manifolds are made of cast iron. Almost all factory exhaust manifolds are NOT painted. They are not painted because they run so hot that paint will just burn, discolor and flake off. So yes they will rust. They are also very thick and I have never seen an exhaust manifold rust through. Crack yes but never rust through. It's only surface rust and while it doesn't look good it's harmless. Due to these reasons they also rust on every other car that was ever made. This is nothing new and nothing peculiar to the Mustang. A good excuse to replace them with ceramic coated long tube headers. They run cooler which reduces load on your cooling system and will reduce under hood temperatures to say nothing of the benefits of greatly improved flow characteristics. With these S197 cars long tube headers are the ONLY exhaust upgrade that will show any significant gain. (Usually somewhere between 20 - 30 hp with a good tune)
In regards to other parts rusting:
These like other cars are mass produced. No car manufacturer can keep production costs down and provide intricate detailing on any mass produced car. The solution:
If rusty parts bother you, remove the ones that you can, prep them, paint them and put them back on. That's what I did with some of them, some I painted in place but that's just me.
Almost all factory exhaust manifolds are made of cast iron. Almost all factory exhaust manifolds are NOT painted. They are not painted because they run so hot that paint will just burn, discolor and flake off. So yes they will rust. They are also very thick and I have never seen an exhaust manifold rust through. Crack yes but never rust through. It's only surface rust and while it doesn't look good it's harmless. Due to these reasons they also rust on every other car that was ever made. This is nothing new and nothing peculiar to the Mustang. A good excuse to replace them with ceramic coated long tube headers. They run cooler which reduces load on your cooling system and will reduce under hood temperatures to say nothing of the benefits of greatly improved flow characteristics. With these S197 cars long tube headers are the ONLY exhaust upgrade that will show any significant gain. (Usually somewhere between 20 - 30 hp with a good tune)
In regards to other parts rusting:
These like other cars are mass produced. No car manufacturer can keep production costs down and provide intricate detailing on any mass produced car. The solution:
If rusty parts bother you, remove the ones that you can, prep them, paint them and put them back on. That's what I did with some of them, some I painted in place but that's just me.
The 2003 E-250 on the other hand, came with a painted rear end assembly (black epoxy paint). Then again, this was a Dana 60 rear end and not a Visteon 8.8". Dana probably specified a protective coating for its axle assemblies.
Cobra R Member
Joined: January 12, 2007
Posts: 1,875
Likes: 0
The headers and other exhaust parts rust and usually for a long while and usually a lot of use this will only be surface rust. Surface rust is known as discoloration on such cast iron and stainless steel. However Ford does not consider surface rust as rust under their warranty. So take care of any unpainted areas accordingly whether or not under warranty. Keep your car cleaned, waxed, and dry.
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: October 2, 2006
Posts: 4,777
Likes: 16
From: Southeast Michigan
The cool part about the Mustang is that they have a large selection of affordable aftermarket exhaust parts. If your cats rust out, you can get an off-road X/H pipe or X/H-pipe with cats for a fraction of the OEM cats. I'm not worried about the exhaust on the Stang at all. I'm more worried about the body and chassis though.
Cobra R Member
Joined: January 12, 2007
Posts: 1,875
Likes: 0
I'm with metroplex, I already have an aftermarket exhaust, but the new body hasnt been out enough time to rust. So it may be a 5 yr rust bucket or last a lifetime with nothing, theres no evidence either way.
