Is "Rust Free" worth it?

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i have had the rustbucket cruiser and it is disheartening watching your project rot away. i sold that one and bought a minimal rust cruiser as i could not afford a totally rust free cruiser. i knew that i was going to wheel the thing and not keep it stock. i agree that it sucks to dump money into something for mods if it just rots away. if you are going to use it as a mall cruiser and are concerned with how it looks, spend the extra cash. if you are going to wheel it and maybe get a few scratches and little dents, get a minimal rust cruiser, like dimesize on the roof type of stuff. you can take care of that pretty easily and you won't have to pay out the arse for it. besides-most "rust free" cruisers aren't. the quarters rust from the inside out. if you can see it from the outside-even just a bubble, there is a ton there. but yeah-i would look in az or nm or vegas if you want a totally rust free cruiser. good luck.
 
I agree that the desert is a good place to look however, I think that the trucks I see from parts of Washington state are the prettiest around, I guess it's easy livin' out there for old trucks.
 
I think buying a truck from the desert and taking it to a wet and salty climate is asking for trouble. I bet it would rot a whole lot faster...I could be wrong though ;)
 
My 86 -60 was purchased from the original owner in 95. starting in 99 it spent three years in storage as I was overseas, and while I was gone, the inevitable started. The body is solid- just a few tiny chips have gone over (more on leading edge of hood) but the frame-- yuck. surface rust all over. nothing structural (yet) --any good ideas on slowing this down?

T.I.A.
 
Zebart Rules

Just my two cents here...
After a demoralizing battle with fj-55 rust I recently found an amazingly clean 89 fj-62 with almost zero rust. The key is that this cruiser was treated with Zebart when new. IMO all cars should be treated as such. So find a clean Cali Cruiser and take it to Zebart and then enjoy without worry. Here in Ak the roads get treated with salt every winter. As far as I can tell my cruiser has been in AK a long time and still no signs of rust...
Good Luck
E.
 
What about those anti rust anti corrosion systems? They polarize the entire truck or something to entirely prevent rust. They have been posted on here before, but I forget where.
 
elmondo, should have stored your cruiser in new mexico

I was stationed in new mexico for many years and pretty much everything in albuquerque is rust free.

I met a owner of a fj-62 that was in the middle of rehab. The frame was dipped in zinc. I wonder what it would have cost if the entire body of a 60 series would be if it was dipped in zinc?

Am I correct that the reason these bodies rust is because of the impurities in the steel that is causing this?
 
Rust-free is pretty much the norm here in Arizona, so I don't think you would really be paying a premium for a rust-free truck if you purchased an Arizona truck. However, you can expect badly faded paint, dry-rot rubber, and brittle or cracked plastic and vinyl. HTH.

Matt
 
Yes rust free is worth it, my 62 is from up north somewhere, spent over an hour today just trying to get the 1 7/8" tow ball off to put on a 2" ball, after fighting it I got the nut off but never could get the ball off. The lace hitch finally bent. I think more of the hitch is sitting on my driveway than on the truck.

It would also be nice to be able to put the spare tire under the vehicle, but I cant because the spare tire winch has dissolved.

IH8RUST

If I had to live up north I would have to have a dedicated winter beater.
62Rust.webp
 
I live in az, and I must say 15-20 year old trucks can be transplants just as easy. "arizona rust free" fj40 were a joke 6 years ago during the craze. Most, did not live here for 50% of their lifetime. Many lived in the rust belt.

I bought a Dallas raised FJ60 and took it to Pennsylvania for a winter. Cleaned it via pressure wash at least once a week and it did well (now lives under a new owner J. H. in Tucson). If you can park it for the worst weeks of the winter, do so. cleaning and "oiling" also help. The rear wheel wells reinforcement ribs have a trapped cavity to watch, and oil directly.

rust? Never would I think of buying a truck to keep with that involved. I would not buy another rust truck ever.
(my hdj7x has two spots, but it's frozen in time here in the desert)
 
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