Hot or Not

[grayhair]

Hi everyone, I will try and keep this short. I am in the NEW YORK area and Recently purchased a 1999 Landcruiser and would love to get it mechanically sound and last atleast another 5 years on the road. This truck has 169,000 miles and runs perfectly so far in the 2 months i've had it, (starting, driving, shifting, stopping) zero complaints. I know with a little love I should be able to daily this with no worries. My problem is (injury) i cant do much DIY anymore on the floor of my driveway and would love to find more people and or shops with skilled labor and knowledge on this truck. The truck has rust in the rear of the frame / towhitch box which i would like to get fixed, but also i have a list of parts waiting to be ordered as preventive maintenance that i would like to complete first before getting to the frame restoration (hopefully before winter 2027). Any and all input on if i should dump my savings into this project or not are welcome.

Things ive done to the car aleady: valve cover gaskets, sparkplugs, coils, fuel filter

Parts in cart: Front struts, Front cv axles, Front control arms, Aisin master timing kit complete w/hoses (yotashop kit)
These parts i would love to get installed asap


Next is my windshield trim which is leaking water into drivers footwell onto the ECU. complete molding has already been ordered from toyota waiting on delivery. I also have no idea where to bring to install this properly as i can see from internet searches that it is a difficult task ( 2 toyota dealers in my area don't want to do it ) sidenote: my sunroof also doesn't open the button just activates the motor ,something is spinning but nothing is moving, not worried about it right now.

Finally, rust.
the frame is in great shape with solid frame still holding up until the rear. I have the famous front sway bar bracket broken on the passenger side from the AC drain. I will remove the entire bar until i can send the truck in for frame repair. The next hole is another popular spot above the driver side rear crossmember. the problem is the rear, the tow hitch assembly is rusted out and has to holes in the frame on either side. I am never going to tow anything so i really don't care for it and would like to explore any options. (cutting out and removal?) I recently received a quote after a full inspection from a popular shop in New Jersey for full frame weld repair, cleaning, and woolwax for $6800++, which is not in my budget right now unfortunately.. should I apply any rust encapsulator for the time being until im ready to send frame for restoration?


any and all input welcome, go easy on me this is my first time ever posting or commenting on anything.

did not keep this short. here's some pics thanks all.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Welcome. Are you replacing those front suspension components for a reason or just because? Unless there's issues, it may be needless parts. Even then, you can replace ball joint and re-boot CVs. Same for timing belt, if you know when it was last done, then just stick with the schedule.

That frame rust is bad. BAD bad. I would treat it with a spray on protectant like Fluidfilm for now until you can repair it or even line up a replacement frame.

 

[grayhair]

Welcome. Are you replacing those front suspension components for a reason or just because? Unless there's issues, it may be needless parts. Even then, you can replace ball joint and re-boot CVs. Same for timing belt, if you know when it was last done, then just stick with the schedule.

That frame rust is bad. BAD bad. I would treat it with a spray on protectant like Fluidfilm for now until you can repair it or even line up a replacement frame.

front suspension refresh i wanted to get done because my lower ball joints are shot, 1 cv axle looks like it had a tear in the boot and previous owner tried to patch it with something also i wanted to change the diff seals. and the overall ride quality feels rough and loud in the front over bumps and bad roads.


replacement frame is most likely out of the question seeing as i can barely afford the frame repair quote i just got.

the truck has be able to reliably daily 14 miles a day round trip to worl for a couple years. that’s my goal

 

[mmbirtcher]

Get a few prices from reputable local shops to repair what has to be done now. Start doing some cleaning and repairing on areas that are solid and don’t need replacement yourself. Keep it clean. Get the rustproofing done after you’ve done the prep work you can. There are definitely shops in your area that do this work all the time. Good luck!

 

[excessive]

welcome. honestly, i would not invest any money in that truck, the frame is too compromised. I would start over with a rust-free example. for what you're going to spend on frame repair, you could almost buy a rust-free example. Every example of this vintage is going to need some work, but you can't every really fix rust , only slow it down. Just drive it until the wheels fall off and save up for one with a cleaner frame

 

[TRDdrew]

wow the frame is so far gone is actually buckling in the rear. My 2cents is if you are dead set in keeping this truck, fine a southern or mid west part out truck, rent a box truck and go purchase a rust free frame. A frame swap will cost you a pretty penny and there will be a lot of "while your in there" stuff that will need to be done.

I don't know if I would trust a repair to that frame but to each his own. I can tell you at the tune of 6800+ I would think that you could get a frame swap done for near that and would be a better and more importantly, safer option.

Good Luck

 

[J1000]

New York is where 100s go to die. That rust is insane. I don't know how you have such a cheerful attitude, I guess you're used to it? Why put even $1 in to that truck?

 

[whitec13]

I’ll say this as I am well versed in very rusty 100’s; if your frame is that bad, it’s that bad somewhere else that you’ve yet to see. In this case, under the rear bumper covers on the lower quarters. If your frame is that bad back there, willing to bet the body is too. I chopped a section out of my 100’s frame and welded in a replacement, but as others have said, I’d caution you on spending too much on it. That said, I paid somewhere around $5k for mine, and had about $3k total in maintenance and repairs over her life of 8.5 years with me. I’m assuming you paid well north of that with less than 200k on the clock. I’d do what you can where it makes sense and drive her to the grave.

 

[Gartenmeister]

Wow that rust is something else. Doesn't NYS have a safety inspection? How does that possibly pass?