some rust proofing suggestion

i recently bought this 2002 tacoma with 285k miles on it and the paint on the car (mostly hood and roof is suffering pretty bad - pic below it seems the clear coat, and paint came off and it is down to the primer even metal in some areas). in addition i have some minor rust on the rear quarter panel from what it seems to be a minor side collision to something that might have scrape the paint off. its a work truck so i am all for maintaining it mechanically but don't really want to get a brand new paint job.

any suggestions on what i should do prevent rust from spreading on the quarter panel as well as protecting the roof and hood from further damage is greatly appreciated.

 

It’s an 17 year old vehicle with nearly 300k. I personally would just leave it be. Unless you plan to have it for a long time and want to spend the money to have a body shop repaint the whole thing. Maybe a cheap Maaco paint job or take it to a local BOCES school where kids are going to school to learn bodywork. They usually only charge for material. The labor will be free. It won’t come out looking like a show truck or the day it rolled out of the plant, but will look better than it does now.

 

i was thinking just leaving it be but if there something i can do to prevent it from getting worse and not spend too much money (which is my goal)... i rather go that route. i did go to MAACO they want 2800 to paint the whole truck and remove rust etc. thats crazy. maybe wrapping it the roof and the hood is the way to go or if there are something on the market that i can spray to prevent it from getting worse i can go that route as well. just looking for advice at this point. thank you though

 

You can sand it down in the area, apply some primer and then Buy some color matched paint in an aerosol paint can and touch it up so to speak. It’s not gonna look great up close but will be better than the rust. You could try and do the same with the hood. And parts on the roof. Just make sure to clear over it when. You’re done.

$2800 isn’t bad for a respray. If you went to a normal shop I’ll bet you’re at an easy 5k, maybe more.

 

If I can avoid maaco I rather stay away. They tell me they will bondo all over the place where u have dents. The guy even told me he will need to knock some dents in more so he can put more bondo holds. Lol. I was thinking for 2800. I rather spend it on something else such as new shocks, bushings and flush all fluids. Maybe even new tires. I guess my best bet is to sand it down and spray primer on it then clear so it last a bit longer. Hood I can replace even but the roof is major concern for me if it rusts

 

You can get color matched touch up paint here in an aerosol. That way it looks somewhat decent if you plan to do it yourself.

https://www.automotivetouchup.com/


You could have a paintless dent guy take care of the dents before getting painted if you were gonna have the truck resprayed. They do just use filler on just about everything in a body shop, most do it because it’s faster than trying to beat the dent out or get it flat and smooth.

 

Read up a little on painting, then... buy a compressor, water trap, and a spray gun from Harbor Freight and do it yourself. You'd have maybe $2-300 in equipment and $3-400 in materials. Sand down to original primer or metal if really pitted bad. Wet sand with 400, 600, & 1000 grit. It won't be perfect, but it will look better and stop the rust.

If you have to do it outdoors, choose a really calm, low humidity, 70-80 degree day and go for it. Base coat/clear coat is you friend!

Edit: BTW, I am not trivializing what body and paint guys do. It's an art and a lot of hard work to get a really great paint job. All I am saying is for a guy to get a average, "cover the 20 yr old truck without a mortgage" type paint job, you can do it at home.

 

Maybe just sand it down to eliminate the rust primer it and get it wraped

 

if you want to solve the problem for good, you need to have the affected areas repainted. If you leave it be, the paint and rust will get worse over time

My truck is a bit in the same situation as yours, though not as bad. The paint is cooked by the sun and I will have it repainted next week. I would have prefered not to but since I plan to keep it for a looong time and the body is still good, I'll have it repainted before it gets eaten up by rust.

 

I've seen people paint just roof and hood. Your front fender tops will stand out a bit; might be able to blend them... I'd clean up the rust at the rear before it perforates. Sand/etch prime/paint.

 

That's not really rust, that's more oxidation and peeling of the clear coat, allowing the base coat to peel.

Matt

 

I meant left rear fender, accident damage. Fix it or at least POR 15 and top coat.

 

fiber glass fenders? could even do it but it would be white u less painted

 

Move west...

 

Ive painted 2 older 4runners at Maaco. One turned out pretty good. The other not so much. Some of the locations have lots of turnover. If you can find one that has had the same guys spraying for awhile, they will do a decent job because they do alot of volume. Its the new guys that will mess things up. Each job was between $1000-1200 (single stage) with a little body work and improved the look of the trucks a ton.

 

I've tried in the past to help out guys like you on this forum. I painted for ten years altogether more than 2 decades ago. Not much has changed since. The problem is, painting and bodywork is a labor intensive job. That's why it is cost prohibitive for the average person. There isn't enough time or space on a forum to explain how to do it and I painted Jags, Ferrari's, Rolls Royce's etc., etc. which puts my advice even further out of the realm of reality for the vast majority of people including myself. High quality paint work is cost prohibitive to the average person. I also worked at a Chevy stealership for a while repairing factory "de-lams" like you're peeling clear-coat.

Case in point. I have a high school friend of mine who got his inheritance a few years ago. He's building a one of a kind Hot Rod that many of you will probably see in future magazines when it's done if any of you are into that type of stuff. The paint job is costing him $14,000. That's with NO bodywork on a brand new body.. The custom, one of a kind wheels, were $10,000. The engine was $16000 not counting the induction system. As a side note. He has called me a few times since he started having it built 3 years ago to see if he was being ripped off. As far as the paint job is concerned I told him "No". After applying the paint, turning it into a mirror is "very" labor intensive. If he gets the type of job I "hope" he's going to get he's not getting ripped off and the guy that own's that shop isn't some multimillionaire either although I'm sure he's "comfortable". Total cost the the "rod" is estimated, right now, at $150,000. Just another trivial point.

If you have access to an air compressor, get a "DA". Sand down all the peeling clear coat, "feather edge" all the areas where there is a "broken film". Sand the shit out of all the areas you can't get to with the DA like up against moldings and weatherstrip around windows. Use a rust converter like "Rust Mort" to kill the rust and then take it to MAACO and tell them to seal it and spray it. That's all. Tape it off, seal and spray. See what they want to do just that. You can probably do all that prep work in one weekend and save yourself a ton of cash. That $2800 will probably shrink to $1000. Maybe less depending on the quality of paint you want.

It won't be pretty and it won't last forever but it'll probably be presentable enough for a work truck. You could probably pay extra for a sealer made by PPG called DP-40. Different colors of it have a different number. It's an epoxy. It's really tough shit. They use it on aircraft. Once it dries you can hit it with a hammer and it doesn't chip. Very good for keeping rust at bay and sealing off the new paint from the failing paint job you're covering up. I'm sure it is still being used in some states but has possibly been banned in others. I don't know. It's toxic to breath but it sure does work. I painted a rusty battery box on a '73 Cadillac with it. Never even top coated it and 18 years later no rust had come through. I don't even think I used Rust Mort on it. I think I just cleaned and degreased it.

 

I had the same issue and bedlined my whole truck with rustoleum feom walmart...spent almost $200 and spent about a day doing it.

 

I haven't washed or waxed since I did it...the rain takes care of birdshit. No more scratches or waxing. Problem solved.