everytime i look at my 4runner i find more rust. its all over the damn place. Rockers, fenders, by the gas door and along there and the tail gate. Worst of all the windshield has rust all around it and water coming in.. This is the first and last time a buy a truck off ebay. there is know way in heck i will have the cash to fix all this. I dont care about the fenders, i dont know if i can do this on a yota, but on my k5 i just cut the heck out of the fenders. Can it be done on a 4runner? So can someone give me a idea what i am in for if i try to repair the rust? any help would be great!! thanks again guys

 

Rust is the bane of all the older 4runners in the northeast... and what makes a rust free first gen. ESPECIALLY an 85, worth so much money.

I got lucky on mine as it only has a little bit of rust here and there... but it needed nearly $1000 in engine work.

I sold a perfeclty running FJ62 because it was rusting away underneath me.

Salted roads suck, but I doubt i'd get to work in the winter without them, so you get what you get.

Sorry to hear it's not working out, that stinks. Cut out as much as you can, patch the rest. Did you pay a lot for it? Is it otherwise in good shape mechanically? Interior?

 

Look under rustproofing in your yellow pages for your next vehicle.

Lamm

 

Do you have any pics of your rig?

Search 'POR-15' and 'POR15' on the forum and check out the website...
http://www.por15.com/

 

Here is pics of the 4runner:
http://community.webshots.com/user/854runner

I thought rustproofing just held water after time?? Am i wrong?

I paid 545 for it. I think the motor needs big time work. the oil looks like a milkshake and puts out a lot of smoke. The inside is all wet from the rain. Just might strip it all out and see what i got. Needs a ton of little things that are wrong with it. Starting to feel i am over my head, this just might be for sale soon. Anyway, thanks for the replys mike

 

The milkshatke is probably the head gasket.

The rust in in the windshield channel and you have to pull out the windshield to repair it. 1st. gens have are poorly designed around there. To pay aomeone to fix it all would cost 3 to 4 times what you paid for it. If you do it youreself, then you will only be out some time and the cost of materials.

 

You can easily make your money back by parting it out. If you decide to bail on it.

Either way, you got it cheap. I paid 1500 for mine but Like I said, it has VERY little rust, no leask, near mint interior, etc. BUT... it needed a headgasket, new cam & followers, waterpump, timing chain cover gaskets, and a full exhaust.

 

Heck, you can get $100 easy for the SR5 guage cluster on ebay. Someone who wants to do an SAS would sap up that front axle... you could get some moeny for the cloth SR5 interior... you see my point.

Then you can put all the money into the 83 Hilux.

 

I agree that you could probably make back your money plus some by parting it out, especially if the frame is good. However, if it is only a project truck anyway you could just slowly plug away at it until it is done...
Here is a fender trimming write up:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=386066

Also, you can buy replacement body panels if you want to, check out:

http://www.alfaparts.net/
http://www.alfaparts.net/toyota4r.htm

 

Being from NY I understand what you are going through. I had to repair the frame on the 87 truck. Rust everywhere on these trucks. The most common cause of rust around and underneath the windshield is when the windshield gets changed, they scrape out the old urethane with a knife. This scratches the paint undearneath and on top cause it to rust since it is bare metal. Your supposed to prime that area when you dig out the old urethane. This is one of the major reasons why they rot out behind it. Every Toyota that I had rust behind the windshield, at one time the windshield was replaced.

James

 

The place my family and I have gone to does amazing rustproofing.

Provided your car is in good condition when its rustproofed they will gaurntee the rust proofer and the body. If my rockers rust out, they will pay to have it repaired. Its a very old (30+ years) one man shop, very dependable.

My parents both have had cars through 12 or more Ohio winters with no body rust issues at all.

It won't work if you are already rusting apart, but I recently got a 95 runner from TN that was in great shape so I took it to the rustproofer and they treated it and it was good enough for the gaurntee too. Cost $371.00.

Lamm

 

Thanks for all the help guys. I really do want to keep this truck. Can someone give me a idea how to redo the rusty window?? Never done a thing with body work. thx mike

 

Man, I just found rust around the door hinge where it attaches to the body. I feel your pain.

 

I wouldn't give a crap about the rust on the body until the frame was seriously checked out. From what it looks like in the pics, I'd say that truck is likely toast all around. Start beating on the frame with a hammer around the leafspring hangers, crossmembers, any open areas or areas that might have had a tendency to hold mud/salt.
Just a newbies opine.

 

I didnt know the frame rust was that big a problem. thx i will do that soon mike

 

I'm so glad I don't have any rust. I'm never going to any coastal area....least not for more than a week or two.

 

You have a 87. I would think the newer the less rust you would have. I was thinking along the lines of toyota might have found a better way to make there bodys, or something like that. Am i even close?? mike

 

Simple plan:
Part it out.
Move to Oregon.
Buy a local rig.
They're plentiful here and they aren't rusty...

 

I've seen alot of 4runners and pickups with rust in the 84-88 range. They seem to get it the worst right around the rear fenders. We've had mine since it was new, and my dad took good care of the paint. Then I had it repainted. So body rust I'm hoping not to see for a long time. I Can't find any frame rust anywhere, I guess its just my location.

 

thx for the replys guys. as long as the frame is good i might try to make a run at this truck see how it goes. mike