In service tanks to be specific.

So it seems to be de rigueur that models show rusty exhausts. I can believe exhaust systems corroded pretty fast.

What about other metal bits hanging around the outside of the tank - things that aren't painted? Shovels? Hammer heads?

What about spare tracks links?

Tow cables?

Thanks,
Phil

not tow cables. Crews would wipe them down with oily rags to keep th rust away. A rusty cable could mean weakening. A frayed or damaged cable is weakened. They would be discarded as using them would be deathly dangerous

I wonder if this will reach a 100 posts

Not as much as you might think.

Metal parts of track. In many areas there is dew caused by the condensation of water in the area due to change in the temperature overnight. It can rust the surface of exposed metal like track. Wear and tear will remove much of it so you'll have worn metal with some pitted rust in deep areas.

But unless you're sandblasting the tracks every day tracks are never rust free.

Look at something that is outside everyday and used and not washed and waxed weekly like your car. Railroad engines and cars and construction equipment are good indicators of what rusts from continuous exposure. Paint fading is pretty amazing as I've seen beautiful gloss black tank cars become a dingy grey over a year in the sun.

Exhausts are almost unique because of the heat cycle they go through. An interesting comparison is the 3 pipe system on certain Panthers where 2 pipes were cooling pipes and only one was an exhaust.

Look at the little Joe auxiliary generator exhaust and the exhaust on an M41 light tank. The exhausts got so hot that the whole cover as well as the muffler itself rusted. The heater pipe on an M60 was totally rusted. The actual exhausts under the grill doors didn't rust. They were aluminum.

The screws on the clamp rusted. They were steel.

Take a look here:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/features/7928

This is a feature I wrote in the walk around section. This Sheridan has been sitting for several years in the open in a very damp environment in the Pacific Northwest. The vehicle is largely aluminum, with the exception of the turret and gun. But I think the main point is this— if a vehicle has been sitting motionless for years, rust will appear. But, if it’s well maintained, rust (perhaps the exception is exhausts) will be kept to a minimum. It also depends on the quality of the metal used in a vehicle. Hardened armor is less likely to rust than boiler plate. And don’t forget the lifespan of a vehicle. During WWII, vehicles didn’t last for years. For example, for American vehicles, D-Day to VE Day was only 11 months. That may be enough time to garner some rust “sitting still” and “left alone” but most vehicles didn’t get the chance.
VR, Russ

Stainless steel exhausts don't rust. But those would be on newer post WW2 vehicles. That is if they used stainless steel.

You want to see the "stainless" boxes on my 911 then.

Put a new wedge bolt or end connector on a tank track and it would be rusty within days even with daily use.

Tear off the paint changing a lightbulb in the headlight and the area was rusty by the end of the week. It could remain like that until necessary to remove the rust and touch up the paint.

Vehicles weren't covered in rust but there was some tiny bits here and there. Look at construction equipment and train engines and cars.

the whole underside of steel/cast armour scraping the ground,

I got 17 years on my truck exhaust and aside from discoloration from heat, the only places that are rusty are where the pipes connect. The U bolt clamps are rusty and have been replaced a couple times but 90% of the exhaust is rust free from header back.

One area on military vehicles that gets chipped and rusty are tow hitches, shackles and lift points. The paint is always getting chipped in those areas and we touched them up as soon as we got back to garrison.