Can this rusty frame be saved? (2 Viewers)

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Hey guys, I live in northeast. I just check a 1999 lc100 yesterday. the body is in good shape but the frame is so rusty. The owner asked for $3500, 180k mileag. the used car price now is insane, I know it’s not a good choice. But I don’t have time to go to southern state to purchase one. Can I take it, can this frame be saved?

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Sure, with enough time, money and effort, but the the time, money, and effort required, make a trip to a southern state seem trivial…


 
Won’t know until you put a needle on some of those big rust areas to determine if it’s surface scale or structurally compromising. Otherwise just know that you will have to find/be patient as a mechanic and plan to buy new bolts/hoses/small parts surrounding replacement parts when the time comes. I get time is Iimited but so is the future value of time you will spend under the hood or pay others to be under that hood.
 
Ok ok... it's rusty, but! BUT! It's $3500

When you say "can it be saved", define "saved". Because yes you can totally restore that for a ton of money/time, or you could just enjoy it.

You can extend it's life with liberal and repeated applications of fluid-film or like products
You could further extend with a drill and wire brush followed by some rust converter and chassis black
Yes, it will continue to rust unless you go whole-hog frame off... but if that's what you want, then why not just add $20,000 to you purchase price and buy a different one!

100% you will put money and time into maintaining and baselining that the rust will make hard to get back, balance that against the purchase price, and maybe it makes sense to you. Also, be prepared for every bolt on the suspension to be a pain (luckily you can buy new ones). Arm yourself with a torch and some penetrating lubricant, and get a good tap and die set. You'll be fine.

That said, you should make sure that there aren't significant chunks where critical parts aren't utterly rusted through (the landcruiser is build with seriously thick metal). I would get underneath with a screwdriver/punch/small hammer and push/tap on stuff.

How's the rest of it?

(I wrote this under the assumption that you're a comfortable DIY mechanic, and not planning to pay a deanship to repair/maintain this going forward.)
 
Can it be saved? Yup, it's only money. You're better off spending a bit more and looking for a better example and avoiding the headache. I was a prof wrench back in the day and I don't shy away from high mileage vehicles with no rust. Put rust into the picture and I'm a hard pass.
 
What will be the purpose of the vehicle?

Winter Beater: Yes buy it, drive it till it drops.

Long Term Transportation: DON'T BUY RUST.....go wherever necessary to buy a nicer vehicle.
 
Just do it! If not tell us where it is, so one of us can. Rust is inevitable in the Midwest and anyone from here has grown up pissing around with rusty vehicles. I paid $4500 for mine with the same amount of rust and it has times where things are a bastard to work on, but I have a stack of great service history and it’s $4500. Even if you get 3 years out of it, at $3500 you win.
 
Hey guys, I live in northeast. I just check a 1999 lc100 yesterday. the body is in good shape but the frame is so rusty. The owner asked for $3500, 180k mileag. the used car price now is insane, I know it’s not a good choice. But I don’t have time to go to southern state to purchase one. Can I take it, can this frame be saved?

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That's surface rust. You guys from non rust belt areas, relax. Spray some fluid film on it once a year and it'll last a long time. Jeeze. Brake / fuel lines will rot out but frame , drive train, and suspension will not. If you have to work on them , spray them PB blaster for week or buy a torch. Don't be scared of little rust . It's a way of life up here.:cheers:
 
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One thing I do see in the photos that will need immediate attention is the fuel tank. It looks like the skid plate is nearly gone, if not completely. The tank also looks pretty crusty, so assume the fuel lines are in the same condition. All 3 fuel lines cost me $146 through my local dealer and $250 for a used tank and skid from car-part.com
 
That's surface rust. You guys from non rust belt areas, relax. Spray some fluid film on it once a year and it'll last a long me. Jeeze. Brake / fuel lines will rot out but frame , drive train, and suspension will not. If you have to work on them , spray them PB blaster for week or buy a torch. Don't be scared of little rust . It's a way of life up here.:cheers:
just to add something, obviously if it was a 1st gen tundra or sequoia it would be a different story.
80's and 100 frames are the best frames landcruisers ever had. i've had them all.
there are always that one exception but overall i would buy that in a heartbeat. enjoy it.
 
That rear diff is so close to leak fluid. Imagine how the inside of the frame looks like.
 
I'm from the rust belt. Thats not bad for $3500 in this day and age of LC100 prices, just as long as there is no holes. Fluid film isn't going to work on that, you need to grind off all the rust, then seal it in with Eastwood, Por15, or some other paint.

That axle housing isn't even close to half life yet. Theres a lot of people that have never grown up in the rust belt on ih8mud, so thats why you have such a varying amount of opinion. But take it as someone who has a rusty 100 series, there still is some life in that $3500 car. Just don't expect the same experience as a $12k slightly rusty VA rig.

Its a never ending battle is my experience. Your mileage may vary YMMV.

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I'm from the rust belt. Thats not bad for $3500 in this day and age of LC100 prices, just as long as there is no holes. Fluid film isn't going to work on that, you need to grind off all the rust, then seal it in with Eastwood, Por15, or some other paint.

That axle housing isn't even close to half life yet. Theres a lot of people that have never grown up in the rust belt on ih8mud, so thats why you have such a varying amount of opinion. But take it as someone who has a rusty 100 series, there still is some life in that $3500 car. Just don't expect the same experience as a $12k slightly rusty VA rig.
preach it brother! this is the real salt life......
 
preach it brother! this is the real salt life......
That one in the pics still has its original muffler, so I don't think it can be that bad.
Check out my pics above of my crusty 100 ^ and how I gave it a few more years of life. This summer, I'm going to get working on some patch panels for the rear quarters that are starting to get a big hole in them.
 
From this:

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To this, in 4 months

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