Have you seen an 80 this rusted out? (1 Viewer)

[Grizzilion]

Is it to late to turn this beast back into its former glory? It came from Illinois, land of the salty roads that breed rust on metal. Pics aren't the best but you get the general idea of how bad the rust is underneath. Surface rust doesn't look to bad although it has been repainted so who knows what lies below. What do you think? Cost estimations?

 

[SteveH]

For $6000, you can buy any number of clean Western trucks in Colorado. There are worse looking trucks out there, but your pix don't show some of the bigger trouble spots. I wouldn't touch it simply for the reason that there are plenty of better/other options.

 

[gummycarbs]

The problem with rust is that every single thing you ever do will take forever. Need to remove that crossmember? Look forward to seized bolts, broken bolt heads, drilling it out, and maybe not having enough steel left to maintain threads.

If that were an FJ40 and it were cheap, I'd consider it. Not an 80, though. You'd literally have to give that to me, and then I'd just drive it until it broke down or broke in half.

 

[mtrdud]

Also many good ones down south too at decent prices. With as many options out there no way would I pay that much if at all.

 

[NCFJ]

I'd pass and find another, rust like that just makes everything you do that much harder.

 

[jonheld]

(yawn) another 20 year old rusty truck from the salt belt. What a surprise.
Keep moving. Nothing to see here.

 

[Rifleman]

Beyond your base purchase price of 6000 dollars, you could be looking at 1000's of dollars, and lots of labor if you want to repair all that rust damage. Plus that's not counting all the pain and aggravation your going to go through finding, and replacing those parts. At my age, Not having to deal with that kind of aggravation, is simply priceless!

 

[Mixelplix]

I wish mine looked that good.

 

[artech]

$2500? Maybe, if mechanically it was sound and things could be used as organ donors when the rust finally wins.
$6000? Not a chance. That rig has less than 3 years left before either a major rebuild or junkyard.

YMMV.

 

[Ballsie]

Im guessing this is your first Cruiser. It will definitely be your last if you buy that one. You will hate it! $6k should get you an 80 with no rust and in totally reasonable condition. I looked for 18 months before I pulled the trigger on my first Cruiser. Leave that one behind and you will find a much better truck and you will also get to keep your sanity from dealing with all that rust!

 

[JCruse]

5 years ago my rig was 99.9% rust free underneath. Now after 5 years of the beach its not too far off from those pics. I had been spraying some of it with fluid film but have been slacking off as of late. I got a new compressor and so plan on spraying it heavily with something or other to slow things down. Wish me luck.
It really bothers me to do this to a LC, the trucks I love. But that was my purpose for it so.... I try to make peace with it.

 

[Grizzilion]

Thanks for the advice everybody. Definitely steering clear of this cruiser after reading your guys input. I'm just getting trigger happy and reasoning with myself that "it's not that bad" just so I can get a cruiser quicker. Not the best strategy I know.

But I've broadened my search range and found a pretty enticing cruiser in the Phoenix area. Rust free. I'm in CO, about 12 hours away, so tough for me to check it out. Does anybody know anyone in Phoenix area that'd be willing to do a pre check and test drive for me? Obviously a finders fee would be paid for their time.

 

[Grizzilion]

A few photos of the Phoenix rig.

 

[jonheld]

That is a 91/92 FJ80 with a 3FE engine. And what the hell happened to that fan shroud??? The AFM also looks like it's been cut open and resealed. Hard to tell from the picture, but there appears to be a gap between the knuckle and the lower steering arm.

 

[Grizzilion]

Yeah 91 with 3FE. Thinking it might be a better option for my first cruiser. Easier to wrench on and more durable. Owner said it overheated on him in the mountains a month ago so he replaced the fan clutch? What other issues can arise from it having overheated?

 

[Red Merle]

Parts are getting harder to find for the 3FE. I am not sure if it's easier to work on, but I don't think the 1FZ-FE is hard to work on. Anything that has over heated could have problems, but the head gasket on the 3FE is less prone to failure. Depending on what happened, there could still be a number of issues with the motor and the cooling system for sure should be overhauled if it looks like that and has spent it's life in the desert.

 

[BILT4ME]

Ask @Golgo13 if his has that much rust. I think his may actually be worse.

 

[Funner]

Yeah 91 with 3FE. Thinking it might be a better option for my first cruiser. Easier to wrench on and more durable. Owner said it overheated on him in the mountains a month ago so he replaced the fan clutch? What other issues can arise from it having overheated?

If it's in Phoenix you could have it sent to Camelback Toyota and pay for an inspection. The service manager and some of the techs are cruiserheads, they know what to look for and could even get it repaired correctly so you could fly in and drive it home if you decided to purchase it. I do almost all my own work, but this is the one shop I have had perform service for me on my land cruisers.

 

[Burbot]

Is that brake fluid on the tyre and ground or lil dog pee on inside of tyre?

 

[Funner]

Is that brake fluid on the tyre and ground or lil dog pee on inside of tyre?

Pee Lol, I think @jonheld is correct, loose knuckle studs and it's leaking gear oil, but could be blown caliper seal.