Rust level- Should I be concerned?

Hi Taco’ers,

Purpose of this thread is to get your opinion of the amount of rust occurring underneath my truck. I have attached photos of the spots where it is mostly occurring. I am an amateur when it comes to automotive things, but I am really trying to learn and get more savvy.

My questions are:

Should I be concern with the amount of rust occurring underneath the car?
Is this an expected amount of rust for the age of the Tacoma (2000)?
Any ideas of preventing or slowing down the weathering process?

For reference the Tacoma is a year 2000, all owned and operated in CA, 114,000 miles.

Thank you for your input on this!

 

In Massachusetts we would consider that "rust free".

 

Less that hood seam you sent which will need attention at some point, the rest seems ok. I would be curious to see frame pictures of known failure spots. (Right rear upper shock mount, Leaf Spring mounting area)

 

The stuff underneath looks like typical surface rust. How do things look on/inside the frame rails?
But the rust on the hood could be nasty. Hopefully living in California means it will spread very slowly.

 

I would slowly over time clean different areas up......and get some automotive chassis paint...
Vht is what I use....

VHT Satin Black Roll Bar High Heat Paint 11oz (autozone.com)

 

Living in Pa I gotta say what rust??

The climate is so damp steel rusts in the rack inside.

 

You need to inspect the leaf spring mounts and the frame surrounding said mounts.

That's where you'll find your "problem" areas.

Do a ball peen hammer test.

 

Aside from the hood that's what northern vehicles will have in the first year.

If you are worried I expect a one time shot of fluid film will prevent it from spreading any farther.

That hood though, that's going to be an issue soon. Expect some paint bubbling if you don't treat it. Personally I would probably clean it really well and then touch it with fluid film. It won't fix it but the FF should spread into the rust and prevent it from getting worse. Ultimately its not bad, its just that you will see some cosmetic issues in the future. Stopping it now will prevent that.

 

Yeah what you really need to check is the frame in front of the rear wheels and behind the front wheels. Hit it with a hammer to ensure its solid. You'll hear a difference in the sound and/or feel if it is significant. They rust from the inside out so they might look OK on the outside while not actually being so. All that being said, if it has been in CA its whole life it should be just fine.

 

This.

Where I live now they would be sending that to the scrap yard as "too far gone with rust" LOL

 

If you’re not concerned with appearance then I suggest buying a quart or gallon of tremclad or any oil based rust paint that you can brush on specifically. Reason being that bushing it goes on much thicker and will last longer than spray can coats. Also waaaay cheaper….of course you should remove as much rust as you can and it doesn’t hurt to put some rust inhibitors on before painting.


Just my 2 cents