how bad is this rust

hey there,

i got a 100k 2003 toyota sr5 recently. some very minor surface rust in some areas near the rear- overall though, very clean. but yall got me freaking me out over rust. so i snapped this pic. this is the only area (that is visible) that looks like this. i know you sickos love looking at rusty chasis. so tell me, how bad is it. what do i do. currently in colorado. spanks!

 

Not bad at all.

 

That is not bad at all. What a score!

 

I have seen far worse-looking vehicles here in PA that somehow manage to get through the annual state inspection. You truck looks fine, but I would Fluid Film it to prevent it from actually getting bad...

 

Looks to be in great shape from what I see. Check the other threads on proper rust proofing moving forward. I currently use fluid film.

 

what would you put on there? fluid film? if i wash my car a billion times during the winter will it just come off?

i'm really putting the power washer (with hot water, ideally) to the chasis- like i said earlier, yall got me really scared of any rust.

 

On a scale of 0-10 on the 1st gen rust scale, that's like a .5

 

Finally one of these threads where it doesn't look like the frame is about to rust in half. That's in better shape than my 1st gen was and I had full confidence in it and had it in several sticky situations with no issues. From the look of that hardware in the foreground you may need to invest in a torch and replace hardware as you work on it but other than that this looks good.

 

Looks like you found a good 1.

Too many guys are still paying big money for vehicles with rotted frames.

 

Surface rust. I'd jump on getting it rustproofed though. Any little bit will help!

 

Where in Colorado? If you apply FluidFilm or similar don't use the power washer underneath. You will wash it off. Regular car wash won't hurt anything.

 

You paid 100k for that?

Mine looks about the same and it's a 2020 that I've kept up (mostly, missed a year) with undercoating....

 

i thought $100,000 was a steal for a 1st gen these days

 

Looks really nice in that picture, good deal

 

Not so bad, I had worse on my 1979 VW bus! Power wash it, lightly powder blast it. (I used baking soda and a mask) WD-40 has a rust inhibitor that worked well for me.

 

it seems like fluid flim doesnt make sense if i am going to conitnue to power wash after each snow?

 

You do you. I apply Fluid Film annually & don't power wash after exposure to salt/brine. Fluid Film is a wax based product that "creeps" into cracks & crevices where paint can't. It is very effective on the inside of the frame. These frames rust from the inside out more than from outside. A car wash with "undercarriage wash is OK.

 

I’d hit it with a wire brush on a drill or sandpaper, get any loose stuff off. Grab a rattle can of oil based rust paint like tremclad or something. Then get it undercoated or use fluid film or another good one is motorcycles chain wax. That stuff doesn’t come off easily. You can even get some rust converter in between cleaning the loose stuff and paint/undercoating if you’re really concerned.

I’d say that’s 1/10 for rust. Get the inside of the frame power washed out and get in there with some rust inhibitors!