Opinions on the state of this undercarriage (1 Viewer)

[csmonette]

I'm talking to a guy that's ten hours away about buying his LC. His photo taking ability is subpar. He sent me one picture of the undercarriage that looks pretty good but I'm wondering some opinions on the little bit of rust and the sludgy dampness in the middle. Anything to be overly concerned with here? He's asking high market right now because the truck has shiny paint and a well kept interior.

 

[BILT4ME]

I'm talking to a guy that's ten hours away about buying his LC. His photo taking ability is subpar. He sent me one picture of the undercarriage that looks pretty good but I'm wondering some opinions on the little bit of rust and the sludgy dampness in the middle. Anything to be overly concerned with here? He's asking high market right now because the truck has shiny paint and a well kept interior.

View attachment 3056223

Looks just like the underside of my DD.

Yes, I have the occasional bolt that's a booger to remove, but I have adapted to that. in AZ, you have no idea what I mean......

Yes, that's a rusty hunk of crap for an AZ truck, but that's MINT for a MidWest truck.

 

[JoeW]

It's leakier than mine and mine is rustier than yours. I'd take leaks over barnacles any day. Probably needs a few $$ in leaks/ under hood plastic refreshings, but the chassis looks solid from your photos.

 

[gummycarbs]

Moderate rust. If you buy it, you better get some Fluid Film on there right away to keep it from getting worse.

The leaks are par for the course. They all need a bunch of seals[1] and hoses replaced at this age. Figure $2k in parts for any 80 that hasn't been obsessively maintained like us weirdos do.

Despite the leaks, I don't see *any* grease residue on that front drive shaft. So those joints are probably near their end of life.

[1] front main seal, oil pump cover seal, distributor seal, power steering pump and gear seals.

 

[thatcabledude]

I’d want to see the bracketry and such on the rear axle more than anything else on the undercarriage.

 

[csmonette]

Here's a picture of the engine bay. I would appreciate any thoughts on this as well.

 

[thatcabledude]

Looks like the truck was resprayed a non OEM color. How well were the door jams done?

 

[csmonette]

Looks like the truck was resprayed a non OEM color. How well were the door jams done?

I was thinking it was oem medium red pearl but I'm new and I don't know a whole lot. What do the experts think?

 

[gummycarbs]

Less corrosion than I expected. All of those hoses need to be replaced. It looks like the only hose that's been replaced is that red PCV hose, and obviously it needs replacing now, too.

It looks like your standard issue, moderately neglected 80.

Ditto on the paint. I would look *very* closely at that. What kind of paint was used? Acrylic urethane? Rust-Oleum?
Also, what's going on here, is it just a trick of the light, hard water staining, general filth, or is it degrading clear coat?

 

[BILT4ME]

It needs a new radiator, the hose on the VC.

Do the typical seals on the front of the engine, front axle. I too would want to see the bracketry and stuff on the back of the rear axle.

My first thought was "Lipstick on a pig" but it's not horrible.

My wife would like it because it's "pretty" but I'd be pissed because it still needs mechanical stuff.

 

[gummycarbs]

View attachment 3056299

I just noticed that you can't see the black trim/seal between the fender flares and the fender. Really low-end paint jobs will just smear RTV silicone or seam sealer and paint over the whole thing. I would also take a look at that panel gap between the right, front fender and the hood.

 

[Kernal]

Hard pass unless you get it super cheap, because it's had a cheapo respray paint job as mentioned above.

Cheap/quickie paint jobs hurt the value of a collectible vehicle IMO and can cover up a lot of kerapp.

It's difficult to say but looks like maybe an irregular area on the front of the roof, right side near the windshield and down the A piller??

The moulding where the window glass meets the door panel and along the drip rails look like they may have peeling rubber coating, very common especially with a vehicle parked in the sun for 25 years.

The cheap paint jobs may look good for a couple of years but then it starts to fail; peel, crack, fade. As mentioned above, if they painted over the fender flare gaskets and the door handle gaskets when you go to remove any of those for service you'll end up peeling some of the paint off to get the part off.

The original gaskets between the fender flares and the body were matched to the body color but either way it appears they may be missing or painted over. Again, hard to tell due to the low resolution and distance the photo was taken from.

Also repeating above; the red hose in the photo looks collapsed and is not an OEM hose. That tells me the owner didn't take very good care of the vehicle himself. No self-respecting Mud member would put something like that on their engine unless it was just for a temporary fix.

Rubber covering/coating of the accelerator cable is deteriorating; IME that can either be fixed using two foot long sections of adhesive lined heat shrink tubing, or easier to just replace.

IMHO you shouldn't buy one of these just from a few photos, you really need 50-80 high resolution photos. If the seller balks at sending you more/better photos that might indicate he's trying to hide something. Better to inspect it in person or ask someone in the area to do a detailed inspection for you.

 

[Kabanstva]

It’s funny how they’re all “subpar” at taking pics when it’s comes down to showing the true condition of the vehicle they’re selling. I’ve bought several vehicles out of state and I wouldn’t even think of making a 10hr drive unless the seller is being super cooperative and showing me exactly what I’m asking. If they start playing games, sending blurry pics, pics in bad lighting. Telling you stuff like “I don’t have a lift so I can’t take undercarriage photos”, I just move along. Not worth it IMO.

 

[csmonette]

Hey thanks everyone. I’m going to pass on this one and wait for the next one. I really appreciate all of the insightful comments from the community. You guys really know your stuff and have an eye for detail that I lack!

 

[12bit]

I was thinking it was oem medium red pearl but I'm new and I don't know a whole lot. What do the experts think?

View attachment 3056299

i know you've already decided to pass on this one. but i just can't get over this pic. is it photoshopped? lots of color weirdness around the passenger mirror.

 

[gummycarbs]

i know you've already decided to pass on this one. but i just can't get over this pic. is it photoshopped? lots of color weirdness around the passenger mirror.

Digital cameras have a hard time with red. Plus, most of the vehicle is in the shade, with maybe one quarter in bright sunlight. Add to that JPEG artifacts and it ends up looking awful.

People have no idea how to take pictures of their vehicle. Well, except when it comes to conveniently omitting the badly worn edge of the driver's seat. That one seems to be a universally mastered skill.

 

[goingcamping]

It is triple-locked, but $19,500...SR5, V6..something is not quite right about the CL listing either...

 

[csmonette]

It is triple-locked, but $19,500...SR5, V6..something is not quite right about the CL listing either...

Yeah the more I asked questions the less info I got from him. Apparently he is selling it for a friend who left the country. Sounded fishy enough. Here’s the link for anyone interested: 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser SR5 4x4 Runs & Looks Excellent Leather -... - https://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/cto/d/west-jordan-1996-toyota-land-cruiser/7507133646.html

 

[leonard_nemoy]

Runaway!!!!

 

[leonard_nemoy]

I'll sell you my 97 with under 150,000 miles and lots of upgrades for $19,500.00