Rust nightmares...

[ppdd]

I recently got a an '01 LX470 with 93K on it for $9500. It clearly hadn't had any maintenance done (original tires, etc) and the underside had a lot of light rust, but I figured for the money it was hard to go wrong.

Anyway, hiding underneath a layer of poorly applied undercoating and the plastic underpanel (which looked like it had never been removed) was this nice little surprise on the passenger side. The sway bar mounting tab is rusted off and the frame has a line of rust chewed right through it. See photos for an idea of what I'm talking about.

I've had cars with rust issues, but I'm at a loss a bit on this one. Is it even safe to drive this way? Anyone have a sense for how much it costs to get something like this fixed, or whether it's worth it? It seems like they'd need to weld a box around in the whole frame there?

 

[Emcd]

You have complete rust through on your frame. I'd say that's pretty unsafe. Toyota recalled some frames on the LC, push the dealer to replace it under the recall.

 

[04UZJ100]

Wow

 

[ton504]

Torch it, collect insurance, and buy one without rust?

 

[ppdd]

Y'all are doing a great job of confirming my initial reaction to this....

 

[Ninja Cruiser100]

1. Never consider buying north of Nashville.

2. Make sure before you buy, you get a thorough inspection.

 

[Julian Stead]

Thats gutting, find a good fabricator and get an opinion.

 

[SWUtah]

For what you paid for it, clean it up and weld some plates on the frame. Contacting a fabricater is a great suggestion. Doubt it's unsafe if you get the rust removed and the frame patched up.

 

[ppdd]

Thanks. I'll see if I can find a SE Michigan fabricator that'll deal with this. I imagine if it were boxed in it'd be ok, but damn.... 20 years of owning used cars in Michigan and I've never had to deal with something quite so ugly.

Anyone looking at a 100 series up north should be aware of this, I guess. Most of the car is fine from a rust perspective, just a light layer on exposed metal. Seems like this is a sweet spot where salt spray and A/C condensate get on it. Mostly hidden behind the plastic undertray, and someone had put a rust undercoat on a few years ago and that just hid it more and probably trapped moisture more than anything. Didn't notice any of it until I noticed the $@#ing sway bar wasn't attached and started beating on stuff with a hammer.

 

[n55luvr]

That's painful to look at. I feel for you. Definitely contact fabricator like others said. Once fixed put an extended line on the ac drain which dumps out right above sway bar mount point. I ran a foot long tube to make it drip into the wheel well, directly onto the ground as mine was pretty crusty looking too but still attached thankfully.

 

[SWUtah]

That's painful to look at. I feel for you. Definitely contact fabricator like others said. Once fixed put an extended line on the ac drain which dumps out right above sway bar mount point. I ran a foot long tube to make it drip into the wheel well, directly onto the ground as mine was pretty crusty looking too but still attached thankfully.

Great Idea, mine lived in Las Vegas until the last 2 years so since hardly any moisture comes out because there is no moisture in the desert

 

[ppdd]

Small update: I've emailed a few welders. I found a boiler maker who does side welding jobs on the weekend. She said ~10 hours at $30/hr to plate the whole thing over and she gets materials free. Another guy told me "under $500 probably".

I'd be giddy for decent work at that price. Keep y'all posted.

 

[e9999]

well, in principle welded material can be as strong as the original if welding is done well, but that assumes the repair material is thick enough and that there is good steel to weld to, which may be quite a distance away from the rust-through area in your case. May need a bit of thinking and planning. And it will carry a potential accident liability, with little recourse if done by a weekender.

 

[ColoradoCarlisle]

That's pretty typical for Europe
Look at most Land Rovers from the UK and they have patch work on the frame somewhere
Not saying it's OK but you are not alone

My 100 has some rust but most is surface and just plain ugly to look at

I'm not a engineer but think if it were done correctly
You should be OK

 

[SWUtah]

If you weld in some metal plates over that rust it will be stronger then the rest of the frame if you use thicker steel. I grew up working in a steel foundry, uncle owned 3 of them.. Use to weld up castings that had defects. They were stronger after beefing welded then a casting that did not have a defect.

 

[YardPig]

That's rust through from the inside out. The frame will be paper thin throughout. I would give some hard thought to repairing it...

 

[Manhattan]

1. Never consider buying north of Nashville.

2. Make sure before you buy, you get a thorough inspection.

^This^

I've had frames repaired before. Grand Wagoneeers have a spot that is notorious for bad rust - but it's confined to a small section and the frame just inches on either side is solid. Easy to cut and patch. I'd guess, with that 100 frame, that even where the rust isn't through... it' just below the surface. Could be a very (!) involved repair - trying to find good metal to weld to.

If I ever buy another LC (can't see ever getting rid of mine - a S.E. truck), I won't look any further north than Georgia - and my focus would be TX, AZ, NM. The cost of buying/shipping a truck cross-country is offset by ONE rust repair. A buddy of mine bought a 100 from Illinois. It had "some rust" "most surface rust". He's replaced the exhaust, tailgate cables, wheel sensors, a few other suspension parts (sway bar brackets, etc.) and yesterday got a $1,500 estimate for the rear brakes. ALL of that was rust-related.

 

[White wings]

I feel your Midwest pain