Rust on FJ80 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jsat
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Meh. Surface rust. Just going to need a lot of penetrant when busting suspension pieces loose.
Well you don’t own it yet but it better be minimal undercarriage surface rust for 8k.
Rust is a nightmare. Apply safety glasses and a dust mask. Remove any parts you can for detail work and clean those off. Then get at the body areas. Every frikin’ crack. It can be contained with elbow grease.
A Drill with wire wheel and flap sander wheel is essential, even a long flat head screwdriver to get in tight spots. Many small hand brushes, fingernails and lots of determination, Blast off dust with air hose or wipe down clean. Check mental state at this point.
Then apply by brush or spray a rust inhibitor. Wait a day then apply solid coat of primer, then choose a color of quality paint, I used gloss black. Apply 3 even coats. Then wait awhile again and apply some Por 15 or other seal coat stuff. I spent $70 and 100 hours last fall overcoming the creeping death and as off today when I was under there most layers protected what I did. It was a very icy winter here. Just plan on squirting used oil on it every year now. I don’t want to do it again. Ever!
Rust is a nightmare. Apply safety glasses and a dust mask. Remove any parts you can for detail work and clean those off. Then get at the body areas. Every frikin’ crack. It can be contained with elbow grease.
A Drill with wire wheel and flap sander wheel is essential, even a long flat head screwdriver to get in tight spots. Many small hand brushes, fingernails and lots of determination, Blast off dust with air hose or wipe down clean. Check mental state at this point.
Then apply by brush or spray a rust inhibitor. Wait a day then apply solid coat of primer, then choose a color of quality paint, I used gloss black. Apply 3 even coats. Then wait awhile again and apply some Por 15 or other seal coat stuff. I spent $70 and 100 hours last fall overcoming the creeping death and as off today when I was under there most layers protected what I did. It was a very icy winter here. Just plan on squirting used oil on it every year now. I don’t want to do it again. Ever!
My 80 was much less. It should last for years mechanically but resale value should be considered.
The rear areas don’t resist the constant pounding of road rash, gravel and salt brine.
It was a lot of work and I got big arms now. But it’s worth it to save a Land cruiser from the abyss. It can be slowed, but not stopped unless you get crazy. Take it to a shop and pay to have it sprayed.
Don’t drive in winter or find a southern truck.
The rear areas don’t resist the constant pounding of road rash, gravel and salt brine.
It was a lot of work and I got big arms now. But it’s worth it to save a Land cruiser from the abyss. It can be slowed, but not stopped unless you get crazy. Take it to a shop and pay to have it sprayed.
Don’t drive in winter or find a southern truck.
Way too much rust. Every single thing you ever do will take longer due to stuck and broken fasteners.
I would only consider it if it were super cheap and I had someone local to do a dustless sandblasting on the entire undercarriage and then POR15 it.
I would only consider it if it were super cheap and I had someone local to do a dustless sandblasting on the entire undercarriage and then POR15 it.
Some pictures would help to determine the severity of rust issues. I've seen some "issues" here on MUD that turned out to be minor surface rust. For that price I would hope to have a completely rust free rig.
People from rust free areas will say it's too much rust. People from the rust belt will say it's fine. $8K is high though unless a ton of baselining has also happened. I paid $3K for mine and the body and the interior are fantastic. Mine was much rustier than what you showed though because the truck had been stored indoors for a long time and the rust had a chance to really set up. It almost had rust stalactites in some areas.
Here is what 18 months of bar chain oil, needle scaling, wire wheeling, pressure washing and scrubbing gets you. Everything is much easier to work on now and I am not worried about the rust continuing to advance. That said, I also have another $9K worth of parts into my truck at this point and I am still waiting to install the gas tank, filler neck and skid plate this spring. Once that is done, the truck will mechanically be set for a long, long time. Not sure how the rust would affect my resale value, but I would challenge anyone to find me a nicer truck than mine in the upper midwest that isn't from a rust free area. I have no plans to ever sell though, so to me the resale value is not a concern.
Here is what 18 months of bar chain oil, needle scaling, wire wheeling, pressure washing and scrubbing gets you. Everything is much easier to work on now and I am not worried about the rust continuing to advance. That said, I also have another $9K worth of parts into my truck at this point and I am still waiting to install the gas tank, filler neck and skid plate this spring. Once that is done, the truck will mechanically be set for a long, long time. Not sure how the rust would affect my resale value, but I would challenge anyone to find me a nicer truck than mine in the upper midwest that isn't from a rust free area. I have no plans to ever sell though, so to me the resale value is not a concern.
There are holes in the rear brake backing plates!
I'm a rust belt guy like Red Merle and used to seeing and dealing with it.
That is too much rust for $8k!
Seller is asking too much and maybe hoping for a less informed buyer.
I'm a rust belt guy like Red Merle and used to seeing and dealing with it.
That is too much rust for $8k!
Seller is asking too much and maybe hoping for a less informed buyer.
I mean if the interior was decent and it doesn't have lots of noticable problems I'd pay $6k for that here in vt. I think I overpaid on mine since I have three rust holes and the frame is scaly in some spots. Also had alot of maintenance items and random fixes to baseline the rig. I paid $4125 but it was worth more like $3000.
It's a seller's market though and these are not common vehicles. If you can even find one to buy in some areas, you might have to decide how much work you want to put into it. I also have three rust holes in the body. One each on the very bottom of each front fender where it met the running boards and one on the driver's side rear under the rear bumper side piece. The fenders will be an easy fix once I find a donor section to have welded in and the rear hole is currently patched with Bondo and POR15 coated prior to the filler. You can't see any of them from above, but they are there. Beyond that though, my interior is like new and the paint is in excellent condition.
People in the rust free areas have a different standard and there is something to be said for going out west or down south to get a rust free truck, but that can present a lot of different issues too and the really nice, totally rust free trucks are way more than $8K now.
EDIT: I just saw that OP is from Seattle. In that case, this is way too much rust. There are plenty of nice 80s around there with way less rust.
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It’s too easy to fly and buy a rust free rig then enjoy the drive home. This one looks like it was used to retrieve a boat trailer from the ocean.
What’s the rest of the truck like? @jsat yes it’s way to much money. That’s the consensus. Rocker panels and door seams, rear quarters are likely infected. Stick a flashlight smart phone up in there for pictures.
I would pass or offer 4-5 thousand if the trucks modded with parts. I still had 80% of factory paint left under my garage queen which I paid 4500 for. It took days to remedy.
It will cost you a lot in deferred maintenance either way. Good luck
I would pass or offer 4-5 thousand if the trucks modded with parts. I still had 80% of factory paint left under my garage queen which I paid 4500 for. It took days to remedy.
It will cost you a lot in deferred maintenance either way. Good luck
Not to be argumentative, but have ever actually done this? I see people say it's super easy to just go buy a rust free truck, but I am not sure it's always as easy they say. A couple of things to consider; 1)You are hoping you'll have a seller that is willing to wait for some dude from WI to show up with the money when he might have cash buyers lined up in his driveway for the nice trucks. 2) You are hoping the seller's description and pics are an accurate representation of the condition of the truck. 3) Taking the time away from work to quickly fly across the country to buy a truck and take the following week off of work is not something that everyone can easily do. 4) You are hoping the truck is in good enough condition to make a several thousand mile trip, right off the bat. 5) You may have to pay a premium to get a truck in good enough shape to make the drive and is worth the hassle, the nice examples of these attract a lot of attention and the market reflects that. 6) You might end up with a lemon. Just ask @Jeff Elliott how his cross country buy went. Seems like he is regretting that decision at the moment.
I love the idea of buying a rust free truck from out west and driving it back, but when push came to shove, I ended up buying the one I could make the best deal for in my area. No regrets, but it would be nice to be able to eat off my frame the way you west coast guys can
Agreed!Not to be argumentative, but have ever actually done this? I see people say it's super easy to just go buy a rust free truck, but I am not sure it's always as easy they say. A couple of things to consider; 1)You are hoping you'll have a seller that is willing to wait for some dude from WI to show up with the money when he might have cash buyers lined up in his driveway for the nice trucks. 2) You are hoping the seller's description and pics are an accurate representation of the condition of the truck. 3) Taking the time away from work to quickly fly across the country to buy a truck and take the following week off of work is not something that everyone can easily do. 4) You are hoping the truck is in good enough condition to make a several thousand mile trip, right off the bat. 5) You may have to pay a premium to get a truck in good enough shape to make the drive and is worth the hassle, the nice examples of these attract a lot of attention and the market reflects that. 6) You might end up with a lemon. Just ask @Jeff Elliott how his cross country buy went. Seems like he is regretting that decision at the moment.
I love the idea of buying a rust free truck from out west and driving it back, but when push came to shove, I ended up buying the one I could make the best deal for in my area. No regrets, but it would be nice to be able to eat off my frame the way you west coast guys can
It worked out beautifully for me when I flew from the Sacramento area up to buy my rust free ( but dusty) 93 from Oregon’s high desert.Not to be argumentative, but have ever actually done this? I see people say it's super easy to just go buy a rust free truck, but I am not sure it's always as easy they say. A couple of things to consider; 1)You are hoping you'll have a seller that is willing to wait for some dude from WI to show up with the money when he might have cash buyers lined up in his driveway for the nice trucks. 2) You are hoping the seller's description and pics are an accurate representation of the condition of the truck. 3) Taking the time away from work to quickly fly across the country to buy a truck and take the following week off of work is not something that everyone can easily do. 4) You are hoping the truck is in good enough condition to make a several thousand mile trip, right off the bat. 5) You may have to pay a premium to get a truck in good enough shape to make the drive and is worth the hassle, the nice examples of these attract a lot of attention and the market reflects that. 6) You might end up with a lemon. Just ask @Jeff Elliott how his cross country buy went. Seems like he is regretting that decision at the moment.
I love the idea of buying a rust free truck from out west and driving it back, but when push came to shove, I ended up buying the one I could make the best deal for in my area. No regrets, but it would be nice to be able to eat off my frame the way you west coast guys can
My voyage was only 650 miles, a distance I felt comfortable with as it can be done in one day. I guess you would say that I lucked out and found an honest seller who was willing to pick me up at the airport on a very cold day.
If you ever do this, don’t take tools over 7” long because the TSA will confiscate them.
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- #18
Here's the listing for those interested: 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser Low Miles
Everything else about the truck is pretty great based on my test drive. I might make a lower offer and explain that the rust is a huge problem. We have a cruiser shop near Seattle that I would bring it to for the rust. Not sure how much that costs, but I'm definitely not doing it myself.
First time buying a cruiser if you can't tell.
Everything else about the truck is pretty great based on my test drive. I might make a lower offer and explain that the rust is a huge problem. We have a cruiser shop near Seattle that I would bring it to for the rust. Not sure how much that costs, but I'm definitely not doing it myself.
First time buying a cruiser if you can't tell.
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That's a pretty nice truck. For what he is asking, he should have had it detailed. Who knows what kind of shape the paint is really in?Here's the listing for those interested: 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser Low Miles
Everything else about the truck is pretty great based on my test drive. I might make a lower offer and explain that the rust is a huge problem. We have a cruiser shop near Seattle that I would bring it to for the rust. Not sure how much that costs, but I'm definitely not doing it myself.
First time buying a cruiser if you can't tell.
I would pay $5K for that all day.
Honestly though, if dealing with the rust is too much of a project for you, you should maybe think about how you will take care of and improve a truck like this. Unless you have deep pockets, paying someone else to maintain it for you will get expensive in a hurry. Rust work isn't even really mechanic work, it's grunt work. Paying someone else to do it at shop rates is a waste of money in my mind.
- Thread starter
- #20
Relatively deep pockets. I hope to do some maintenance on this truck myself, but the rust work sounds like real hell, and I don't have the space to do something like that.
Also looking at something like this Used 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser for sale in Seattle, WA 98134: Sport Utility Details - 482650001 - Autotrader
Also looking at something like this Used 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser for sale in Seattle, WA 98134: Sport Utility Details - 482650001 - Autotrader
