Hey, this might seem like a stupid question....(aren't they all, at first? Hehe...)
....but what truly drives the need/desire to Line-X the lower body?
Is it mostly for rust prevention?
If so, I'm a bit stumped as to the actual likely effectiveness of that....since I understand that most sheetmetal rust actually starts
inside the panels, where moisture (and potentially road salt) linger.....not on the body panels' outside surfaces. And it seems that if rust control is indeed the goal, then the entire
underbody of the van (frame & untreated iron/steel suspension/driveline members) would probably benefit most from such a coating....though that would probably make any future disassembly of, or maintenance on components underneath a royal PITA.
Or....is it more to control stone chips? Paint/appearance preservation?
Here I'm curious too --- mostly because OEM-applied (right from the factory) standard lower-body paint finishes are usually
already a high-durability, "stippled" or rippled, rubberized finish to begin with. (Color matched to the main body.) Even my 1995 E-series has it applied along the rockers, I believe....it seems to do a half-decent job of keeping chips under control.
Or....is it purely an aesthetic choice? Done simply to increase the rugged look of the van?
I can dig that.