Hello all. I am the new owner of a 1997 FZJ80. I decided to remove the third row seat belts because I have no plans to use the third row. Went to remove the right plastic panel in the trunk for the first time to remove the seat belt and found an area of rust just below the rear window. I lifted the window gasket covering the edge of sheet metal and there is a streak of rust that runs further along the entire bottom edge of the window. While doing this I noticed moisture underneath the carpet. The previous owner had the carpet replaced and covered the entire floor with dynamat. The bolts for the third row were removed and never replaced. The carpet was placed over these holes without filling them in with anything and thus left a hole communicating with the undercarriage. The carpet is lined with a thick rubber on the underside and no hole was cut out where the bolts go. Any moisture that made its way in-between the dynamat covered floor and carpet could not escape. There was enough moisture that one of the recessed areas in the trunk had standing water in it. I have no idea how long it has been like this. I have not driven the truck in rain yet and it has been kept in a garage. The carpet itself wasn't wet because the rubber prevented it from soaking through and so was never noticeable until I had the side plastic panel removed and was able to lift up the edge of the carpet. I pulled all the carpet up to the second row and have towel dried the floor and am letting it air out. There are small areas of rust in some areas along the edge of the dynamat but nothing major. I cut through the dynamat in portions of the trunk to expose the floor underneath and haven't found any in other areas.
First question. How should I address the area of rust under the window? It is isolated to what is shown in the pictures below and from what I can tell only effecting the more interior sheet metal and not the exterior body sheet metal. I ran a hose along the top of both rear windows and both are leaking. The left side fortunately does not have any rust but this was the side where the standing water was on the floor and where more moisture was under the carpet overall. How would I go about addressing this on my own? I don't want to start pulling the window gaskets and taking the entire window assemblies apart without knowing I'll be able to get a new gasket if needed and seal it up on my own. For the rust I was planning to go over it with a wire brush, rust converter, and POR rust preventer.
Second question. I am now super paranoid that the floor of the vehicle has rust that has been covered up with dynamat. Should I start stripping out the dynamat to make sure? The metal underneath seems solid throughout the floor.
First question. How should I address the area of rust under the window? It is isolated to what is shown in the pictures below and from what I can tell only effecting the more interior sheet metal and not the exterior body sheet metal. I ran a hose along the top of both rear windows and both are leaking. The left side fortunately does not have any rust but this was the side where the standing water was on the floor and where more moisture was under the carpet overall. How would I go about addressing this on my own? I don't want to start pulling the window gaskets and taking the entire window assemblies apart without knowing I'll be able to get a new gasket if needed and seal it up on my own. For the rust I was planning to go over it with a wire brush, rust converter, and POR rust preventer.
Second question. I am now super paranoid that the floor of the vehicle has rust that has been covered up with dynamat. Should I start stripping out the dynamat to make sure? The metal underneath seems solid throughout the floor.