SF Bay Area Bodyshop recommendation? FZJ80 roof rack rust

[riffman12]

Hi guys

I recently took the OEM roof rack off my '97 Land Cruiser. For those of you who don't know, the factory racks are a very common spot for rust - even on our California rigs.

Here's the pictures of the leftover nutserts in the roof:

As you can see, there are no rust holes, but there is some bubbling in a couple spots. the bezel around some of the nutserts has also chipped away.

Disclaimer: I have pretty much zero body work experience. I can sand and spray some primer and paint, but I've never dealt with rust or anything like this before. I also don't have the means to weld.


1) For any of you familiar with bodywork, is this something I can deal with on my own? Given the state of the nutserts, can I just sand the paint around them until the rust is gone, then primer and paint? Or given the bubbling, is this rust probably through to the point where I would sand through the metal completely?

2) Or am I better off letting a body shop handle this? As much as I really don't want to spend a lot of money on this, I want to make sure the rust doesn't spread and my roof doesn't leak. My paint's not perfect so I don't mind the roof being bed lined if it's cheaper. What should I expect to pay a shop to deal with it properly?

If I wind up going the option 2 route, does anyone have a recommendation for a shop in the bay area that could handle this kind of work?


Thanks in advance for your help. I'm a huge noob with this bodywork stuff and the rust has me really freaked out! Just hoping this won't cost an arm and a leg.

Mike

 

[BCBrian]

That is pretty light rust for a 20 year old rig. Since it looks like these area's are hidden under the bezels, I would suggest fixing it yourself. I doubt that the rust has eaten completely through the metal. A body shop will want several hundred dollars to repair those area's.

Take a look at the products from the co. in this link - http://www.por15.com/

 

[Rusty burbin]

Bed liner is not a bad idea but before applying it there needs to be a good base. Bed liner directly on bare metal will not inhibit rust... it will bubble right through.

I'd also recommend a wire wheel that you can insert into your drill. I used wire wheels much more than sand paper on the rusty areas on my rig... and there was a lot!

this is just an example of how bad it can get. My truck is 47 years old so it does time but prevention is the best cure so get it fixed as soon as you can.

Rustyburbin (OB#4084) from SoCal 5 kids, wife, dog and a 1970 K20 Suburban

 

[sledgehomer]

It's merely a flesh wound

Sent from my SM-G930T using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Rusty burbin]

It's merely a flesh wound

Sent from my SM-G930T using OB Talk mobile app

Flesh wound! Lol! ... yeah my rig had some near fatal injuries! [emoji12]

Rustyburbin (OB#4084) from SoCal 5 kids, wife, dog and a 1970 K20 Suburban

 

[Rusty burbin]

It's merely a flesh wound

Sent from my SM-G930T using OB Talk mobile app

Flesh wound! Lol! ... yeah my rig had some near fatal injuries! [emoji12]

Rustyburbin (OB#4084) from SoCal 5 kids, wife, dog and a 1970 K20 Suburban

 

[riffman12]

ha thanks for the advice guys. Burbin that's quite substantial!

I think for the time being, I'm going to sand/wire wheel down the rust spots around the nutserts, apply a rust preventer (POR15 or equivalent), then apply some rustoleum primer and white paint on those patches. Then I have some bolts and sealing washers that I'll use with silicone sealant.

Then just keep an eye on it!

 

[Rusty burbin]

ha thanks for the advice guys. Burbin that's quite substantial!

I think for the time being, I'm going to sand/wire wheel down the rust spots around the nutserts, apply a rust preventer (POR15 or equivalent), then apply some rustoleum primer and white paint on those patches. Then I have some bolts and sealing washers that I'll use with silicone sealant.

Then just keep an eye on it!

Perfect! That should last a long long time!

Rustyburbin (OB#4084) from SoCal 5 kids, wife, dog and a 1970 K20 Suburban

 

[riffman12]

Perfect! That should last a long long time!

I sure hope so. I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing haha

I'm going to do the job Saturday as it's the only free dry day I'll have for a few weeks. Is there a rust preventer that anyone can recommend? Is something like a basic rust-oleum primer good enough to neutralize the rust and give me a surface to paint?

Or is there another product I should use? I don't think I'll be able to get POR15 by the weekend, so something readily available in a hardware store would be preferable.

 

[Rusty burbin]

I sure hope so. I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing haha

I'm going to do the job Saturday as it's the only free dry day I'll have for a few weeks. Is there a rust preventer that anyone can recommend? Is something like a basic rust-oleum primer good enough to neutralize the rust and give me a surface to paint?

Or is there another product I should use? I don't think I'll be able to get POR15 by the weekend, so something readily available in a hardware store would be preferable.

I'm no expert but I have had good luck by first getting all the rust cleaned up, wipe everything down with some acetone to get rid of any residue, dust or oils (be fast, it will eat up surrounding paint) and use some kind of etching... Rust-Oleum sales self etching primer that seems to work well. 2 or 3 coats, let dry between coats and you should be in good shape. You can paint over it or use some build up/sandable primer before painting.

Hope this helps.

Rustyburbin (OB#4084) from SoCal 5 kids, wife, dog and a 1970 K20 Suburban

 

[riffman12]

quick update for anyone who's interested.

here's a pic of the rust after I sprayed the rust remover on it:

And here's the finished product with the sealing washers and bolts:

And here's the reason I did it in the first place! Full length Baja Expedition Rack: