When do you consider it too much rust?

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yamar

New member
I finally got around to switching out my old rusted chrome bumpers on my '94 and once I started taking off the the back passenger side bumper end I noticed a rust hole on the body and some rust bubbling around it. I would say the hole is about 1''x3'' but is probably spread a little further. There is also a spot (not rusted all the way through yet) on the rocker panel as well. As for the frame, it is still pretty solid but has some flaking rust.

There is a place nearby where I live that does Jeep restorations/customizations (so they obviously have a lot of experience with rust issues) and for the frame they said that I can either do the POR-15 or they could grind down to the bare metal and coat it with something else. Any experience with either/what would be the better option?

As for the body, I am going to take it back to the Jeep place again tomorrow and have them look at it, but what should I be expecting with this??...im very nervous and want to save my truck!!!
 
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never too much rust to save a 4 runner
 

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What he said. Body panels can be patched, and if the frame isn't structurally weak you can hit it with a wire wheel and some POR15 or whatever and be good to go.
 
awesome!...i feel much better now...i did a search on these boards and saw alot of things about rust that put my mind at ease after seeing things much worse than mine getting fixed up

i just got really discouraged yesterday when two body shops told me that they didnt even want to get involved!
 
Well, I consider this too much rust.

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This was the parts truck I got for the motor. The back was pretty much rotting off, only good panels were the hood and front doors....holes in the frame...etc. Could be fixable, but it would be a lot of work. Easier to just part it out.
 
Hyde802 said:
Well, I consider this too much rust.

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This was the parts truck I got for the motor. The back was pretty much rotting off, only good panels were the hood and front doors....holes in the frame...etc. Could be fixable, but it would be a lot of work. Easier to just part it out.
Click to expand...

oh mine is nowhere near that bad! (or at least from what i can tell from the outside)

i will post pictures when i get home tonight
 
When I was considering a bumper for the rear of my 94, I noticed the bumper sides cover body panels that aren't exactly smooth and pleasing...has anyone ever removed the rear bumper and grafted on panels behind the wheels from something like a pickup bed or the like...what years would be similar? Pounding out a panel to fit and look good would be a lot of work...patching something from another Toyota would be so much easier.
Just a thought...
 
csrobb007 said:
When I was considering a bumper for the rear of my 94, I noticed the bumper sides cover body panels that aren't exactly smooth and pleasing...has anyone ever removed the rear bumper and grafted on panels behind the wheels from something like a pickup bed or the like...what years would be similar? Pounding out a panel to fit and look good would be a lot of work...patching something from another Toyota would be so much easier.
Just a thought...
Click to expand...

I have a 94 and I removed my bumper about 6 months ago. I was planning to put it back on, but honestly I like the way it looks. I may get a steel tube bumper later, but really it's not a bad look...as long as the bumper wasn't hiding any rust or unsightly blemishes. I know that doesn't answer your question, but it's just a thought.
 
If the frame is rusted and you can push your hand through it or some hammer taps create holes in many places it might be too rusty for almost all people.

I had rusted wheel wells, rusted rear bumper, rusted tail gate, and holes under the passenger and driver side foot area rust spots on the body and the "L" trim around rear removable top. I considered this superficial. Some cuting, sanding down, patching, bondo and paint would have fixed it, with time....

Too rusty for me was my my front windshield pillars all around, and on the sides where the doors bolt on was all rusted beyond repair. And my windshield was cracked. You could poke you finger right through in too many places. I was worried to lose the windshield and doors on the street or the trail. I would never pass an inspection, and it's an infraction where I live to drive with a cracked windshield. The money needed for repairing just this, outcost buying another donor truck with a great body.

So really really bad frame = too rusty
Barely any metal holding the windshield and doors in place = too rusty.

rusty sheet metal panels and bumpers = not too rusty.
 
Yea those are 53's. The guy was in 4wheeler being voted for top truck challenge. Represent. And in all seriousness, to me if rust can be shaved down to bare metal, it'll always come creeping back in the long run. When I started getting rust I trimmed it then bondo'd it. It looked good.. for a year.. Then I just cut it all off and threw flairs over it all. It's like cancer, extremely hard to treat if left be for to long
 
great! thanks for all the feedback so far!

ive been getting the impression that your ordinary body shop doesnt want to get involved with things much past popping on a new fender

I just took off both of the runningboards this afternoon (which are muchhh more rusted than anything else and were basically falling apart as i was taking off the bolts...looks much better without them anyways even though before i thought the opposite haha)...i borrowed these special sockets from a mechanic at my work called "Super Sockets" by Grip-Tite made especially for rusted and rounded bolts...WOW..i looked at the reviews online and saw that most people didnt like them but the worked absolute wonders for me...so if anyone has any rusted/rounded bolts they cant get off i would give these a try (they do have plastic inside the mechanism so just work the bolt slowly with them)...but yeah anyways that helped quite a bit...now my next two questions:

1) now with the runningboards off would it be a good idea to get some mudflaps for the front?

2) after i get rid of that rust right underneath the rear driver side door, i will probably ditch that plastic piece since i think that is where water is stagnating causing the rust...i have seen mentions of a film some of you use rocks getting kicked up to protect the paint..what is this stuff?

glad im finally getting this all taken care of! :)
 
Check out toyotafiberglass-keepin' the drive alive and drop Corey a line if you have any questions. He makes all replacent body panels in fiberglass, in multiple styles. I have a build thread on here if you want to check out the panel replacement process.

You can fix anything but you have to cut out and/or inactivate the existing rust and protect the new steel or it will just rust again.
 
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yamar said:
great! thanks for all the feedback so far!

ive been getting the impression that your ordinary body shop doesnt want to get involved with things much past popping on a new fender
Click to expand...

Nope. Standard body shops do minor dent repair and replacement panels. Check out a restoration shop if you want real body work.
 
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