First-time LC buyer

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Joined
May 15, 2017
Threads
3
Messages
18
Location
Washington, D.C.
Would love some opinions on the rust in these photos. Been looking to purchase a Land Cruiser for some months now. Found myself an '88 FJ62 with about 180k miles. I know rust can be a big issue with the 60 series. Your thoughts would be appreciated..
FJ62-4.jpg
FJ62-3.jpg
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FJ62-1.jpg
 
Need pictures of the bottoms of all the doors (from the inside of the doors). Open the front doors, and take a picture of the bottom of the rain gutter area too, on the back-side of the A pillar.
 
Based on the pics the frame looks like it has a fair amount of surface rust. Definitely look up and down the frame and at the rear upper shock brace. The welds on each end are known for cracking. As said above, under the doors, pillars, floors, body mounts, rockers.

Since it looks like the truck was resprayed at some point, cruise the body and knock along to listen for bondo at the wheel arches, around the windows and any bubbling. Also look for bubbling around the roof gutters.

EDIT: Just realized this was DC/Metro area, makes sense why it has such a dry frame and surface rust. Has it lived there its whole life?
 
in the last 3 years the truck has been repainted and the radiator, fuel pump, knuckles, and exhaust (including catalytic converters, down pipe and mufflers) have been replaced. What kind of asking price would you expect? again 178k miles on her
 
in the last 3 years the truck has been repainted and the radiator, fuel pump, knuckles, and exhaust (including catalytic converters, down pipe and mufflers) have been replaced. What kind of asking price would you expect? again 178k miles on her

Depends on the results of the rust. Everyone here will say rust is the #1 factor in price. Mechanics are the easy part...unless you are a whiz with sheet metal fab and a welder.
 
Yep... based on these pics, it could be a $500 parts donor, or a $7500 daily driver.

The good:
rims and tires seem nice.
What paint I can see looks good

The bad:
Mostly unknown??
Is the front valance missing?
Is that rust under the front end cap?
Engine looks almost untouched, so maintenance is unknown.

You need detailed photos of every corner, nook and cranny of this truck. Just like they said above. You also need detailed photos of the interior.

If these are the only pics the seller is offering, walk away. They are hiding at best and deceiving potential buyers at worst. Good luck.
 
Yep... based on these pics, it could be a $500 parts donor, or a $7500 daily driver.

The good:
rims and tires seem nice.
What paint I can see looks good

The bad:
Mostly unknown??
Is the front valance missing?
Is that rust under the front end cap?
Engine looks almost untouched, so maintenance is unknown.

You need detailed photos of every corner, nook and cranny of this truck. Just like they said above. You also need detailed photos of the interior.

If these are the only pics the seller is offering, walk away. They are hiding at best and deceiving potential buyers at worst. Good luck.


Thanks! I'll be going to see it in person this week. They did provide some more photos here:
LC8.jpg
LC7.jpg
LC6.jpg
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LC1.JPG
 
Like the guys are saying above...could be a good candidate for hiding rust. You can see it bubbling through on the inner channel of
IMG_0475.JPG
the "A" pillar. Also, hard to tell in the pic, but make sure you can see body seams (example circled in attached pic). These are commonly covered up when Bondo is used in rusty areas.
 
That seam Jim pointed out and circled in red, is directly over the rear tires. Check each side.

Bring a camera, flashlight and a magnet with you. The body and frame is solid metal and steel. If a magnet doesn't stick, there's a problem.

The additional photos look pretty good, but they still don't show any potential problem areas in detail.

Don't worry, we are always skeptics here, and you're doing the smart thing by asking advice here, before you purchase the truck. A lot of guys here will tell you that they wish they had done the same.
 
Third pic... passenger front door, look in the sill along the A-pillar and you will see a LONG line of rust along the gutter. That is a perfect indicator that there is lots of rust in the windshield and possibly the roof. When you look at the truck pay close attention to that area and the gutters around the roof as you may have some serious roof rust that has been covered by mud and paint.
 
Repaint.......99% of the time on these = rust repair of some sort.

get dirty and crawl under.

The rear of these get the brunt of the rust. Like other said quarters the line at the wheel well. Also check behind the quarters (inner quarter)
With the inner wheel wells there are lots of dirt traps that will suck in moisture.

A hard place to see is the drivers foot area as under the rig there is a heat shield. So take your hand and push hard there wight about the middle towards the trans tunnel, it may move, if it does it is rusty and a hole. You may be able to see from underneath.
 
That shiny new paint is struggling hard to hold back the rust blooms. Walk away. Also, there looks to be something fishy going on right here:
fj60.PNG
 
Last edited:
Based on the pics the frame looks like it has a fair amount of surface rust. Definitely look up and down the frame and at the rear upper shock brace. The welds on each end are known for cracking. As said above, under the doors, pillars, floors, body mounts, rockers.

Since it looks like the truck was resprayed at some point, cruise the body and knock along to listen for bondo at the wheel arches, around the windows and any bubbling. Also look for bubbling around the roof gutters.

EDIT: Just realized this was DC/Metro area, makes sense why it has such a dry frame and surface rust. Has it lived there its whole life?

Not sure about it's whole life. Seems to have been here since at least 2014.
 

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