Say hi to Luther

[Bereno]

Hey everyone, I recently bought an older 2008 LX570 that I have named Luther. Its a Canadian model and thus has a bit of rust and is in need of some TLC. Its got about 132k miles on it but overall functions well. The only reason I bought it, is that it seems like it was a pretty good deal (probably $5k below similar examples in the area). Unfortunately, when I got it home I found that it has a bit more rust on it than I have originally anticipated... by a lot haha. I bought it as a project car to go up into the mountains with, so hopefully it can fill that niche for me well enough.

 

[Bereno]

Now, on the topic of rust, this is what I am dealing with... not the best of scenarios, but at least it is something that I think I can work with. Who knows, maybe not haha.

My first plan is to change all of the fluids in the car because... well... I don't have much of a reliable service history. I was told that everything was done on time, but the previous owner didn't have paper evidence of this because he lost it trying to get this car imported from Canada (or something like that). My current plan is to change the front diff, rear diff, transfer case, transmission, and engine oils, the coolant, and brake fluid.

I have not yet looked into servicing the water pump, thermostat, spark plugs, or fuel filter yet. I don't know how long these are typically good for. I might just let them be for now, but I will admit that I need to learn more first.

Once these basics are sorted, I will move on to getting this rust situation figured out.

I don't know much about rust management; never had to deal with it before. I am assuming that I can try and either scrape, chip, and sand it off or I can just decide to bring it in and get it blasted with dry ice. Anyone have any experience dealing with this? Once that is done, I will see what needs to be replaced and what can be kept. Of everything that I can keep, I will treat it with some rust convertor, maybe consider some POR15 and then some sort of coating (Fluid film, Woolwax, or Blaster Surface Shield).

Please, let me know your thoughts!

 

[AnyMal]

Hey buddy, im sorry about the state of your LX so please dont take this the wrong way but Luther has terminal cancer.

As someone who has been there and done that, just walk away now.
Everything you do from here on out will cost 2x as much, take 5x as long and be 10x as frustrating.

Get rid of it while the getting is good.

 

[tbisaacs]

I will defer to some of the rust belt cruiser owners - but I don’t think this looks bad. And FWIW everyone’s hitch bar looks crusty like that.

My LX is also Canadian and came with some superficial rust on some of the frame parts but was all very minor. Only thing I’m keeping an eye on are the high pressure accumulators- mine are crusty like yours. But it’s been ~ 5 years and no issues. This summer I finally had to touch up some spots on the radiator support with rust converter.

 

[Bereno]

Hey buddy, im sorry about the state of your LX so please dont take this the wrong way but Luther has terminal cancer.

As someone who has been there and done that, just walk away now.
Everything you do from here on out will cost 2x as much, take 5x as long and be 10x as frustrating.

Get rid of it while the getting is good.

I had a feeling that this kind of reply would pop up haha. I do appreciate the heads up! I will take my time, learn more about the truck and see where I am left. Its possible that I just drive this around for a year or so, learn more about it and then transition to a newer/cleaner example.

 

[Bereno]

I will defer to some of the rust belt cruiser owners - but I don’t think this looks bad. And FWIW everyone’s hitch bar looks crusty like that.

My LX is also Canadian and came with some superficial rust on some of the frame parts but was all very minor. Only thing I’m keeping an eye on are the high pressure accumulators- mine are crusty like yours. But it’s been ~ 5 years and no issues. This summer I finally had to touch up some spots on the radiator support with rust converter.

Good to know about the hitch bar. It seems that the front lower control arms and the rear took the brunt of the rust damage. Thanks for the heads up on the pressure accumulators as well. Seems as though these trucks can rust a lot, but also that it will take a lot of rust to kill them too.

 

[Sandroad]

Couple things for the PM list. Flush the AHC fluid, grease the prop shafts, and check the top of the radiator for leaks. If the battery is more than a few years old, replace it, but at least clean the terminals.

Regarding the rust. It’s bad, but since you already pulled the trigger on purchase, go to work. Get it up on a lift, or well supported high off the ground, and remove all loose rust and damaged parts with scrapers, PB Blaster, and appropriate tools and cuss words. Wire brush everything, then use your favorite rust converter (mine is Rustoleum), followed by your favorite preventative (mine is Fluid Film). You’ll have a few days of very hard work to salvage it, but I consider it worth it because I hate to see 200s rot completely from neglect. If you need moral support or specific suggestions on rust, feel free to PM me.

 

[Bereno]

Couple things for the PM list. Flush the AHC fluid, grease the prop shafts, and check the top of the radiator for leaks. If the battery is more than a few years old, replace it, but at least clean the terminals.

Regarding the rust. It’s bad, but since you already pulled the trigger on purchase, go to work. Get it up on a lift, or well supported high off the ground, and remove all loose rust and damaged parts with scrapers, PB Blaster, and appropriate tools and cuss words. Wire brush everything, then use your favorite rust converter (mine is Rustoleum), followed by your favorite preventative (mine is Fluid Film). You’ll have a few days of very hard work to salvage it, but I consider it worth it because I hate to see 200s rot completely from neglect. If you need moral support or specific suggestions on rust, feel free to PM me.

Noted! I will add those to my to-do list. I am not sure how to edit the original post, so I will just write these down instead haha.

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

With all that rust are ya sure Luther is not really Lucifer? Good luck

 

[04UZJ100]

Based on your use case, coat the bottom with fluid film each year and you’ll be totally fine. Lots of folks out here will recommend an insane amount of elbow grease to restore it. Screw that.

Seal it as is with a fluid film O2 barrier and perform routine maintenance on it.

 

[Bereno]

With all that rust are ya sure Luther is not really Lucifer? Good luck

Haha, maybe it will be! I just like name "Lexus Luther"

 

[Bereno]

Based on your use case, coat the bottom with fluid film each year and you’ll be totally fine. Lots of folks out here will recommend an insane amount of elbow grease to restore it. Screw that.

Seal it as is with a fluid film O2 barrier and perform routine maintenance on it.

Hmmmm, interesting flip side of the coin there. Something to consider I guess

 

[mcgaskins]

The only reason I bought it, is that it seems like it was a pretty good deal (probably $5k below similar examples in the area).

I don't know much about rust management; never had to deal with it before.

Please, let me know your thoughts!

If you got it for a good deal, my thought is to sell it now and recoup your money while the market is strong. That level of rust isn’t something you want to deal with in the long run and any money saved on the purchase will quickly erode when expensive repairs are needed due to corrosion.

 

[AnyMal]

If you got it for a good deal, my thought is to sell it now and recoup your money while the market is strong. That level of rust isn’t something you want to deal with in the long run and any money saved on the purchase will quickly erode when expensive repairs are needed due to corrosion.

Please listen to Mcgaskins and I. There is no real remedy here that costs less than the car is worth.

Surely almost every single bolt is going to be seized, and this is just on whats visible.
Even if all you do works out, the cancer will just grow and metastasize.

How can i put this into words best........ How about: if i lost $5k on that deal, id be better off than the road you are about to start on.

Dumping money into this you should know that I chose my words very carefully.
Luther has the one thing that actually can kill a LC. And its terminal.
Any amount you throw at it in necessary or elective work will end up not being rewarding in the end.

It may run well and its not going to fall apart on you right away, but it will certainly eventually fall apart and the time until then is going to be laborious for most mods and any maintenance.

 

[Bereno]

Please listen to Mcgaskins and I. There is no real remedy here that costs less than the car is worth.

Surely almost every single bolt is going to be seized, and this is just on whats visible.
Even if all you do works out, the cancer will just grow and metastasize.

How can i put this into words best........ How about: if i lost $5k on that deal, id be better off than the road you are about to start on.

Dumping money into this you should know that I chose my words very carefully.
Luther has the one thing that actually can kill a LC. And its terminal.
Any amount you throw at it in necessary or elective work will end up not being rewarding in the end.

It may run well and its not going to fall apart on you right away, but it will certainly eventually fall apart and the time until then is going to be laborious for most mods and any maintenance.

I hear you loud and clear. I’m curious if it would be worth driving this around the mountains for a year or so, learn about the platform and keep a close eye out for a cleaner copy? That time learning and becoming familiar with the platform might be worth it considering how it would help me assess a future replacement. Its not a daily driver - it’s a project so time is on my side.

I would be curious of the shipping and transport costs of having one shipped from some of the drier states like CA, AZ, NM, NV, etc? Is there a dry area market where the price of these is lower and the cost of shipping one up to WA would be reasonable? Just thoughts for now.

 

[PDoyle]

I've been looking at using this stuff for the under carriage. Underbody Restoration - https://www.fertanusa.com/pages/underbody-restoration
It's a primer. Then paint would be applied after this dries.
Ya you have a little work to do and you'll be under the truck alot for a week, but it can be done. Pressure wash under it. Spray the Sh*t out of all the rubber with something like this Rubber Cleaner & Rejuvenator | Sprayway Inc., Pioneers in Aerosols since 1947 - https://www.spraywayinc.com/content/rubber-cleaner-rejuvenator
Get a wire brush on a drill and go. Spray all the fittings. There is a couple parts you may want to replace but they are available.
And don't forget to grease it.

 

[AnyMal]

I hear you loud and clear. I’m curious if it would be worth driving this around the mountains for a year or so, learn about the platform and keep a close eye out for a cleaner copy? That time learning and becoming familiar with the platform might be worth it considering how it would help me assess a future replacement. Its not a daily driver - it’s a project so time is on my side.

I would be curious of the shipping and transport costs of having one shipped from some of the drier states like CA, AZ, NM, NV, etc? Is there a dry area market where the price of these is lower and the cost of shipping one up to WA would be reasonable? Just thoughts for now.

Yeah you certainly can keep it and drive it without issue. I drove my 100 for a couple of years until I moved and found an alternative 200 in TX.
There just wasn't any viable 100 left to buy anywhere so i spent the money on buying something a decade newer.
It will most likely run and still not give you any mechanical trouble, however for an enthusiast or someone buying in long term, it would be bad move.

If you saved a lot on the purchase and plan on using it every winter and beat it to the ground I wouldn't say thats necessarily a bad idea, plenty of normal buyers do that.
I just wouldn't put a dime into it other than to just keep it running. Its just sunk cost from here on out.
Not that any ride is good investment, but one of the best parts of the platform is the longevity and rust is the no 1 killer of that.
Otherwise you could be driving that thing for another 20 years.

Feel free to listen to those who tell you tackle it and then get back to me after the first day on that job. You will quickly realize any amount of labor is really not enough.
Watch this and you will understand what it really takes : An actual restoration job. Its a very rusty example but you will get the gist of it.
One of the main issues is that brine creeps everywhere, and the more you rip it apart the more disappointed you will be.
If this was my forum it would be named IH8RUST.

 

[Bereno]

I've been looking at using this stuff for the under carriage. Underbody Restoration - https://www.fertanusa.com/pages/underbody-restoration
It's a primer. Then paint would be applied after this dries.
Ya you have a little work to do and you'll be under the truck alot for a week, but it can be done. Pressure wash under it. Spray the Sh*t out of all the rubber with something like this Rubber Cleaner & Rejuvenator | Sprayway Inc., Pioneers in Aerosols since 1947 - https://www.spraywayinc.com/content/rubber-cleaner-rejuvenator
Get a wire brush on a drill and go. Spray all the fittings. There is a couple parts you may want to replace but they are available.
And don't forget to grease it.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Bereno]

Yeah you certainly can keep it and drive it without issue. I drove my 100 for a couple of years until I moved and found an alternative 200 in TX.
There just wasn't any viable 100 left to buy anywhere so i spent the money on buying something a decade newer.
It will most likely run and still not give you any mechanical trouble, however for an enthusiast or someone buying in long term, it would be bad move.

If you saved a lot on the purchase and plan on using it every winter and beat it to the ground I wouldn't say thats necessarily a bad idea, plenty of normal buyers do that.
I just wouldn't put a dime into it other than to just keep it running. Its just sunk cost from here on out.
Not that any ride is good investment, but one of the best parts of the platform is the longevity and rust is the no 1 killer of that.
Otherwise you could be driving that thing for another 20 years.

Feel free to listen to those who tell you tackle it and then get back to me after the first day on that job. You will quickly realize any amount of labor is really not enough.
Watch this and you will understand what it really takes : An actual restoration job. Its a very rusty example but you will get the gist of it.
One of the main issues is that brine creeps everywhere, and the more you rip it apart the more disappointed you will be.
If this was my forum it would be named IH8RUST.

Yeah, good points. Maybe I will just run it for a while and sell it? We will see. I might have some spare time this weekend and this might be a "fun" project until it isn't haha.

Daaaaaanng, that is an impressive restoration! Fortunately most of my rust is not on the body at all.

LMAO I like your new forum name - I think they should change it to that

 

[Sandroad]

I hear you loud and clear. I’m curious if it would be worth driving this around the mountains for a year or so, learn about the platform and keep a close eye out for a cleaner copy? That time learning and becoming familiar with the platform might be worth it considering how it would help me assess a future replacement. Its not a daily driver - it’s a project so time is on my side.

I would be curious of the shipping and transport costs of having one shipped from some of the drier states like CA, AZ, NM, NV, etc? Is there a dry area market where the price of these is lower and the cost of shipping one up to WA would be reasonable? Just thoughts for now.

Just a quick followup to some of the looking around I've done. Prices for used are approaching obscene. They have gone up 21-29% on average in just a year and are still rising. For a 200, that translates into many thousands of dollars. Working on the rust will be 0 fun, but don't think for a minute there are any market areas, dry or not, where ".....prices of these are lower.....".