Rust repair education (1 Viewer)

[CruiserTrash]

@CrzrGuinevere Somebody tried to hide something on that truck. The body and frame have been repainted and with rust coming through the paint you can be sure they were trying to hide rust. In my eyes it's certainly not $14k worth of vehicle - a lot of people got dollar signs in their eyes during COVID when prices skyrocketed so there's a lot of trucks where lipstick was put on a pig. This one seems to fall into that category for me. "Make it look pretty and ask a lot of money!"

On a budget - and I'm a guy who's perennially on a tight budget - I would prefer an honest truck. Original faded paint, undercarriage never coated, because then I can see the actual state of things. There aren't any very expensive mysteries waiting for you. I will also say that there's no shame in driving a rusty vehicle as long as it's not dangerous (i.e., the frame is rotting). If you just want a fun toy/weekend warrior party bus, by all means find something mechanically sound, with a pretty good frame, and accept whatever level of body rust that gets you to your price point. That's my math on it anyway.

Keep looking, prices are coming down. People are still asking a lot but not many folks are biting at those prices, not like they did during the plague anyway. Old vehicles are sitting for sale for longer and longer times at inflated prices, so bide your time and don't be afraid to shoot offers out.

 

[CrzrGuinevere]

@CrzrGuinevere Somebody tried to hide something on that truck. The body and frame have been repainted and with rust coming through the paint you can be sure they were trying to hide rust. In my eyes it's certainly not $14k worth of vehicle - a lot of people got dollar signs in their eyes during COVID when prices skyrocketed so there's a lot of trucks where lipstick was put on a pig. This one seems to fall into that category for me. "Make it look pretty and ask a lot of money!"

On a budget - and I'm a guy who's perennially on a tight budget - I would prefer an honest truck. Original faded paint, undercarriage never coated, because then I can see the actual state of things. There aren't any very expensive mysteries waiting for you. I will also say that there's no shame in driving a rusty vehicle as long as it's not dangerous (i.e., the frame is rotting). If you just want a fun toy/weekend warrior party bus, by all means find something mechanically sound, with a pretty good frame, and accept whatever level of body rust that gets you to your price point. That's my math on it anyway.

Keep looking, prices are coming down. People are still asking a lot but not many folks are biting at those prices, not like they did during the plague anyway. Old vehicles are sitting for sale for longer and longer times at inflated prices, so bide your time and don't be afraid to shoot offers out.

Thanks for the insight! I agree with you and what other folks have said for the pics I posted. That one is definitely not the one. I'm with you on the same thinking as far as rust, I don't mind if some is there as long as it's not causing structural issue with the frame.

I'm looking for something with mechanically sound, that's clean, that doesn't need something right away to make it drive able/enjoyable. Not that bodywork is an easy task by any means, but I don't mind if some minor work is needed down the road. Right now I'm doing just as you mentioned, a lot of watching and knowledge gathering.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Thanks for the insight! I agree with you and what other folks have said for the pics I posted. That one is definitely not the one. I'm with you on the same thinking as far as rust, I don't mind if some is there as long as it's not causing structural issue with the frame.

I'm looking for something with mechanically sound, that's clean, that doesn't need something right away to make it drive able/enjoyable. Not that bodywork is an easy task by any means, but I don't mind if some minor work is needed down the road. Right now I'm doing just as you mentioned, a lot of watching and knowledge gathering.

That's the attitude to have! I know you said you're not a mechanic ... but I wasn't either until I owned one of these trucks haha. A benefit to older technology is that it's very easy to maintain yourself with a super basic set of tools, and that can save you TONS of money. A shop might charge $1500-2500 for a front knuckle rebuild, but you can buy the parts, consumables like cleaner and rags, and the two specialty tools required for probably about $250-300. Yes, it will take you 12 hours your first time doing that, but you get the satisfaction of knowing it's done right while also saving thousands of dollars. There are definitely reputable shops out there and I don't mean to suggest nobody should use them, but for us budget-minded folks the DIY work on a 60 is VERY doable. In other words don't be afraid of getting a truck with a few overdue maintenance items as long as those haven't caused any damage.

I like to say I keep daily driving a 2F motor because it's just dumb enough for me to be able to work on it.

Oh, and make sure you get compression test numbers on the cylinders before buying. It's really easy for a seller to do, and if they can't then you could do it with a $30 tool and about 45 minutes of time. That's a huge indicator of overall engine health.

 

[CrzrGuinevere]

That's the attitude to have! I know you said you're not a mechanic ... but I wasn't either until I owned one of these trucks haha. A benefit to older technology is that it's very easy to maintain yourself with a super basic set of tools, and that can save you TONS of money. A shop might charge $1500-2500 for a front knuckle rebuild, but you can buy the parts, consumables like cleaner and rags, and the two specialty tools required for probably about $250-300. Yes, it will take you 12 hours your first time doing that, but you get the satisfaction of knowing it's done right while also saving thousands of dollars. There are definitely reputable shops out there and I don't mean to suggest nobody should use them, but for us budget-minded folks the DIY work on a 60 is VERY doable. In other words don't be afraid of getting a truck with a few overdue maintenance items as long as those haven't caused any damage.

I like to say I keep daily driving a 2F motor because it's just dumb enough for me to be able to work on it.

Oh, and make sure you get compression test numbers on the cylinders before buying. It's really easy for a seller to do, and if they can't then you could do it with a $30 tool and about 45 minutes of time. That's a huge indicator of overall engine health.

Im a strong DIY type so I like to figure things out myself. I've been building RC cars, so it's scratched an itch to keep building stuff and it's creeping into wanting this 1:1 cruiser .

I've been wanting an analog vehicle because they are easier to wrench on and I am capable of learning how to do stuff, just need to gather tools slowly. I have aspirations to have an "overlander" type rig with a ham radio setup, so I feel like the FJ is my type of rig

 

[CruiserTrash]

Im a strong DIY type so I like to figure things out myself. I've been building RC cars, so it's scratched an itch to keep building stuff and it's creeping into wanting this 1:1 cruiser .

I've been wanting an analog vehicle because they are easier to wrench on and I am capable of learning how to do stuff, just need to gather tools slowly. I have aspirations to have an "overlander" type rig with a ham radio setup, so I feel like the FJ is my type of rig

Yeah, you totally got this then. Get your hands on the factory service manuals (or download for free under the "Resources" tab above, but a metric socket set, one JIS cross-point screwdriver, and a torque wrench. That's 80% of it right there.