Thoughts on this undercarriage?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

stonepa said:
Where do you live? If you live anywhere but the west coast or down south this undercarriage rust is nothing and shouldn't scare you away from a good vehicle, if everything else checks out. My 100 spent its entire life in the north. I owned it for 16 years and drove it 331k miles and the bottom looked a lot worse than this. I never had a single issue with the truck due to rust.

Now, if we were talking about body rust I would recommend keep looking. But chassis or suspension rust? No big deal.

The real deal is to find a truck with an extensive service history, that was loved and maintained by its previous owner(s).
Click to expand...



Yep.

My 2001 lived it's whole life in New England and is doing great!

I was pretty vigilant about doing the oil undercoating prior to the winter months. The guy uses new hydraulic oil and sprays the entire underside as well as the cavities in the rockers and lower doors.

It's a bit of a mess for the mechanic to deal with, but I'm sure they prefer a little bit of oil to having to use the "flame wrench" every time they want to remove a bolt!!!! :)

Some areas of mine are showing some surface rust again. I'm tempted to do some careful wire brushing and hit those spots with a rust converter or zinc chromate (if I can get the metal clean enough).... then topcoat with a nice Eastwood Chassis Black. Mostly, just to improve the cosmetic appearance of things like the lower control arms, lower shock mounts.... basically, the stuff that is visible when you step back and look at the overall appearance of the truck.


-G
 
@ GregLCA, how's the undercarriage look with the years of oil undercoating? Any pics?
 
RND1 said:
@ GregLCA, how's the undercarriage look with the years of oil undercoating? Any pics?
Click to expand...


It's supposed to look like a big, dusty oily mess!!! :)

The idea is to quickly drive on a dirt road after the oil is applied. The dust clings to the oil and helps to lock it in place... otherwise it just drips off and is wasted. If done correctly, you end up with a sort of "crust" on the underside of the truck (the combination of oil and dust) that, while somewhat ugly, creates a nice waterproof barrier against salt and water.

I'm not sure I could get much of a photo for you by just laying on the ground but at some point when I start to dig into this vehicle as my "project" I'm sure I can get you some underside photos.


-G
 
Like others have said, I would be more interested in the service history and that it is a one owner truck. A close up inspection of the crucial points would show if the rust was truly bad and would be hard to mask with paint. I picked up my truck from Michigan in September of 14, it was 10 years old with 92k on it and 1 owner. I got pics from the dealer of the underside, and it was rusty...but not bad. The original owner had meticulous records and always did the oil coating every winter. The bottoms of the doors and pinch welds are all totally clean and free of rust. I have no doubt that that I will get 100k and 10 more years of trouble free driving out of it.

Don't walk away if it's got records and 1 owner. Maybe spring for a PPI and have it done by a local Toyota shop, they will give you the honest assessment.

Good luck.
 
Every time one of these posts comes up I laugh a little on the inside.

I live in CT. I bought an 80 two years ago from far away and no rust on it. I did treatments and was meticulous about cleaning off the salt.

After 1 winter, it looked like the one you are looking at. Now when I looked for my 100, moderate rust (within reason) didn't turn me away. Service records were more important.

I wish I lived where there was no road salt. I am cringing now as I watch trucks lay it out in a thick layer on all the roads.

If you live in an area where there is no salt, don't buy one in this condition. If you live in an area where they salt, this one looks like a dream.

Shame on that dealership for the obvious deception.
 
Exactly what the previous poster said. I live in the rust belt. It doesn't take much more than a year to develop a surface coating of rust on the chassis components. My issues of concern have always been brake lines and floor pans other than obviously body rust. Otherwise just drive and ignore. Every thread like this looks exactly the same. All posters say run away. By that standard no one would ever buy a used vehicle in PA or OH or NY or ....
 
They covered a bunch of stuff up. Had they not done that A potential buyer would be able to better assess the situation and decide if it's the right move or not. Knowing that they intentionally tried to cover it up I would be very wary.
 
Thank you, good to hear from some people that are a bit farther north.

I am in Lexington, Kentucky, which does salt the roads during the winter. One of my cars is a '98 CRV that has spent almost its entire life in KY (with a few PA winters while I was in grad school), and while I would not eat off the undercarriage, it is doesn't have that much rust.

I actually responded back to the seller on Thursday and asked him if the underside had been treated with something (not in an accusing way), and have yet to hear back... figured I'd give him the chance to come clean.
 
I had the truck inspected at the local Toyota dealership. Best $112 I have spent in a while! The frame is rotted through in several places! Several other issues dealing with rust underneath. Estimated repairs on rust-related issues alone in the range of $5k-$6k, what a nightmare that could have been.
 
Is there such a thing as a complete replacement frame for the 100-series?? (At ANY cost)???

Mild-Steel, Aluminum, Galvanized Steel....???

Pretty sure there are aftermarket options for the old Jeep guys, but I've not seen anything for the LandCruiser.


-G
 
Last edited:
GregLCA said:
Is there such a thing as a complete replacement frame for the 100-series?? (At ANY cost)???

Mild-Steel, Aluminum, Galvanized Steel....???

Pretty sure there are aftermarket options for the old Jeep guys, but I've not seen anything for the LandCruiser.


-G
Click to expand...
Yes, thread on here about someone who bent theirs and insurance(?) replaced it.

Edit- here it is. $6500 part cost for frame, not including labor.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/index.php?threads/734950/
 
EarthAirWater said:
I had the truck inspected at the local Toyota dealership. Best $112 I have spent in a while! The frame is rotted through in several places! Several other issues dealing with rust underneath. Estimated repairs on rust-related issues alone in the range of $5k-$6k, what a nightmare that could have been.
Click to expand...

Yikes! Definitely a smart move EarthAirWater . . . er, Fire?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom