Yes mine has a bit of rust too on my 04, the air conditioner lines cracked in rear cost me $2600 to replace the lines. Rust still there but four years later she is running better than ever. Just drive it into the ground and use oem parts.
Rust!! I might’ve made a mistake. (Thread) (1 Viewer)
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We need to start a rust only thread at this point 
. That said I have been working on eliminating rust from mine, which is way rustier than yours. As everyone else has stated, fuel lines and brake lines are the first step. Also check your gas tank and skid plate, depending on the amount of rust there, it will be pretty screwed on the smallest impact - trust me been there. In total currently I have replaced the fenders $426 shipped, the upper lift gate $150 salvage yard, cut out rockers and replaced with 2x6 steel tubing $80, gas tank and skid plate salvage yard $250 shipped, all 3 fuel lines $146 through the dealer, luckily before I bought it all new brake lines were installed. Your new best friends are Correseal, Fluid Film, PB Blaster, grinder, and a welder. Welcome to the rust club, wear eye protection, it’s dusty around here! Drive her to the grave.
. That said I have been working on eliminating rust from mine, which is way rustier than yours. As everyone else has stated, fuel lines and brake lines are the first step. Also check your gas tank and skid plate, depending on the amount of rust there, it will be pretty screwed on the smallest impact - trust me been there. In total currently I have replaced the fenders $426 shipped, the upper lift gate $150 salvage yard, cut out rockers and replaced with 2x6 steel tubing $80, gas tank and skid plate salvage yard $250 shipped, all 3 fuel lines $146 through the dealer, luckily before I bought it all new brake lines were installed. Your new best friends are Correseal, Fluid Film, PB Blaster, grinder, and a welder. Welcome to the rust club, wear eye protection, it’s dusty around here! Drive her to the grave.
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I am honored to be here. For Glory! For the Cruise!We need to start a rust only thread at this point
Cruiser 3:16
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- #45
FWIW, I did only pay $4500 for mine 4 years ago. So I feel I got my money out of it, rusty or not. So I don’t feel bad wheeling it. Not sure what you gave for yours, but that’s why I don’t care about rust. That and it comes with Michigan, we just get used to it.
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- #47
About the same -- a little more. And, it's coming from Michigan. So, glad to make your acquaintance. Brother-In-Arms.
Just drive it.
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One more reply in the camp of those saying it's not that bad... I paid $12k for an '06 Land Cruiser to a private party a few days ago. The rust is worse than yours, though I convinced myself at the time that it was okay. The reason I thought that was that it was all covered up by some black coating. Which should have been a red flag, but I just didn't know better.
I know, I'm an idiot. I thought it was a deal that I needed to jump on, but in reality, I bet most people here wouldn't even buy my car for $4k.
So I'd say you're doing fine. At least you didn't get duped out of around $8,000 in one bad decision.
I know, I'm an idiot. I thought it was a deal that I needed to jump on, but in reality, I bet most people here wouldn't even buy my car for $4k.
So I'd say you're doing fine. At least you didn't get duped out of around $8,000 in one bad decision.
Just for a data point where did your 06 live its life?
Five years ago I bought a 2000 LC in CT with 217k on it for $3500. One female owner, perfect service history, great shape. Brand new Michelin LTX's, still had the tits. No shortage of rust but wasn't terrible. I just retired it with 287k and bald tires. Drove it like I stole it. Went everywhere I wanted to go without a second thought. Places I'd never go with a perfect rig. I was careful not to put too much money into it, just basic maintenance and the minimal I could get away with.
Once I was backing down a boat ramp and the pedal went to the floor. Pulled the parking brake before the wheels even touched water. Got the boat out and limped to an auto parts store where I bought a gallon of brake fluid. Drove an hour to the nearest dealer. Every 15 minutes the dash would light up like a christmas tree and I'd pull over just before the pedal went to the floor. I pulled up to the dealer service lane just as I lost the last of the fluid and ground to a halt with the parking brake. Told the service guy what just happened and the perfect timing. He was so amazed they replaced all the lines for like $600.
Eventually a hole in the frame became to me a safety issue. At the same time everything else was rusty to the point that nothing was worth fixing. I was due for a timing belt, ball joints, tires, and a bunch of other stuff that thankfully all expired simultaneously. So I bought a 99 LC also with 287k but zero rust and the old one is now my parts car.
Would I buy another rusty LC for cheap? In a heartbeat! I loved not worrying about it because I knew it's lifespan was limited. I got far more than $3500 (plus a couple grand in maintenance) out of it. It's already saved me almost as much in parts and if I sold off a few things I'd be ahead.
So I stay on the lookout for "rusty" deals because a rusty LC is still an LC. For the right price you can't go wrong. I honestly think there's too much rust phobia which makes imperfect ones undervalued. I really don't want a creampuff, I want a tank. Chrome don't get you home. There are many opinions on the internet that have no basis in reality. The reality is that as long as it's safe to drive it's still 100% Land Cruiser!
Just keep a very close eye on your rust situation and be realistic about the terminal nature of the disease. Especially the frame, brake and fuel lines, calipers, etc. Especially the top and sides of the frame, not just underneath. My frame developed a hole behind the rear tire. Big enough to put your fist through. Looked like it rusted from the inside out. So remove the tires and examine everywhere with a good light. If you want, get a wire brush and goggles and go all over it. Then fluid film or Rustoleum rubberized undercoating in a spray can, which matches the existing undercoating. That'll slow the rust to an extent.
Just drive it into the ground. Enjoy it and get the most out of it. That's what I did and it worked out perfectly. Keep up with maintenance but don't invest much beyond that because every day is a day closer to zero hour. Everything is oxidizing at the same rate. Or, like me, plan on removing the newer wear parts for your next rig.
Enjoy it and good luck!
Once I was backing down a boat ramp and the pedal went to the floor. Pulled the parking brake before the wheels even touched water. Got the boat out and limped to an auto parts store where I bought a gallon of brake fluid. Drove an hour to the nearest dealer. Every 15 minutes the dash would light up like a christmas tree and I'd pull over just before the pedal went to the floor. I pulled up to the dealer service lane just as I lost the last of the fluid and ground to a halt with the parking brake. Told the service guy what just happened and the perfect timing. He was so amazed they replaced all the lines for like $600.
Eventually a hole in the frame became to me a safety issue. At the same time everything else was rusty to the point that nothing was worth fixing. I was due for a timing belt, ball joints, tires, and a bunch of other stuff that thankfully all expired simultaneously. So I bought a 99 LC also with 287k but zero rust and the old one is now my parts car.
Would I buy another rusty LC for cheap? In a heartbeat! I loved not worrying about it because I knew it's lifespan was limited. I got far more than $3500 (plus a couple grand in maintenance) out of it. It's already saved me almost as much in parts and if I sold off a few things I'd be ahead.
So I stay on the lookout for "rusty" deals because a rusty LC is still an LC. For the right price you can't go wrong. I honestly think there's too much rust phobia which makes imperfect ones undervalued. I really don't want a creampuff, I want a tank. Chrome don't get you home. There are many opinions on the internet that have no basis in reality. The reality is that as long as it's safe to drive it's still 100% Land Cruiser!
Just keep a very close eye on your rust situation and be realistic about the terminal nature of the disease. Especially the frame, brake and fuel lines, calipers, etc. Especially the top and sides of the frame, not just underneath. My frame developed a hole behind the rear tire. Big enough to put your fist through. Looked like it rusted from the inside out. So remove the tires and examine everywhere with a good light. If you want, get a wire brush and goggles and go all over it. Then fluid film or Rustoleum rubberized undercoating in a spray can, which matches the existing undercoating. That'll slow the rust to an extent.
Just drive it into the ground. Enjoy it and get the most out of it. That's what I did and it worked out perfectly. Keep up with maintenance but don't invest much beyond that because every day is a day closer to zero hour. Everything is oxidizing at the same rate. Or, like me, plan on removing the newer wear parts for your next rig.
Enjoy it and good luck!
I think overall people ARE too concerned about rust, and I'm inclined to agree; but then you provided an example that exactly why people look for vehicles without that level of rust.
Your brake lines failed on a boat ramp, and then you then drove an hour on public roads with other drivers while towing a boat with a braking system that had failed and was leaking fluid - and it gave out just as you arrived at your destination. I don't think the service guys at the dealership were amazed, I think they were shocked that you didn't have it towed.
JunkCrzr89
Competent Ignoramoose
I had a feeling the PTA might disapprove but I shared the story to illustrate two points. One, the importance of paying more than the usual attention to rust. Two, the get-you-home-no-matter-what nature of a LC.
Just FYI- the boat and trailer together are less than 700 lbs. But that doesn't matter because I left the boat behind. It was during covid, there were zero rental cars available and it was a Sunday, no one answered at the dealership.
I spent 2 hours in the parking lot identifying the problem and accessing the situation. It was a pinhole in a line, which sprayed a tiny mist from the brake line like a micro atomizer. The fluid was lost slowly, about every 15 minutes. The alarm buzzed when it got low and even after the dash lit up I still had brakes. Plenty of warning to pull over and top off. Brakes were functional the entire time.
What's normally a 1 hour drive took me two, limping along with one hand on the parking brake (which was properly adjusted and fully functional).
Far from an ideal situation but it worked out, thankfully. The guys at the dealership know me well and respected the situation fully. Even in its state, my vehicle was safer and more ably driven than plenty of the jalopies we're all surrounded by every day. Sometimes even cars straight out of the repair shop.
Anyway, back to the original point. Rusted cruisers can be a real bargain and worth every penny. The less the rust the more time you have but the clock is always ticking. Just pay closer attention than you otherwise normally would.
I put 60k miles on mine in 4 years, wrung out every bit of life it had left in it, and luckily everything sort of expired at once. In my case it was totally worth it. So I think that the original poster should happily proceed with confidence and extra vigilance, as my story illustrates.
Totally fair and makes sense given the circumstances, good color to the situation.
I don’t understand why one would restore a 100 when rust free examples are readily available. If you really just want to roll a 100 go for it, but don’t bother fixing the body, more spots will pop up.
I think it depends on the purchase price and service history. In my case, price was very low and service history was excellent. The amount of money I have put into mine to get rid of rust hasn’t even come up to my purchase price and it looks way better. That said I haven’t cured the cancer by any means, but I have definitely prolonged the life span while feeling that I have gotten far more than my money worth out of her already.
The Pta on ih8mud is generally very harsh on rust. But yeah if your gonna drive it to break it (off-roading) make sure all the structural s*** is sound snd don’t quibble about a bit of rust. If you want your off-roader with 4K in armor and all that shizzle to double as a jaw dropping mall crawler then pony up the 20k+ the market now demands and buy something rust free and obnoxiously overpriced. Before the pandemic I was trying to talk my wife into trading her rx350 for a 2016-2018 lx570 and now that same vehicle has a 70-75k tag on it…up from 55kish before the pandemic. Absolutely stupid
One more time like everyone else, my first LC was an absolute rust bucket--BUT, I learned a lot about Cruisers with that one. Drive that mf and enjoy it! Make sure your brake lines aren't rusted off, drench the undercarriage in fluid film and drive the daylights out of it. Don't dump money into it cosmetically--fix what you have to, learn all the quirks, understand the vehicle, then, you'll know what to look out for when you find your next one.
