question aboot rotting metal (1 Viewer)

[mancinator]

hey, newbie here, got a few questions.
i am aboot this close to purchasing a cruiser with alot of upgrades, but the one thing that i would like to know is how do you deal with the rust.
so far the rear corners and the rocker below the door have been diamond plated and the floor board on th einside have rust and there is even a dime sized hole. is this repairable, and if so how? right now i plan on rhino lining tyhe inside anyways, and pissibly welding on some patches to reinforce the floor. if anyone can point me in the right direction id be much appreciative.
al i have left is to sell my trooper and i may be able to finally purchase an fj40.

 

[CruisinGA]

Depends, some would say just rivet or weld a piece of metal in over the holes and paint it, others would say strip it all, cut out all the rusty bits and weld in new pieces. Unless this 40 was destined to be a trail only beater, I would take off all that diamond plating and asses the rust underneath. If its possible to clean and repaint, do that, if not then I would get reproduction steel parts from SOR or Cool Cruisers and weld those pieces in. The rear corners are tricky, some cut out the 1/4 panels and replace with CCOT (Cool Cruisers of Texas) repro's and weld them in, others try bondo and still other leave the holes. I have a few holes in my floor, but the rust was stopped before it got bad, so all around those holes the floor is still pretty strong, so I don't worry about it. Pics and a more in depth assesment would be helpful.
Like most other things it depends on money available, intended use, and your skill as a welder/fabricator.

 

[mancinator]

i will try to get pictures, but heres what i am thinking. it is still plenty strong (the floor) there is just some scratches in the paint where it us rusting. i was thinkign where the hole is i would make that the drain and put a removable plug in, sand the rest of the problem areas, paint and then rhino line it (or nix the paint if im lining it).
for the corners, i will see what the guy who currently owns it did, but with the amoutn of work he has done to restore it, i would imagine he took some measures to stop the rust and the diamond plate is ther to cover up all the nastiness.
this is going to be an everyday to the trail and back cruiser. i do not have to worry about a commute since i work bascially from home, but i will be taking it on the highway and around town and like i said, to the trails. right now it has a 383 stroker 350 with quadrajet carb, headers, custom rad, sprung over, custom cage, bucket seats, line lock, electric fan, winch, 36s, soft top, power steering conversion and it comes iwth a trailer and the parts necassary to do the disc brake conversion...not bad for 5100 obo...its all just a matter if i can get the cahs togethor...if i dont get this one, i will not be too disapointed, but it is almsot near the point where whatever cruiser i get would be at. i understand its a 30-40 year old truck, and im not lookign for some plush ride or anything, but i do make the hike back to canada once in a while (5-9 hour drive depending on traffic) so it would have to be comfterable enough for that.
anyways, i love this site and ill continue to do more research, i have already read a few topics on what to look for when buying an fj40 so i think i am somehwat well equipped.
my plans when i get the truck are new 35/36x14 in tires, repaint the exterior somethign not smurf blue , and rhino line the tub and finsih the disc brakes. here is a link to the fellas site.
http://home.comcast.net/~strangerz/

if it doenst go straight to it, click on the flopped cruiser

once agian, thank for the help.

 

[PHAT MAX]

when you think you have it bad...think of me:

http://www.webphotos.com/list_photos.asp?mi=3&smi=2&a=68175

 

[customcruiser]

and mine

cracked the frame -- again where the shackle hanger attaches on front passanger side.

i am stuck on whether new frame or try to fix this one again

was told would be able to fix anything but probally have to brace the whole thing -- might as well go with a matkins frame. only problem is that dollar bill

will try to send pics on monday you know durning work

 

[CruisinGA]

If the floor is structurally sound then just use the holes that are there for drain holes, get either a sandblaster, or a 3M Rust/Paint remover wheel on either a drill or a die grinder and strip off all the rust and then rhino/dupli/line-x or whatever. Mine's duplicolor I think and I like it. (PO job) It looks like the body's not in great shape, but if the frame is sound and the drivetrain is good, 5100 does not sound bad. Make sure you drive it before you buy it, if the SOA's not done right you will have muchas problemas.
P.S. I like smurf blue

 

[Chase77]

Definitely look over every inch of the frame and if you can weld then dont worry too much about some light to moderate tub rust. If the floor just has the one quarter sized hole get some of the POR 15 patch and go over it. I tested it on a hole slightly larger and it seems very strong. I would also buy a quart or 2 of the regular POR 15 to coat any other rust issues as long as they arent serious, and bedline over that. Turned out my tub was pretty bad so i ended up cutting out every bit of rust (and i mean everything) and just put in some new 16 guage. If i had to do it again the only thing i would do different would be to go with some of the CCOT 1/4's. 2x3 tube worked great for the rear sill and the patches welded in are nearly invisible but the quarters were a big PITA. my .02
-Chase

 

[mancinator]

i have seen many bad cruisers with terminal body cancer, and i know that this crusier isnt the worst....it is always jsut hard for me to look at something and see rust. i hate it with a passion. the next time i get a chance i will go over every inch of the truck, but appearntly the frame was rust proofed painted and on the body exterior there are just small sections here and there that need tending. the other thing i must remember to check is if he had the axles turned when the spring over was done....but my question is, the driveshaft is at a pretty big angle, but nowhere near where ive seen some of these cruisers with arched springs and big tires like 38s and stuff, so i am not sure if it is a huge deal if the axles have been turned or not. he took me for a drive in it and it drove pretty smoothly (for a cruiser). there didnt seem to be anyy axle wrap or driveline vibration.....and he really got it up to speed to to show me what that stroker could do. he had all the wedlign done by a friend in the boil.ermakers union so it cant get much better then having a professional welder do the work.
other then that i still have some more things to check....probably on wednsday i will get anotehr look unless its sold by then.,

 

[customcruiser]

NICE block lift my cause of frame problems

 

[customcruiser]

if you could see the pic

 

[customcruiser]

another -- check out the severed brake line (still not fixed although have had the parts for a month)
when the drive shaft falls out you better watch out -- it took out my brakes and rear lights
I had to disconnect from rear axle and drive in 4wd to get home

 

[customcruiser]

this crack has been fixed although sat i found one up front damn the PO) -- this cruiser had a full restore 18 years ago and has been in up north until about 4 years ago -- PO said he fixed all rust but I now have 18 years and all his slack to fix, the body is excellent shape just the frame is shot

 

[mancinator]

NICE block lift my cause of frame problems

where do you see lift blocks?

jeese, that is some of the worst rust i have ever seen custom. how muhc do they charge for a new frame? if the body is good and everything else is good, then a new frame would be the best bet wouldnt it?

 

[customcruiser]

4" blocks between the frame and spring hangers

i would think that a new frame is the way to go also, but was told this could be fixed.

matkins.com has fj40 frames about 2G's -- lifetime warrenty 1" body lift and shackle reversal already incorporated into these frames

although i think that for less than 2G's i could have the whole frame reinforced -- dont know which way to go ??? ???

the body is made from thick a$$ steel, the PO did 18 years ago

 

[customcruiser]

also, that color is not rust just your basic MUD -- I really dont H8MUD!! 8)

 

[hammerhead]

Too bad you're so far away. That is definately repairable. The reason that perch tore loose from the frame is the cheesy block lift. Too much leverage and not enough contact area. The proper fix would be putting the perch back in the stock location and lift it in a more acceptable fashion like SOA. On the front you could do a SR without the silly blocks (I'm asuming it is equally as ugly).

 

[customcruiser]

wanting SOA just want to take care of the frame first so i dont spend all that cash and then have to tear her all back down and deal with this damn frame.
hammerhead -- that was my thought just wanted sombody to agree with me before I started
got an est on sandblasting frame $35-40 -- seems very reasonable espically since my dad told me it would be about $300

also, has anybody sprayed (rhino-line, line-x) the underside (not the frame) of the body?? just trying to prevent the rust

 

[hammerhead]

A friend of mine did the rhino belly but it's only been a few months so we can't vouch for durability yet. It does look good though.

 

[mancinator]

we;ll some fella offered me 3650 for my trooper, and i am just waiting tyhe final answer on that offer so if thigns stand up, and that cruiser hasnt sold yet, i will be making an offer on everythign this wednesday.
i dont want ot jinx anythign thouhg...i always do that.

 

[hammerhead]

Good luck dude. Hope you get it. Post pics if you do. An FJ40...one purchase you'll never regret.