99 UZJ100 - opinion on Rust (1 Viewer)

[connorbray]

Hello, Im Connor

Im new to the forums and just picked up my 99 UZJ100 LC 4 days ago. Im living in Georgia and picked up the truck in NC. It spent a good portion of its life up in Massachusetts. I don't know the maintenance records from the PO, But the car runs strong and overall feels healthy sitting at 182K. I was working with a tight budget and picked up the LC for $7,400. I have never purchased a vehicle from up North and was curious about the extent of my rust damage. I had two LC owners give me the ok before purchase, but now I wanted the MUD communities opinion. Any tips or advise to help me extent the life of this beast well past 400k would be greatly appreciated.

After purchase we found 4 exhaust leaks due to rust damage (and the clips holding the O2 sensor in place barely holding). The new sections of exhaust and the muffler have just been added. (you can still see sections of the old exhaust pipe)

More photos added in first comment (couldn't upload past 5)

 

[connorbray]

 

[Buu100]

Guess it depends on where you live. Here in the south most of us cringe at that much rust. For you polar bears up north that is just normal. For that price you could've flown to Texas and drive one back for less money and just about zero rust.

 

[Snowrydr01]

Guess it depends on where you live. Here in the south most of us cringe at that much rust. For you polar bears up north that is just normal. For that price you could've flown to Texas and drive one back for less money and just about zero rust.

As a northerner (Philadelphia) who has been casually shopping for 100s in the 7k pricepoint for a couple months now, this statement isnt exactly true. I used to live in austin TX and that and Dallas are part of my regular spots to search due to the population density. Prices there are still the same if not higher than on the east coast. You also now have the added cost of a dealer inspection since you cant just drive over to see it, a flight down (hopefully not a return flight) then the gas, hotels, and food to get home. That or the $1000 shipping to get it back here and hope its as good as the pictures and dealer said it was.

I agree with the less rust aspect, but the cheaper comments is not always correct. The best case scenario for a northerner (on a budget) is patience and to find a garaged version that got washed after snow and the rust was kept at bay.

 

[Sandroad]

Not sure what to say. There is a lot of rust damage and getting that cruiser to your 400K miles goal will take a lot of work. Start with stopping the bleeding by spending a few hours under it with a wire brush, scraper, and chisel. Get off what rust you can and then treat with a rust converter. Then use a protectant spray. Pay special attention to frame and weld damage from rust, like what may be a problem with the sway bar mount in photo 4. After you stop the bleeding you can begin to replace damaged parts. For example, I'm not sure how good that spare tire hanger is anymore and I'll bet the parking brake mechanism is corroded tight. Buy penetrating oil in large quantities because you'll need it to tackle the rust-welded fasteners during maintenance and repair. As an aside, you've probably already spotted the leaking CV boot, so get that fixed as part of the overall PM.

 

[Buu100]

As a northerner (Philadelphia) who has been casually shopping for 100s in the 7k pricepoint for a couple months now, this statement isnt exactly true. I used to live in austin TX and that and Dallas are part of my regular spots to search due to the population density. Prices there are still the same if not higher than on the east coast. You also now have the added cost of a dealer inspection since you cant just drive over to see it, a flight down (hopefully not a return flight) then the gas, hotels, and food to get home. That or the $1000 shipping to get it back here and hope its as good as the pictures and dealer said it was.

I agree with the less rust aspect, but the cheaper comments is not always correct. The best case scenario for a northerner (on a budget) is patience and to find a garaged version that got washed after snow and the rust was kept at bay.

I guess not everyone is as crazy as me and my wife. We flew to New York for a Lexus SC300 and flew to Kentucky recently for a Land Rover and drove both cars back. Bought them with only seeing pictures and talking to the owners. Got lucky both times so far. But yes, it will add about $1500 for tickets, gas, and maybe lodging but it was a fun process for us.

 

[flintknapper]

Guess it depends on where you live. Here in the south most of us cringe at that much rust. For you polar bears up north that is just normal. For that price you could've flown to Texas and drive one back for less money and just about zero rust.

Disagree about the "less money" or even the same amount of money, but for another grand or so...he could have gotten a rust free vehicle here (Texas) no doubt about it.

 

[connorbray]

I guess my question now is, What would the proper steps be in order to remove the rust and prevent future spreading?
Replace specific parts that need it, then take a wire brush and scrub off all the remaining surfaces, then coat everything in some protectant layer?

 

[Snowrydr01]

I guess not everyone is as crazy as me and my wife. We flew to New York for a Lexus SC300 and flew to Kentucky recently for a Land Rover and drove both cars back. Bought them with only seeing pictures and talking to the owners. Got lucky both times so far. But yes, it will add about $1500 for tickets, gas, and maybe lodging but it was a fun process for us.

Ive flown 800 miles for a car that had pre detailed pictures but it it was also only a year old with 30 k miles so i wasnt worried about it. A 1200 mile drive of a 200k vehicle (albeit reliable) is a bit different. Especially when your pricepoint is below market value so it has a higher probability of neglect.

 

[bctlex]

You are at 182K, and your goal is 400K, so that is 218K miles. Driving at 20K/year, that is > 10yr. Not sure if you are serious or not, but IF the goal is to keep this truck forever, you should consider starting with the one with less rust. It might be cheaper and less headache in the long run.

I am no rust expert, so do ask someone who can give you honest opinion, but just looking at the picture, that is a lot of rust to work on.

 

[benjawi4]

I guess my question now is, What would the proper steps be in order to remove the rust and prevent future spreading?
Replace specific parts that need it, then take a wire brush and scrub off all the remaining surfaces, then coat everything in some protectant layer?

Wire wheel everything (wire brush attachments for any old drill) then hit it with POR-15. Yes, its a lot of rust, and yes, rust tends to make everything more difficult, but after a few weekends spent removing rust and treating/painting with POR-15 and replacing any necessary parts, you'll be good to go another 100K+ miles. I'd also highly suggest buying at least 4 bottles of Eastwood's Internal Frame Coating, although this stuff comes in handy for those hard-to-reach spots that you can't get to by hand when applying POR-15.

 

[jemsec]

Run. Rust shown will not get better. It's what you can't see that might be a major issue.

 

[10ga]

I would have to agree with the above post, that's a lot of rust. I bought a 4Runner out of the mountains of North Carolina a few years ago and didn't really look hard for rust but it was eat up. Every time I had to work on something, I had to cut it off. There's probably a lot more rust than you can see. Either way, it sucks