Rust Repairs and Respray

[Lorin]

Thought I’d document my repairs here. I’ve known for a while I had a few areas of rust but they took a turn for the worst last year. Truck is now having all rust properly repaired. I am also having the arches clearanced so I can run a wider tyre.

Rear lower quarters first.

 

[felix2566]

Nice to get it done properly and know it'll last many more years to come!

 

[chapel303]

Have you been doing it yourself or using someone local?

 

[Lorin]

Rear quarters being rebuilt

 

[Lorin]

Arches being clearanced. This is being done for three reasons. It removes some rust without needing to be rebuilt. It removes the lip that fills with mud and is a rust trap. And it provides clearance for me to run a wider tyre without having to drop my bump stops.

This last one is because the truck was built around the XZLs that are only 9” wide and can properly stuff the tyre into the arch. Due to the price of XZLs it is likely I will move to a 37x12.5and the extra width would rub. Also allows me to potentially move up a tyre size. Front arches will also be done.

 

[Lorin]

Have you been doing it yourself or using someone local?

I wish I could do it myself. I am using someone local. He is a master blacksmith and artist, who also happens to own an 80!

 

[Towpack]

Those rear quarters hold water, made worse by the fact the rear side sliding windows are prone to leak and are a real rust trap. I check mine regularly. The plastic arch flares and bumper end caps are also superb at hiding corrosion until it gets serious!

 

[chapel303]

I wish I could do it myself. I am using someone local. He is a master blacksmith and artist, who also happens to own an 80!

Local to Bournemouth? There’s three of us down this way with 80s and one of the guys has identical rust to yours and is currently hunting for someone to work on it. Is he doing it once off for you?

 

[Lorin]

Those rear quarters hold water, made worse by the fact the rear side sliding windows are prone to leak and are a real rust trap. I check mine regularly. The plastic arch flares and bumper end caps are also superb at hiding corrosion until it gets serious!

Yeh absolutely. I am removing all plastic trim and filling the holes. Also replacing all rubber bungs.

The rear windows are gullwings on mine and they leak! They are coming out and being resealed.

A few extra holes are also being added to facilitate application of wax oil.

 

[Towpack]

I find it strange that the areas mentioned above are known rust traps yet, on Cruisers with an OEM sunroof where the sunroof drains empty into the sills which fill with water if/when the sill drains become blocked, the sills themselves don't seem to suffer. I looked in my sills with an endoscope and could see no rust at all. The inner surface looks like bare metal but it MUST have some sort of coating to resist corrosion as well as seems to do?

 

[Lorin]

I find it strange that the areas mentioned above are known rust traps yet, on Cruisers with an OEM sunroof where the sunroof drains empty into the sills which fill with water if/when the sill drains become blocked, the sills themselves don't seem to suffer. I looked in my sills with an endoscope and could see no rust at all. The inner surface looks like bare metal but it MUST have some sort of coating to resist corrosion as well as seems to do?

Sunroof doesn’t drain into the rear quarter. The drain hose exits through a bung. My sills are also pretty good. Only rust is at the rear well away from the sunroof drain and likely spread from the rear arch.

 

[Lorin]

Local to Bournemouth? There’s three of us down this way with 80s and one of the guys has identical rust to yours and is currently hunting for someone to work on it. Is he doing it once off for you?

He has asked that I don’t post his details just yet as he wants the work to be finished first.

I had several quotes for the work from various body repairers in the area. One example being Tricket Welding who are known for quality work. What they all said though is that the quote isn’t fixed as the extent of work required can’t be determined until they start cutting, which is fair enough.

I specifically did not want any patch repairs, just properly restored/repaired body panels with full rust-proofing as part of the process.

The person I am using isn’t cheap but his work is of a very high standard. He offers no estimates, it is simply an hourly rate with the process documented in pictures so you can see what needs doing/is being done. He has had my truck for two weeks so far….

I will update with details when I can.

 

[chapel303]

Fair enough. If he changes his mind or when he’s happy would you be able to PM me? It’s just a winner finding people who have worked on 80s that are local. I literally can’t find anyone.

I’ve used trickett, good work but they were expensive. They went in for a really simple job on my wagon and ended up in the trenches trying to fix other things they found just to fix what they were actually asked to do. I basically felt so bad for them I won’t go back haha

 

[Towpack]

They went in for a really simple job on my wagon and ended up in the trenches trying to fix other things they found just to fix what they were actually asked to do. I basically felt so bad for them I won’t go back haha

Can of worms springs to mind. There's one thing virtually guaranteed with rust and that's it's always worse than first it looks.

Sunroof doesn’t drain into the rear quarter. The drain hose exits through a bung.

Yes, I know they don't but they rarely get used on mine as I park facing downhill on the drive so the roof tray empties via the front drain tubes. I did find one of the rear drains blocked some time ago and ended up dropping the roof lining, disconnecting the drain tube and blowing it throuh with an air line. A large plug of black gunge shot out of the end.

 

[Tractionman]

Just got my 120 back a couple of weeks ago, after being in shop since mid November.
That was the arrangement though to keep down costs - use it as a hospital job !
Excellent workmanship as always with them and I wouldn't go anywhere else.
Some Toyota parts I supplied at a cheaper rate, some fabricated by them.
Discounted Tricketts long ago, seemed more like a conveyer belt type system to me. The place I use, the same person/s work on it from cutting out, any mechanicals involved and paint with photos as work progressed, and once being shown around it.
Again, not cheap, but quality work never is.

 

[Dave_S]

Finding a decent bodyshop is a major bonus (and seems like a bit of a unicorn). The guys that did the bodywork and paint on our 80 did a decent enough job of the main bodywork, but made a mess of refitting the wiring (screwed up the headlights completely) and a few other annoying issues. Basically they are a commercial vehicle place that over-stretched themselves as vehicle restorers. At some point we will need to revisit a couple of things, but finding someone else decent to do custom paint it a headache....

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

You shouldn't have any problems clearing 37's Lorin. Doesn't your truck have a body lift? We've stuffed 37x13.5's just with the lip flattened and no body lift.

 

[Lorin]

You shouldn't have any problems clearing 37's Lorin. Doesn't your truck have a body lift? We've stuffed 37x13.5's just with the lip flattened and no body lift.

That’s good to know. Yes I’ve got a 1” body lift. I am basically just removing the lip on the back arches with a little extra profile at the rear to stop the rubbing you can see below. Fronts are being cut 1” and the arch profiled again to address minor rubbing at full stuff. Will help if I want to run a little offset. I also want the option to run 38s just in case a set came up at the right price…..

 

[Lorin]

Rear inner arches and sill. You can see just how bad a previous patch repair on the sill is.

 

[MGC]

Great work. I’ve seen 80s with the bottom of those rear quarters completely gone. Looks like they’d of been better off left open