Rear Trailing Arm Mount (?) Rust (1 Viewer)

[hysteria357]

Hey everyone. The paint the dealer sprayed to cover the rust on my cheap land cruiser is peeling off and my paranoia is rising. Ive been making great progress grinding down all the rust I possibly can and coating with POR-15, however I found an area that finally scared me which is on a frame mounted component. I believe its for the mount for the rear trailing arm? I had trouble finding the right search terms so i couldnt find a thread. Its this thing below (generic underbody pic).

The honeymoon period of buying my cheap land cruiser has worn off and i'm starting to realize I might have gone too cheap and am in over my head further than what an angle grinder, POR-15, and a dream can handle. All the rust I keep uncovering is really making me think I should cut my losses, sell it as is, and buy one that I can better inspect. Its going to need shocks/springs/cv axles within the next year so im starting to debate whether I want to dump more money into something that might only last another few years. Can provide more pictures if these arent enough to judge.

What really concerns me is that the 3 mechanics i had inspect the car missed this.

Here's what im dealing with.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[3_puppies]

if this is the worst, from what I see you are being paranoid about the mount

it still looks solid, not compromised at all

if worried, scrape the flakes off and por15 it.

 

[delz05]

Hit it with a needle gun, rust kill gel, then prime and paint... add a woolwax or similar to complete the clean up.

Do this for any suspect area. DO NOT just paint or POR15 over the oxidation... remove it, kill it and then coat it!
Where is the truck from? Current location?

 

[hysteria357]

Hit it with a needle gun, rust kill gel, then prime and paint... add a woolwax or similar to complete the clean up.

Do this for any suspect area. DO NOT just paint or POR15 over the oxidation... remove it, kill it and then coat it!
Where is the truck from? Current location?

It spent most of its life in the north. I bought it earilier this year and live in the south. No snow. It stays garaged. Any rust repair ive been doing I grind the metal down with a flap disc until all the scale is gone and then paint it over with POR15. If I cant reach it with the angle grinder I do my best with a dremel wire wheel.

I only have a 6 gallon compressor. will that be enough juice for a short burst with a needle scaler? I've always been intrigued with them but I dont have the need to invest into a compressor capable of powering air tools.

 

[delz05]

Grinding and sanding never hurts... I do the same after I hit the corrosion with the needle gun. I am not sure if a 6hp will give you enough pressure... perhaps an electric needle? In any case, after the elimination of the corrosion and oxidation, you need to use some type of rust kill (Beest Rust converter, Rustoleum Rust disolver gel etc...) to stop the oxidation process. Then add a rust converter primer and seal with an enamel paint of some sort (rattle can semi-gloss black). Just covering the cleaned metal with POR15on encapsulates the oxidation, trapping it under the coating. It DOES NOT stop the chemical process that will lead to metal failure. It is a bit time consuming, but the end result is well worth the effort.

 

[scubadoober]

I have changed my process on this a bit. I used to use rust reformer and por15, but recently moved to cold galv spray with top coat. The zinc acts as a sacrificial anode and with oxidize before the steel. There is no real way to stop the oxidation you can only hope to slow it down.

 

[hysteria357]

Should i be concerned with the possibility for sparks considering its proximity to the fuel tank? I'm burning through wire wheels making little to no progress.

 

[delz05]

I can't say with absolute certainty, but it is highly unlikely you will have an issue, unless you have a fuel leak. In my 30 plus years of working on frames and such, I never have had an issue.

As for wire wheels, they are used last in the clean up process, not first, as they do not agitate the oxidation from the metal. A needle gun, small air hammer with a needle tipped chisle, even using a sharp edged flat chisle with a soft blow hammer is better than a wire wheel. You have to knock the crusty corrosion from the metal in order to begin the repair.

 

[hoser]

I might be more concerned about this...
....

 

[hysteria357]

I might be more concerned about this...
....View attachment 3732236

Yeahhhhhh that's what I'm working now

 

[Goose17]

That's nothing. I guess it's all relative to what you're used to. I grew up in the NE and all the cars had rust. You could always get it treated. There is a company out of NH called NHOU, they do an oil undercoating. I know you're in the south, there is a company offering the same process and using the same oil in Charleston, SC. Something to consider.

NHOU Lowcountry

Providing vehicle protection from rust and corrosion in the Charleston and surrounding areas. Our formulas are best-in-class, eco & marine safe, and proven to protect.

www.nhoulowcountry.com

 

[hysteria357]

As for wire wheels, they are used last in the clean up process, not first, as they do not agitate the oxidation from the metal. A needle gun, small air hammer with a needle tipped chisle, even using a sharp edged flat chisle with a soft blow hammer is better than a wire wheel. You have to knock the crusty corrosion from the metal in order to begin the repair.

So what would you recommend tool wise if I dont have the ability to get a shop level air compressor? I'm then limited to my dremel for some of these tight spaces that I cant reach with the angle grinder. Using the sanding drums works great but I burned through about 10 of them trying to complete a small area (not knockoff attachments either!) A stripping disc on my drill works great but again im very limited to where I can get that thing.

 

[hysteria357]

That's nothing. I guess it's all relative to what you're used to. I grew up in the NE and all the cars had rust. You could always get it treated. There is a company out of NH called NHOU, they do an oil undercoating. I know you're in the south, there is a company offering the same process and using the same oil in Charleston, SC. Something to consider.

NHOU Lowcountry

Providing vehicle protection from rust and corrosion in the Charleston and surrounding areas. Our formulas are best-in-class, eco & marine safe, and proven to protect.

www.nhoulowcountry.com

Ill check them out, thanks. Might give me an excuse to make a trip to the beach. The frame was already coated with something. The frame itself doesnt look too bad after I scraped away some of the coating in random spots. its just the body and the crossmembers in the rear. I grew up in the north east too, but my parents religiously washed and took care to prevent rust. Even then, I lost my 1999 Saab 9-3 to rust when the shock tower got so rotten that it wouldnt pass inspection.

 

[Goose17]

Ill check them out, thanks. Might give me an excuse to make a trip to the beach. The frame was already coated with something. The frame itself doesnt look too bad after I scraped away some of the coating in random spots. its just the body and the crossmembers in the rear. I grew up in the north east too, but my parents religiously washed and took care to prevent rust. Even then, I lost my 1999 Saab 9-3 to rust when the shock tower got so rotten that it wouldnt pass inspection.

That's why I like FL, no inspection or emissions testing, I don't miss those.
Based on my Lexus service history, my frame received some sort of rust prevention coating before it was delivered to the original owner. So my fame is in good condition, it's just everything that's attached to it that are an eyesore. I'm thinking about driving up to Charleston and having him spray everything and just be done with it. These pictures might make you feel better about your situation...

 

[hysteria357]

That's why I like FL, no inspection or emissions testing, I don't miss those.
Based on my Lexus service history, my frame received some sort of rust prevention coating before it was delivered to the original owner. So my fame is in good condition, it's just everything that's attached to it that are an eyesore. I'm thinking about driving up to Charleston and having him spray everything and just be done with it. These pictures might make you feel better about your situation...
View attachment 3732417View attachment 3732419

thats probably what mine looked like before it was painted!

 

[delz05]

Google or Amazon search will bring a few electric needle guns to your attention... budget will dictate options.

 

[Somebodyelse5]

It spent most of its life in the north. I bought it earilier this year and live in the south. No snow. It stays garaged. Any rust repair ive been doing I grind the metal down with a flap disc until all the scale is gone and then paint it over with POR15.

Let cars from the north stay and die in the north.

 

[hysteria357]

I was able to get down to the bare metal after quite a few rounds of hitting it with grinders and rust dissolver (loctite naval jelly) and painted with POR. There was a ton of clean metal left. No holes or anything. Kept uncovering more and more. I got this mount taken care of the best I could but there's still tons of work to go. I got about 1/3rd of that area above the fuel tank. Need to figure out how to tackle that next.

 

[delz05]

The only way to clean above the tank is to lower it... and you will find all sorts of crud that has been splashed and trapped up there...

 

[hysteria357]

The only way to clean above the tank is to lower it... and you will find all sorts of crud that has been splashed and trapped up there...

It looks like I can get an pneumatic die grinder up there with an abrasive disc, but that seems way too risky even if I wrap all the lines and the tank in wet towels. Guess I better get scraping with that steel brush.