08 Land Cruiser Rust Treatment (1 Viewer)

[JOFS]

+1 on the sticky post recommendation.

Personally I wasn't searching for a pristine example - price was much more of a concern than a couple years of salty use for me. I might have felt differently if I was looking at a 15 year old 100-series though.

What's the recommended rust protection
for those of us in the north? I've seen mixed recommendations, from "weekly undercarriage wash" to "paint everything underneath" to "spray with motor oil (or an equivalent oil/wax solution) 2-3 times each winter". I don't have a garage, so whatever I do will need to be done at a reputable shop.

Fluid film application. You can have shops do it or do it yourself. Do it once a year. Thick coating of non toxic lanolin based fluid.

You can buy it in bulk and use a sprayer or it comes if aerosol cans if you want to do it yourself.

I spray all my trucks and live in an area with heavy salt use and it makes a huge difference.

 

[bjowett]

The 200 is particularly bad in the rust department.... much more so than my FZJ80 was.

 

[OGBeno]

So I guess my question is why should this be a sticky?

None of this is rocket science and everyone on the planet knows that you don't buy trucks north of the Mason/Dixon (or roughly I-70).

I don't find anything technical about knowing that rust kills Land Cruisers.

 

[MHLC08]

I guess I was the one guy beno....
Appreciate all the feedback. Found a shop, which was surprisingly difficult in the South, that would do some work on the undercarriage since I don't have time. Will give it a shot and let you know how it goes and holds up.
Love the truck! Great Forum (even the sarcasm)

 

[Markuson]

It might be nice to have a dedicated "LC 200 Purchase Considerations/Recommendations" section at some point, since requests for purchase advice seem to come every week or so. Might turn into a good resource for questions like this... What do you think?

 

[OGBeno]

It might be nice to have a dedicated "LC 200 Purchase Considerations/Recommendations" section at some point, since requests for purchase advice seem to come every week or so. Might turn into a good resource for questions like this... What do you think?

That's sounds like a significantly better idea.

 

[CLHickman]

I guess I was the one guy beno....
Appreciate all the feedback. Found a shop, which was surprisingly difficult in the South, that would do some work on the undercarriage since I don't have time. Will give it a shot and let you know how it goes and holds up.
Love the truck! Great Forum (even the sarcasm)

I wouldn't say you were the "one guy" at all. I've got a used LX from Texas and there is a little bit of surface rust on the rear axle. I'm not overly concerned with it as I'll get to it with some inhibitor soon. You need a lot of neglect to really be in a bad way. If you get the current surface rust under control, which I have no doubt you will, then you're good.

Just take the deal on your LC and the cost of tackling the surface rust in stride. You will have this vehicle for a long time to come as long as you keep at the small things.

 

[linuxgod]

Fluid film application. You can have shops do it or do it yourself. Do it once a year. Thick coating of non toxic lanolin based fluid.

You can buy it in bulk and use a sprayer or it comes if aerosol cans if you want to do it yourself.

I spray all my trucks and live in an area with heavy salt use and it makes a huge difference.

I've had trouble finding a shop that sprays it near me. Seems like something that would turn out much better with the LC on a lift than me laying on my back on the street...

 

[JOFS]

I've had trouble finding a shop that sprays it near me. Seems like something that would turn out much better with the LC on a lift than me laying on my back on the street...

In the last year we have had an explosion of shops in my area doing this. Maybe this will come to your neighborhood soon.

I just put my cruisers on ramps to do it. But I am fairly cheap when it comes to easy stuff I can do myself.

John

 

[mgoblue]

In the last year we have had an explosion of shops in my area doing this. Maybe this will come to your neighborhood soon.

I just put my cruisers on ramps to do it. But I am fairly cheap when it comes to easy stuff I can do myself.

John

John, what product do you use?

 

[JOFS]

Fluid Film

 

[Hornd]

Go get a small foam roller, a few jars of Naval Jelly (Home depot or Lowes), and roll it on any rust you see. Then hose it off and let dry
This is much easier accomplished on Ramps (which also come in handy for an oil change). Drive front and rear up on them.

Do you have a compressor?

Get a gallon of Fluid Film with the sprayer on Ebay or Harbor Freight.

Drop the spare tire and spray under there, spray the hardware too, then put the tire back

Open up side hatches and spray rear fenders.

Spray front fenders too.

Plugs under rocker panels. Anyplace you can get it spray it.

Do not spay it on the exhaust as it just burns off. If you wanna be fancy mask exhaust with newspaper and tape.

If you do this every few years the rust will stop spreading (no oxygen to metal no rust)

Very likely at the Shops price you can buy all the stuff and have it leftover for next time. Maybe you have more $ than time and don't mind paying.

Tyvek suit helps is you want to stay clean. Cardboard under the truck will allow you to move around.

An 8 yr old could do this job.

 

[MHLC08]

Reporting in...
Didn't have time to do it myself. Had a hard time finding a shop in ATL that would treat Rust and had undercoating...
Found a place that did restorations that did a good job of grinding then used a product called Rust Mort. Followed it up with an undercoating. A few places got missed and I used Fluid Film on those. Will check periodically with how it's holding up.
Love the truck....

 

[CLHickman]

Reporting in...
Didn't have time to do it myself. Had a hard time finding a shop in ATL that would treat Rust and had undercoating...
Found a place that did restorations that did a good job of grinding then used a product called Rust Mort. Followed it up with an undercoating. A few places got missed and I used Fluid Film on those. Will check periodically with how it's holding up.
Love the truck....

What was your cost for the treatment and fluid film?

 

[MHLC08]

Spent a little north of $1K. Included some disassy. grinding, Rust Mort then undercoating. I only used a little Fluid Film ($10 at Lowes).

 

[KY Longhunter]

Interesting postcard in my mail today. I hate litigation but seems relevant to this Rusty Frames on Toyota vehicles.

Check it ...

 

[KY Longhunter]

Visit www.ToyotaFrameSettlement.com

.
.

 

[vjr021]

Can I ask... I have a chance at this 200... 08, 88k miles. Service all up to date, one owner. Clean car fax.

underside looks like this.
It’s a good deal on paper - but too much rust???
Help!!!

 

[hickuptruck]

Can I ask... I have a chance at this 200... 08, 88k miles. Service all up to date, one owner. Clean car fax.

underside looks like this.
It’s a good deal on paper - but too much rust???
Help!!!

View attachment 2519898

View attachment 2519899

What rust?

 

[bloc]

Can I ask... I have a chance at this 200... 08, 88k miles. Service all up to date, one owner. Clean car fax.

underside looks like this.
It’s a good deal on paper - but too much rust???
Help!!!

View attachment 2519898

View attachment 2519899

What rust?

The rust that is already causing structural failure of the skid plate in front, and rot on the LCAs.

I feel the limited photos of this truck in effect hide what would be a nightmare if @vjr021 planned to keep this thing for any length of time. Tons of stuck bolts, some of them very difficult like the LCA cam bolts, rotted rear brake backing plates, the list goes on.

Unless the plan was to take it up north where vehicles are going to succumb to rust regardless, I’d keep looking.