My slow battle against hatch rust (1 Viewer)

[Mixelplix]

After a long time neglecting my '91 FJ80, I've decided to begin tackling a few things which need attention. One of the minor issues is the rust around the rear hatch glass which I've been keeping at bay with intermittent applications of POR-15 and white spray paint.

I randomly encountered another white 80 series in a parking lot, and realized that I needed to fix my hatch sooner than later or else it gets much worse..

Here's a closeup of what mine looked like when I pulled her in the garage the other day to begin working on the hatch.

 

[Mixelplix]

I pulled the wiper, and the interior trim. While it looks bad, it's actually better than I expected.

Next up was the rear glass removal. I took my time and worked the gasket out from the interior side to the exterior. It was't difficult to remove - although I was sure I would break it, because that's my luck.

Amazingly I was able to get it out solo without damaging it.

The outside looks a little better than the inside.

I ordered a new exterior "Land Cruiser" emblem off of ebay. I was able to source a single stage 045 white locally.

Tonight I'll probably continue taking off the lockset, the wiper mechanism, and the emblem.

Going forward I plan to grind the surface to discover all the rust. Cut out any metal which is compromised, and sand / rust convert any light rust. I'll then try to fab up some patch panels and weld them in. Then primer / paint / reassembly.

 

[Mixelplix]

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[Red Merle]

Seems like it would have been easier to just source a new hatch. Looks like a lot of work and as a fellow rust belter, I feel your pain and am curious to see how this all comes together. Good luck!

 

[Mixelplix]

I considered it, but I wasn't able to find anything nearby in better shape.

Plus, I generally enjoy doing this type of thing. As an added bonus, I can only be mad at myself if it starts to rust again in a few years.

 

[Ed Camenzind]

Dang rust, something I’m gonna have to deal with sooner than later. Good luck.

 

[JeepinPete]

Don't know where you are in PA, but I have a rear gate in far better shape that I replaced with a unrusted copy. Yours for a six pack...

 

[Mixelplix]

Don't know where you are in PA, but I have a rear gate in far better shape that I replaced with a unrusted copy. Yours for a six pack...

Thanks for the offer! Shooting you a PM now.

 

[ironhippy]

Seems like it would have been easier to just source a new hatch. Looks like a lot of work and as a fellow rust belter, I feel your pain and am curious to see how this all comes together. Good luck!

I had one shipped from Texas as it was a lot easier to deal with that than to fix the rust!

Toyota Land Cruiser Used Auto Parts Accessories | CruiserYard | Austin, Texas

 

[Red Merle]

I had one shipped from Texas as it was a lot easier to deal with that than to fix the rust!

Toyota Land Cruiser Used Auto Parts Accessories | CruiserYard | Austin, Texas

Or ask @slow95z . Both he and Jason have a lot of used parts.

 

[slow95z]

Or ask @slow95z . Both he and Jason have a lot of used parts.

i do have several but none in white. pm me if you want a good deal on a rust free hatch from the south.

 

[Heckraiser]

New hatch is the only answer unless you have endless free time. As bad as yours looks, no question it would be going to the scrapper. Easy enough to paint it to match, don't worry about getting a white one (I made the mistake of going for a poor condition hood because it was white and ended up replacing it with a new one).

My hatch is "champagne" and my hood is black all on a white truck. The neighbors love me

 

[thatcabledude]

Get a new (used) hatch. You're going to have to paint the repair, so may as well paint whole thing.

 

[Mixelplix]

You guys are right. I'll get one in better shape.

 

[Red Merle]

You guys are right. I'll get one in better shape.

I think that is the right move. The one you have now is pretty far gone and I think you would have spent a lot of time with it and you might not have been happy with the result and the rust could come back. Keep the old glass and whatever else you can salvage out of the old one.

 

[Aloha Jen]

I say fix the rust and re-use....but mostly just because everyone else is saying throw away and replace.

 

[thatcabledude]

Hang the current one in your living room as art.

 

[ccslider]

Take off the old one and run it over.

Install new one and drink a beer.

Done.

I have one but Colorado is a little far..

 

[Mixelplix]

After following a couple of leads for good used hatches I decided that at the moment I have more free time than free money (although I have little of either), and took the plunge into trying to repair my hatch.

I started by grinding it to see what I was working with.

Then I removed the hatch and took the LC outside to get a little room in the garage to work.

I decided to start on the inside of the hatch. That way if I made any mistakes it would be less visible.

Don't pick on the sawhorses. They've seen some sh*t, man...

The interior face of the hatch was in the worst shape, but there weren't a lot of bends to deal with. So I set up my $30 harbor freight sheet metal break and went to work.

 

[Mixelplix]

After fiddling with the brake (what do you want for $30?), I was able to make a reasonably good patch panel to tackle most of the rear in one shot.

Considering I have very little experience with this I was scratching my head trying to figure out how to cut the patch, and the hatch precisely so that they'll match up well when I go to weld them in later.

I decided to clamp the patch in place, and try to cut through them both with the plasma arc. (yes, I have too many tools)

That worked out very well.

After cutting the rear edge away, I discovered that an interior brace near the wiper assembly would also need some attention.

So I ground the edge down to good metal, and decided to move on to cutting the front to gain access to the brace around the wiper arm.