acceptable undercarriage for a 3rd gen?

[Sheepdogg]

Looking to get back into a 3rd gen 4runner. Sold my '02 a few years back and have never really gotten over it. I am going to look at a possible replacement. Requested pictures of the undercarriage before I made the haul to see the truck in person and am hoping I could get some extra eyes and opinions on the pictures I received and whether or not the level of rust is of concern. I plan on doing rust treatment on whatever 4runner I end up with, but I would prefer not to get in over my head with rust.

Thanks in advance gang! op2:

 

[MyHigh]

I would steer clear of that one, but then again I'm in Oregon and really don't have rust problems around here. That just looks like a can of worms to me

 

[gamefreakgc]

Some of those joints in the frame look a little sketchy. A little surface rust doesn't hurt but it's hard to say on the frame if that's starting to flake off.

Rust gives me nightmares.

 

[Sheepdogg]

Rust gives me nightmares.

Me too... Everything sounded great about this 4Runner until I saw these Picts. I don't mind putting in the time to restore some surface rust, but I'd like to avoid a money pit.

Thanks for chiming in fellas.

 

[absalom]

Southwest cars. Arizona, Socal, NV, and NM. We can't even spell "rust" out here.

 

[MStudt]

Looks fine to me. You really need to check the inside of the frame rails though. The spot around the rear LCA mounts are known to rust. I have more rust on the underside of mine then that does. If you don't have any holes in the frame you'll be fine with a little TLC.

 

[cashmoney]

Southwest cars. Arizona, Socal, NV, and NM. We can't even spell "rust" out here.

Pretty much the whole south unless you are on the coast.

 

[MTD]

If it's a midwest runner I would say that that is fine assuming you take a hammer/screwdriver to the frame to look for soft spots.

 

[LookAtThatDog]

You need pics of the rear control arm mount. That's where it fails. Rust in the places in your pictures don't turn a truck into garbage like a rusted rear control arm does

 

[SpidermanGeek]

You need pics of the rear control arm mount. That's where it fails. Rust in the places in your pictures don't turn a truck into garbage like a rusted rear control arm does

↑ This ↑

Overall, that T4R's undercarriage looks like it has a little less rust than mine, but I know that my Rear Control Arm mounts are still solid, so I don't worry about it too much (although they are in need of some TLC if I intend on keeping this rig for many more years.) My fuel tank skid plate and rear strap is completely rotted. I need to replace teh starp before the tank falls off, lol.

Other than that, the rust makes it a pain to work on your rig, but shouldn't be a major concern. It just factors into resale/buying value.

In Ontario, you'd be hard pressed to find a 10+ year old vehicle WITHOUT a rusty undercarriage.

 

[Sheepdogg]

Really appreciate everyone who is taking the time to chime in on this. Thank you for the collective expertise.

 

[diverscale]

Living in canada, this one does not look bad at all compared to what we have here.

If you oil/grease treat every year, it will really help with the propagation of this already-existing rust.

But yeah, honestly, I've seen much, much worse for a 15 years old vehicle.

 

[white_n_slow]

I have seen worse, but I wouldn't call a yay or nay without seeing the rear LCA-to-frame mounts...that always seems to be the worst spot.

 

[Sheepdogg]

My brothers to the north are making me feel better about this rust. I figure I will go see it in person and ensure the inside of the frame has not been compromised and that the lca to frame areas are straight.

 

[diverscale]

My brothers to the north are making me feel better about this rust. I figure I will go see it in person and ensure the inside of the frame has not been compromised and that the lca to frame areas are straight.

bring a smallish metal scraper with you (1.5'' wide), and a flashlight, and a big towel on which you can lie down on the ground. Then you can scrap off the loose rust and all the dirt and see what's still holding underneath those critical places.

 

[jgue467]

bring a smallish metal scraper with you (1.5'' wide), and a flashlight, and a big towel on which you can lie down on the ground. Then you can scrap off the loose rust and all the dirt and see what's still holding underneath those critical places.

+1 or also look for a texas truck, Clean of rust. :cowboy:

 

[AntleredRuin]

I would say no. But then, I'm from Texas also, so I'm not used to rust. It just seems to me that it'll only go downhill from there.

 

[T4R2014]

From a not-from-the-south-or-desert perspective, check it out closer. It might not be too bad.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

Here's a shot of the undercarriage of my rig. I felt like giving the Southern boys a bit of a heart attack, lol.

178K Miles

 

[T4R2014]

You call it patina once the vehicle is old enough for classic plates.