HOw Screwed am I ? - Rust

[Chris TosteJr]

So i bought my 03 Trac this last March. At the time it all looked very good. It was a one owner from the northeast. I asked about rust issues, he said that it wasn't an issue. I briefly looked under it and the frame was darn good shape. Now, after getting under there to fix my water-pump leak this is what i found.

:angry:

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Just how screwed am I? I still owe some $7k on it. I'm not in a position to buy another as I had my house foreclosed on a few months back. Can it be saved? and about how much would i be looking at? I took it to a mechanic i trust. He told me i shouldn't have to worry bout the rust being a "problem" for another 2-3 years. He looked it over and said about $3-4k to get it back to where it should be for a 10yr old truck.



Opinions?

 

[A K]

That's nothing -- really. Largely surface. Mine's been through 10 NE winters and looks worse -- and is fine. Given that you're now in a hot, dry climate, you have even less to worry about.

 

[swshawaii]

Agree, I've seen MUCH worse. Original shocks on a 2003 ST? :banghead:

 

[Ed Fenwick]

Looks like mostly surface rust toastem, I paid a fellow $100, ha went under and sprayed rustoleum then painted everything flat black. If you look under the truck, it is not pretty but rust free. I would maybe wire brush some of the heavy stuff. You will be ok.

Ed

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

Hell I wished my frame and undercarriage looked that good. Nothing to worry about. Check all your trans lines, power steering and brake lines though, the trans lines and the power steering on the front that go up to the coolers start to get rusty and leak without even noticing if you don't check regularly. every winter.

 

[Chris TosteJr]

Thanks all! I feel quite a bit better. Having been in the South all my life, never really had to deal with rust, so I was a bit worried when i saw all that.



And those stock shocks will be coming off this spring for some Rancho's RS 5000's i got when i also will be replacing my tires (cracking due to summer heat).



I check this forum several times a week cause yall are just great. I'm not much of a mechanical guy, but i hope i can start giving advice as i learn more n more bout this awesome truck.



:banana:

 

[Vic Sorlie]

From your pictures it looks like just about all the front suspension bits are original. Good luck with getting those off. Just remember: PB Blaster is your friend. You can save some money if you do some of this yourself. Sway bar links and bushings would be about $50 from RockAuto and it's not a hard job - hand tools and jack stands will suffice, but I recommend you also install new fasteners as you replace things. There are rust converter products out there (search paint-on rust converter) that will help. Were it me I'd concentrate on making it a good driver (fluids, plugs, filters, etc.) and replace ball joints and bushings as funds permitted. Check this site's Projects section and YouTube videos for things that you think you may tackle yourself. Good luck.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Looks pretty good for an 11-year old vehicle to me!

 

[Henry Suarez]

Is your Rack and Pinion leaking? If so I did it myself for the cost of the replacement unit. Not toooooo hard to do.

 

[Johnny O]

Just surface rust. The metal there is very thick. Nothing to worry about.