Need some rust advice for my 1990 that's been resprayed once (1 Viewer)

[jebb]

Anyone have any advice on what to do about this? Pics here. It looks like there's previous rust issues under the roof paint that are now bubbling. I'm in Los Angeles, so any suggestions for shops to call would be much appreciated. I'm guess I'm going to have to grind this out and...patch these spots? And then repaint?

I will probably be moving further from the coast...but to a road salt world so my truck will start rusting from the bottom instead of the top.

Thanks.

 

[Beams37]

I'm no body expert, but you're not gonna know how bad it is till you get some of that paint off. It might need a full roof skin or it might just need some patch panels, but I would start by sanding some of that off to see what you're working with. Will also be easier for a body shop to give you an accurate quote.

 

[SteveH]

That looks like a typical coastal vehicle left outside. The roof would require a lot of cutting and patching and grinding off all the paint, seam sealer, and rust, until you get to solid metal. The headliner must be pulled, too, along with the side windows.

After new metal is welded in and all bodywork done, the vehicle must be parked inside/out of the rain, or it will happen again. As for moving to a road-salt world, you'll need to keep it indoors during the salt months. There's a lot you could do before finding a shop (if you can't do it) to weld in new metal. You might try to find a shop, and cut a deal with them on who is doing what. You will save a lot by doing much of the prep work yourself.

 

[Beams37]

Long-term, you could also consider spraying with Salts Gone regularly.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

That looks like a typical coastal vehicle left outside. The roof would require a lot of cutting and patching and grinding off all the paint, seam sealer, and rust, until you get to solid metal. The headliner must be pulled, too, along with the side windows.

After new metal is welded in and all bodywork done, the vehicle must be parked inside/out of the rain, or it will happen again. As for moving to a road-salt world, you'll need to keep it indoors during the salt months. There's a lot you could do before finding a shop (if you can't do it) to weld in new metal. You might try to find a shop, and cut a deal with them on who is doing what. You will save a lot by doing much of the prep work yourself.

I'm quite perplexed by this common issue seen with California 60 series. While I owned my 62 it was parked outside for 20 years here in Juneau, a very rainy location, and it never developed any roof rust whatsoever. OTOH, the body and frame did get a bit rusty. Yes, salts are used on the roads during winter.
On topic, I'm afraid your evaluation of what will be necessary to fix this one is spot on.

 

[jebb]

Yeah, my house has a tiny 1940s garage that my truck won't fit in (I'm not even sure what car would fit in there). So I leave it in the driveway under a cover. New place in Maine has a barn though.

 

[Roonie]

Yes my FJ62 was parked outside (33 years of its life) up until 4 years ago in Seattle rainy weather and it has zero rust on it anywhere? Original paint and everything. The frame also has zero rust anywhere. I think once you add a little salt to the mix everything changes.

 

[60series777]

I think it's a combination of the sun drying up and cracking the sealant that sits in the rain gutters, then all of the condensation we get near the coast finds its way in. If you don't drive your car daily it just sits in those gutters. Living near the beach certainly doesn't help.

As far as repair, I had a small area above my drip rail cut out and new metal patched in by Art's Place in Costa Mesa: Art's Place Automotive Reconditioning - Costa Mesa, CA - https://www.yelp.com/biz/arts-place-automotive-reconditioning-costa-mesa-2 . He gave me a quote on the spot and worked quickly. His pricing was very fair in my opinion.

As others have mentioned, you will want to park indoors after getting the work done. I continued to park outdoors for about a year and now I have one tiny spot that returned .

 

[SteveH]

I think it's a combination of the sun drying up and cracking the sealant that sits in the rain gutters, then all of the condensation we get near the coast finds its way in.

Agreed. Many Texas trucks suffer roof line rust due to the sealer being destroyed by the high heat and sun, and the headliner insulation soaking up water and rusting out the roof. As they say in the tractor world, 'Shed your tin' - keep it indoors/garaged.

 

[WartHog73]

I'm quite perplexed by this common issue seen with California 60 series. While I owned my 62 it was parked outside for 20 years here in Juneau, a very rainy location, and it never developed any roof rust whatsoever. OTOH, the body and frame did get a bit rusty. Yes, salts are used on the roads during winter.
On topic, I'm afraid your evaluation of what will be necessary to fix this one is spot on.

Only takes part of a summer hauling surf boards and other ocean gear up there for the salt water to do it’s thing…especially if you never rinse off gear, etc.

 

[jebb]

One thing about my truck (I do spray it off every time I get back from the beach and take the surf rods or surfboards off the rack) is it spent its early years in Houston, TX, where it was garage-kept. And you can see some of that roof stuff was present when PO repainted it, so I think SteveH is on to something.

 

[Dozer18]

Following this, @jebb. I have a similar issue that has been developing for years as my truck moved from southern CA (20ish years) to Kansas (1 year) to Virginia, Georgia, and now Florida.

I really only see two options for me: 1) go the really expensive route and have all the rust spots fully patched and repainted, which would also warrant a full re-paint of the truck (never been done, so my 1988 has a very lovely patina), or 2) do nothing, and just let it go. Figure it will last another decade or more before it gets so bad you can't use the truck. It has a Vortec heart these days so I'm not worried about the drivetrain. She's had a good life, but I really planned on keeping her alive and well until I go first.

Would love to hear how you proceed and of any quotes for the work you might get.