Have 02 4runner...taken superb care of it...love it, but many parts under side are rusted...can I purchase a full range of used unrusted parts and replace? Or do I give up and trade? Thx.

Post up some pics so that we can gauge the rust. If you have taken superb care of it it may just be some surface rust that can be removed ans repainted/protected. Otherwise replacing everything might get pricey.

What parts are we talking about here? And what is the extent of the rust? Some pics would help, especially if this is a matter of you getting rid of the vehicle.

I have a 99 with rust on some components, but the frame and all welds are spotless. I have been replacing items like sway bar end links, bolts, brackets, and shocks as I see fit. With my frame being perfect it will always make more sense financially to keep tinkering on my 4r.

I am in the same boat.

I have been getting all maintenence up to date and replacing worn parts. I'm hoping that I can keep the rust down to make it to 300k. I am at 153k now.

I met a guy recently that does cleaning with some sort of adjustable pressure spraying system that uses either sand (glass particles) or baking soda to remove paint, grease, carbon etc. from metal. For $100 he could take my undercarriage down to bare metal. I'm considering it but not sure if it would damage smaller parts underneath. I would then recoat the frame, axles etc.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

Definitely post some pics. Will give a much better idea of what you are working with.

Wow...I think $100 is a great price. After everything is cleaned up, just buy some cans of undercoating and spray away. There are several companies to choose from...I myself used Eastwood...Top quaility product. I just did this three weeks ago...I think I used 4-5 cans and took me 3-4 hours on a lift. That included all my prep-time and clean up

If you have more money than time...another choice you have, after its sanded down, have a company undercoat it for you...bounse, usually this will come with a warranty. Several companies specialize in this. Zbart has been around the longest...I think since the 1960's. I myself used Line-X when I did my truck. I got a discount for doing my bed and undercoating at the same time. I think it cost $300...with a life time warranty. If anything rust, they pay to fix it. Also, I can take it down anytime to have touch up done for free. My truck is 4 years old...the underneath looks brand new. And that's with 4 years of Ohio winters...tons of salt. Good luck with your project...as long as you get it undercoated...you can't go wrong.

I 2nd Eastwood.com , they have a bunch of different products that can help you deal with rust permanently.

I have the same problem.

Here you go

Ziebart was common in the 1960-80's and suffered three major flaws.
a) the coating eventually dried out & cracked
- once this happened, salt water spray from Hwy. roads penetrated the cracks and lodged underneath the coating
- new rust started forming at an accelerated pace & a cancer hole grew under the coating
b) annual touch-ups made the coating too thick & heavy / eventually the heavy coating would fall off, in spots
c) applying to used cars with some floor & frame rust, was not ideal / trapped rust was not neutralized or slowed down

This is why the oil undercoat spray industry, evolved in the mid 1970's and took over the rust proofing market...here in Ontario.
- a way-oil like Fluid Film offers much better protection

The best rust proofed used car, I ever had was Ziebart new once and wax-oil sprayed in following years / this kept product gummy-soft.
- mechanic's cursed working under my T-Bird / their coverall sleeves and bare hands were covered in messy Tar...LOL

The frames rust from the inside out. And sandblasting or baking soda blasting will do nothing for the inside of the frame. Sadly all that sand or baking soda blowing in the frame holes is another trap for moisture.


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^^ Great advice...hidden area coverage, is most critical / and often over looked.

The day I bought my 2000 4Runner SR5, 1.5 years ago / had it wax-oil undercoated, the quoted cost was $110 + tax.
- I asked the owner, do you do inside the frame rails & floor braces? / he said "no"
I said, I also want a heavy spray inside the hard to see underside areas.
- extra material was used / so I flipped him $150 cash, and had the rustproofing done right

After 2 winters, the wax-oil product is still wet, on my frame rails / it will be resprayed again this year, using a friends hoist this time.
- Krown & Rust Check products, would have been washed off in a month / water soluble product
- a wax-oil spray (like fluid Film) offers far better undercoating results

I actually hit areas with a fogging oil for now. I sandblasted 1 4Runner frame. Never again. A wire wheel or disk sander only from now on. I use zero-rust paint/primer and then hit it with paint.


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That pic doesn't show much of the frame. And, as said above, they rust from inside out. One area you want to test is the floor inside the rear lower control arm bracket. It's a high stress area and a focus for corrosion. Sort of the canary in the coal mine. Take a screwdriver and try and punch through going around the arm. If you can, disaster is not far away. (Maybe read the link in my sig below to see what that is like.)