2002 4.2 Amazon - Ill try and keep this one !

[Paulpen]

Better start something so I can try and keep it all in one place



The previous owner (Eddy who may of been on here) had kept on top of maintaining it and has added a few modifications for comfort and convienence.

Toyota Landcruiser Amazon VX (HDJ100) 2003 4.2TD
195,000 miles

Knowing that its got rust that needs tackling ive removed the rear bumper. Its not great in behind there so rather sooner than later. One side has lost a mudflap bracket and the fuel filler neck is not attached to the body anymore so that needs doing too now !



Upon removing the bumper the original 4 parking sensors are not connected and the replacement 4 are so brittle they are falling out so I think ill be getting the holes filled in and just using a reversing camera.

It seems that once a day the factory alarm will go off so im locking it on the key at the moment. Ive read that there are one or two alarm boxes in the dashboard that can be adjusted so half the dash is now out hunting for them but im yet to find them.

Finally ive been looking at my heater system to see why its not very warm. Coolant level was ok so checked the fan and that seemed ok to. Flushed the heater matrix and got some crap out. Also removed the interior temperature sensor that was full of dust and gave that a blow out too.
With all that it seems that the heaters both front and rear and now improved - ill have to keep an eye on things as all thats left that not been tested is the thermostat but thats for another day !


I cant suss out the picture thing so ill put them inthe next post

 

[Paulpen]

 

[Paulpen]

Mainly been trying to prepare for the welding work so have managed to borrow a welder but not sure what thickness metal I should be after for the repairs - input welcome !

Stripped half the dashboard hunting the alarm boxes - seems I dont have the standard "fitted at the docks" units but I have found an adjustable motion sensor ECU. Ive had the interior sensors disconnected for a few days and been locking it with the remote so its either the sensors or their sensitivity so more testing to continue with.

Heating still seems to be good and ive now got a copy of Techstream so when its finally on the road ill see what coolant temp is once settled

 

[Shayne]

but not sure what thickness metal I should be after for the repairs - input welcome !

Nothing to be gained by using heavier metal on bodywork it will only make welding and shaping more difficult . The thinnest sheet metal your local supplier stocks is likely more than good enough .

 

[Paulpen]

I didnt know if I was better measuring what what on the car somehow or just going for a set 0.8mm, 1mm etc ?

 

[Shayne]

Even at 1mm it leaves you little to sand and smooth , depends how good you are i suppose and how keen you are to avoid using to much filler for a tidy finish .

 

[Paulpen]

Even at 1mm it leaves you little to sand and smooth , depends how good you are i suppose and how keen you are to avoid using to much filler for a tidy finish .

Not very good and want it tidy

 

[Shayne]

Look at it this way - as is the rotten areas have no structural strength and it really doesn't matter a damn until the m.o.t man whines about it .

If you cut out the rot and paint the clean good metal edges with zinga galvanize or some such you have cured the rot , for a time anyway but holes will fill up with shit and it will rot again .

So what your doing is superficial aesthetic repairs , if the new sheet metal is easy to bend to shape then all the better but you will use filler anyway because paint hides nothing . So sand the welded in part smooth then fill it then sand it again and maybe fill it again as many times as you need to until you can't find the repair with your eyes closed .

Then paint the whole cill or panel and polish the hell out of it because trying to match old paint with new is a pointless and time consuming exercise in futility .

 

[Higgy]

Not very good and want it tidy

Was this the one that was up for sale out Ramsgate way?....(East Kent)

 

[Paulpen]

I know what you mean Shayne but id rather cut it out now and get rid of it than leave it to creep higher and higher up the quarter causing more issues in the future.

The highlight is that the rusty part is not visible from the outside when the bumper is on - only the underside !

Higghy - correcto

 

[clivehorridge]

A good bodywork guy will make up those rear quarters out of pieces, and get them the right shape. Unfortunately, I can’t offer any recommendations in the UK...
My guy made them on my 80 and they looked like this when finished...

 

[Paulpen]

That looks great Clive - you would never know it had been touched !