Is this salvageable? (Rust)

[deanfj40]

Hey guys so I finally have time to start the restoration on my '78fj40

I'm a newbie at this stuff but I want to do it all myself. I began in the rear of the cruiser by removing top surface rust and got down to bare metal. My question is, how bad does this look and how do I repair this, or should I just replace it?
There isn't any wholes created by the rust. It's still solid just eaten in some parts

 

[thecrazygreek]

Replace it... The edges from what I can see look ok, but I would replace the whole thing with a panel from CCOT or Real Steel Cruiser Parts. Both make a good panel...

 

[brian]

i wouldn't even be bothered with that.
strip the paint completely off, kill the rust with a converter, repaint and be happy.
not worth the effort involved to replace the bed pan, unless you're going for a top of the line resto job.

 

[thecrazygreek]

Looks like the steel has lost its integrity . throw some heavy tools back there and you might not like what happens.
Don't listen to Brian, he knows nothing...

Also... Notice he said restoration....

Lol...

 

[antFJ]

perfect application for spray welding?

 

[erics]

perfect application for spray welding?

haven't seen that before - looks cool, but the website is so low grade low tech it's hard to evaluate... are you aware of shops using/offering it?

 

[RustyNailJustin]

I am with the leave it unless you are doing a real resto. There is life in that clapped out steel.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

What are your plans for the rig? if not a resto, KBS coating and bedliner would make that go away.

 

[roadstr6]

If the areas where the floor meets the fender are not rotted, I would not replace. It'll last a long time like that where you live. Treat it and shoot it with bedliner.

If you are going for a high-end restoration and you want to re-paint with actual paint as original you might be better off replacing. By the time you skim coat and sand all the pitting you'll have about as much time in it as a replacement panel.

 

[snaggletto]

I would treat it with rust converter top and bottom, then paint. Skip the bed liner, it will fail eventually and then be a cause of rust and a pain to remove. The areas to be concerned with are the areas where the sheet metal overlaps. The bad rust is the kind that grows in between the spot welds of these lap joints. For example where the floor meets the outer rocker panels and where the wheel wells meet the rear quarters.

 

[SteveH]

I would treat it with rust converter top and bottom, then paint. Skip the bed liner, it will fail eventually and then be a cause of rust and a pain to remove. The areas to be concerned with are the areas where the sheet metal overlaps. The bad rust is the kind that grows in between the spot welds of these lap joints. For example where the floor meets the outer rocker panels and where the wheel wells meet the rear quarters.

x2 - skip the bedliner. Keep the metal properly coated on both sides and keep it dry. If you ever do a full-on resto, replace it down the road.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I think that the next step on that bed, if it continues to rust, is replacement. I stand by the bedliner comment because it's starting to get thin and without building it up, normal wear and tear could punch holes.

 

[honk]

Yeah, if by 'restoration' you mean to go for a near or like new truck then you have to replace it and likely a lot more of the steel along with it, up to and not to exclude the whole tub.

If you want to have a decent looking cruiser to use, to bang up and hammer straight again, to become your friend that won't let you down then kill the rust that you see paint it and move on. If holes develop you can rivet a patch over it and keep on going.
If you are bugged by the roughened surface you can use one of the prepaint putty products to smooth it over before painting. (I did NOT say Bondo, won't say it. I hate bondo).

Bet that there's a piece of carpet in your truck's past. Or any underlay that soaks up water and saves it for eating steel. Very bad business putting stuff like that in FJ40. Bad JuJu, allah must not be praised.

 

[honk]

perfect application for spray welding?

That looks too cool to be a reality. There must be something that spoils it because if it is as good as it seems then Miller or some big forward looking weld equipment outfit would have bought them out first time it appeared anywhere.

 

[luvdamud]

Have seen what I think is the spray-on weld at a friend's restoration shop. He doesn't do the work but the shop he farms stripping/blasting out to does. Looks pretty cool. Where I've seen it, the stuff looks very solid. I didn't pay a great deal of attention to it and am unsure how it would work to put a layer on top of a panel or floor. I suspect you'd have to perfectly strip the existing rust out so it's laid on top of bare steel.

 

[bugsnbikes]

Id first take a closer look at the underfloor crossmembers before making a decision on the floor.

No point in leaving the floor if the crosmembers are shot imho. You need to look down the rabbit hole a bit more thoroughly and weigh everything from where you want this to end up......and how best to get there vs addressing each part individually imho.

I will say that with that much pitting on the topside and if underside is fairly similar......the floor has become very thin and crossmember condition is my first worry especially with the later 70s thinner steel compared to earlier models.

 

[deanfj40]

I have a big jug of vinegar would that work as good as rust converter? Also should I use paint thinner first to remove all the old paint first before attacking the rust?
1 remove old paint
2 remove rust
3 primer
4 repaint
??? Does that sound right?

 

[deanfj40]

Also for the meantime I just want to get it running and rust free. Maybe in later plans when money is not much of an issue I'll be replacing tubs and panels. But for right now I want to paint and rid the rust

 

[brian]

paint thinner is not paint stripper

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Have seen what I think is the spray-on weld at a friend's restoration shop. He doesn't do the work but the shop he farms stripping/blasting out to does. Looks pretty cool. Where I've seen it, the stuff looks very solid. I didn't pay a great deal of attention to it and am unsure how it would work to put a layer on top of a panel or floor. I suspect you'd have to perfectly strip the existing rust out so it's laid on top of bare steel.

I've worked that stuff, and I'm not sold on it. But it's like pretty much everything else - some people like, some don't... personally I hate bodywork, so I'm already so irritated by the time I'm working it that I probably am not in a "fair analysis" frame of mind.