Is this too much rust? (1 Viewer)

[Gator16]

Hi, I'm thinking of buying a well priced (2-3K below KBB) low mileage 2010 GX460 that was in Maryland for its life. I'm from the south, so we don't have much rust here. Is this a reasonable amount of rust? Would it scare you off? Would it need treatment, and if yes, how so?

Thanks for your help in advance, I'm just ignorant to this sort of thing.

 

[Rednexus]

Rust on the frame is a bit concerning - I'd say it's worse than my 2007 470 was. I'd suggest looking inside the frame everywhere (peeking with a flash light or a inspection camera), but focusing on the passenger frame rail behind the front tire (where it dips down). The AC drip line discharges onto the frame there and it can really rot from the inside out. The rear frame crossmember behind the rear axle can also collect a lot of gunk and rust out as well.

If the inside of the frame is fine and the rest of the GX is in good shape otherwise I'd have no issues getting it. But you'll need to undercoat the frame inside and out ASAP to stop the rust, will probably break some smaller bolts (like skid plate bolts etc) when you wrench on it, and will need to keep up on undercoating for the rest of the vehicle's life. I like Fluid Film and Woolwax for undercoating as they are super-easy to DIY apply and self heal.

Being from MO where we have some rust, regular undercoating and dealing with broken bolts is NBD to me, but it can be a big deal to some.

 

[r2m]

From what your photos show, I personally would not have a problem with it.
My rule of thumb for rust is:
If you take a wire brush to it and get shinny metal easily with a few strokes, I'm good with that.
If you take a wire brush to it and start removing rust with more and more of the rusted metal getting thinner as you brush. RUN AWAY!!!
Never worry about surface rust, UNLESS it starts pitting the surface and you can't return the surface to a smooth/original finish again without removing material.

Hope you understand how I'm describing this.

 

[re_guderian]

...Being from MO where we have some rust, regular undercoating and dealing with broken bolts is NBD to me, but it can be a big deal to some.

Mad props to people like you. It takes patience, and/or $$$ specialty tools (induction heaters, etc) to deal with rusted bolts and such if YOU do your own work. My 80 series was from MD, and I swear, never again. If you plan on paying someone else to do all your work, then shop rates don't discriminate. I still mostly work on my own junk, so personally won't deal with rust. I'm already slow, and rust is just a "PITA force multiplier" for every job.

If you're even remotely concerned about structural integrity on a rig you're gonna beat the s#!t out of, that's an automatic hard pass.

 

[Rednexus]

I'd say that's a bit of an over-statement. I've dealt with broken skidplate bolts - just drilled them out and re-tapped to the next larger M8x1.25 size. A few other bolts have required 30 minutes of welding here and there (from a $200 HF welder), and I had to rebuild a Y pipe exhaust flange, but again no big deal either. At this point I've replaced pretty much the entire suspension and exhaust in my GX (not because of rust), so I've been through of all of it. There is a big difference between a total rust bucket (which will require the induction heater - watch the Speed Academy YouTube channel for some examples) and something where it requires a bit more work than a rust-free vehicle.

Regarding structural integrity - just being honest - I do not agree at all. Surface rust does not affect structural integrity, or ever bridge in the USA would be closed . Holes in the frame, major rust on the inside, etc is a different story. It's hard to tell the difference between the two without looking at the GX in person.

 

[Roody]

For $2-3k, unless if price is of the utmost importance and you have the time/willpower to go to town on the existing rust to remedy it in preparation for long-term ownership, it's probably worth it to try and find a GX that's as close to rust-free as possible.

 

[r2m]

I'd say that's a bit of an over-statement. I've dealt with broken skidplate bolts - just drilled them out and re-tapped to the next larger M8x1.25 size. A few other bolts have required 30 minutes of welding here and there (from a $200 HF welder), and I had to rebuild a Y pipe exhaust flange, but again no big deal either. At this point I've replaced pretty much the entire suspension and exhaust in my GX (not because of rust), so I've been through of all of it. There is a big difference between a total rust bucket (which will require the induction heater - watch the Speed Academy YouTube channel for some examples) and something where it requires a bit more work than a rust-free vehicle.

Regarding structural integrity - just being honest - I do not agree at all. Surface rust does not affect structural integrity, or ever bridge in the USA would be closed . Holes in the frame, major rust on the inside, etc is a different story. It's hard to tell the difference between the two without looking at the GX in person.

Kind of like I was trying to describe above. If the rust is bubbling and flaking, then yes there is physical material missing and reduced structural strength. I have a few old railroad tie spikes. One of them is quite rusted and is about 2/3's the thickness as the one with just a little surface rust. The one with more material will be stronger. The bottom line is rust does not permeate and weaken metal, it removes metal and that's what causes the structural weakness. It's akin to soaking a cracker in water as opposed to flaking off some of the cracker. Rust doesn't soak into metal, it's on the surface only. So if you can remove surface rust that has not eaten into the metal, you're fine.

How Rust Forms & Ways to Prevent Steel from Rusting | Capital Steel

Does steel rust? How long does it take steel to rust? Discover how rust forms and which preventative measures you can take to protect steel from rust.

capitalsteel.net

 

[Gimme a 60]

Looks fine.

Where I’m from, new vehicles look like that after a a couple years.

 

[BigSwede]

That doesn't look bad, certainly nothing is structurally compromised at this point. A good coating of Fluid Film or the like would stop the rust from advancing any more.

 

[aztoytec]

That 2 or 3 grand below KBB might not be worth the hassle. Condition of the rest of the vehicle along with service history would be a factor. Me being from southern AZ would personally run. There are plenty of fish in the sea!

 

[Arailt]

Here's my take. I lived in western Pennsylvania for 35 years. Pennsylvania me would have said that's not too bad, you can hit it with fluid film 2x a year and bide your time until the rust officially takes over 5+ years down the road. You can't really stop it short of a frame-off resto. I have had several north-east vehicles slowly rust out over the years despite my best efforts of woolwax, fluid film, stripping and repainting with rust encapsulator, etc.

I moved to Texas last year and bought my first non-snow belt vehicle. The frame is immaculate. Zero rust. Texas me says run away, travel southwest, find something with no rust, and coat appropriately to ensure rust never starts.

I agree; plenty of fish in the sea. Don't limit yourself geographically.

 

[Gator16]

This has all been great advice, thank you all so much. Mixed advice, but I appreciate all of it. I'm going to look at it tomorrow (couple hours away from me). Overall, I'd say I'm leaning toward finding something with less rust. However, tomorrow I'll bring a wire brush and flashlight and take a good inspection of it. If I do get it, I'll probably replace a few of those bolts assuming I can get them off and that middle skid plate. I think the frame is mostly just rusty on the welds, we'll see. I like the idea of Woolwax and just letting it stay greasy and grimy forever. Anybody against rust converter and paint after wire brush prior to Fluid film/Woolwax?

 

[r2m]

Have you considered this members rig? Looking to sell my 2019 Premium North GA - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/looking-to-sell-my-2019-premium-north-ga.1308196/#post-14884593

 

[Gator16]

Have you considered this members rig? Looking to sell my 2019 Premium North GA - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/looking-to-sell-my-2019-premium-north-ga.1308196/#post-14884593

Wow that's a beautiful rig and a good deal, but I'm trying to stay under 20K

 

[Arailt]

This has all been great advice, thank you all so much. Mixed advice, but I appreciate all of it. I'm going to look at it tomorrow (couple hours away from me). Overall, I'd say I'm leaning toward finding something with less rust. However, tomorrow I'll bring a wire brush and flashlight and take a good inspection of it. If I do get it, I'll probably replace a few of those bolts assuming I can get them off and that middle skid plate. I think the frame is mostly just rusty on the welds, we'll see. I like the idea of Woolwax and just letting it stay greasy and grimy forever. Anybody against rust converter and paint after wire brush prior to Fluid film/Woolwax?

I bought a 2008 GX470 from Buffalo, NY that had a similar amount of frame rust as the pictures you posted. Within a year, the rust spread pretty aggressively even with the fluid film I applied. I spent 20+ hours wire wheeling and brushing the loose stuff away, used Coroseal rust converter, painted with rush encapsulator. and finished with fluid film. It kept the rust from showing for about 6 months. Granted, winters in Pittsburgh are much more salty than anything you'll see in Georgia.

 

[Rednexus]

I Fluid-Filmed/Woolwax'd my GX in April 2021 (2 years ago) and re-applied in the fall of 2021. No applications since and the rust has not progressed at all. We have moderate salt here but not too bad. Pre-wax treatment was limited to a pressure wash. I also put a ton inside of the frame of the GX. All is holding up nicely, but I'll likely re-coat this summer.

 

[cgs2k2]

that looks good honestly