Rust Advice - New to me 97 LX450 (5 Viewers)

[goldilx]

Hi all! Excited to be a new member of the 80 series community after scoring a phenomenal deal on one last week. It definitely needs work but I’m looking forward to addressing things bit by bit. One area of attention is that it does have some rust, despite being in the southeast most of its life as seen by the panel photos included. I have also included some photos of the frame and underbody as well. Would love to get an idea of the severity of the rust overall and any DIY suggestions to slow down the panel body rust in the immediate future. Thank you!

 

[Kernal]

Is that a 96/97 LX450?

Looks like severe rust on the rear section of a rocker panel possibly going into the wheel well.

You could remove the running boards to get a better look if you plan on having it fixed.

More photos taken from a bit further back of the areas shown above

Some places to look for rust:

Check the bottom of the front fenders where they meet the door ie: get on the ground and look up
Check the bottom inside edge of the doors behind/below the weatherstripping
Check under the mounting brackets for the rear wind/dust deflector
Check around the windshield and rear hatch glass for bubbling/rust
Check around the underside edge of the hood, especially behind the front "nose" of the hood
Check the bottom of the quarter panels (behind the wheel wells), get on the ground and look up also due to the rear bumper corners
Check the rear wheel wells (front and rear aspect)

 

[Mat Jadamec]

That lateral
control arm bracket rust is what made me replace the axle housing. It was otherwise sound.