Newbie Help: Where to look for rust and other problems?

[dawgvet]

I am new to Series trucks and would like some info on where to look for rust on older trucks. I know the bulkhead and the frame, but is there anywhere else I should be concerned? What about doors? How much rust is still easy to fix with sanding/sealing? I know the bodies are aluminum but I want to make as informed decision if I buy one as possible. Also, can someone give me a quick checklist of other problem areas on a IIA to look over if I am considering buying? I have heard of checking the swivel ball seals and watching for grease in the brakes, but would like a thorough list of things to check. I am fairly mechanically knowledgeable about repairing older cars but am not familiar with Series trucks yet.
Thanks in Advance,
Jedidiah

[bmohan55]

Read this...learn it and live it!
http://www.lrfaq.org/FAQ.4.main.html

[badvibes]

I know the bulkhead and the frame, but is there anywhere else I should be concerned? What about doors?

Jedidiah-

Welcome to the madness.....

A couple of spots. Check the door top frames, they can hold water and rust from the inside out, you may even need to take the tops off the doors to check them out well. The rear crossmember where the frame rails tie into it, there are a couple of spots that can catch crud thrown up and rust won't show until it's eaten all the way thru to the outside where it can be seen. Oh yeah, the cubby under the drivers seat, it can be rusted thru.

Jeff

[scott]

pull off the hitch plate, the rear xmbr will rot there

[rovertek]

the bulkhed and frame are most inportant but also the door lower steel chanels,and door tops,and if it is a 109 the (T's) or rear hinge pillars, the breakfast,the splash shields,the frame under bonnet, the door skin lower will corrode due to electrolysis also the rear floor and seatbox and the tool tray,and on the series 3 the rear tub will corrode where the rivits come through the sides (bad idea) but i guess they were lasting too long?

[rbonnett]

If you haven't already, check the users here for someone in your area. Having someone Series experienced to help you check candidates over may be very helpful.

[Tim Smith]

One thing I've had happen is the front frame horns have cracked. It would be due to them rusting from the inside out which can be tough to diagnose otherwise. Look for hair line cracks as the easiest tell but also bang around the frame with a hammer to get a good idea of the frame's integrity.

Door frames can also be a problem due to the fact that they are steel and wrapped in aluminum. The rest of the rust issues should be obvious with a thorough check around the truck.

Good luck and once you find something, take some pictures and ask the forum for suggestions. Don't buy it right away without some input from others.

[bullstanky]

Don't forget to take a peek at the crossmembers that support the bed as well as the front wheels well, both can get pretty rusty.

[Revtor]

Drive it, accel hard, brake hard. see if it pulls and stops straight. tryout the 4wd/low range function. try the heater, try all the lights and wipers. Gauges work? Is the idle nice and smooth, slow, and steady?

Corrosion sucks, but unless it is really really bad, you can still drive the truck. Engine and electrical issues on the other hand will keep you from driving and enjoying the thing. So check the corrosion factor of course, but drive and listen to it too.

Look at the fuel filter if there is one near the carb, for rust. may tell you about a fuel tank that is on its way out...

Look at the undercarriage for slopped on black paint. tells you about the PO's level of repair expertise.

Look for wet oil leaks. These are good, means the PO was keeping things topped up.


and post back here for us to see!

~Steve

[o2batsea]

Fuel tank. Battery box under seat. Side sills. Tub to frame (rear crossmember tabs and support rails). Wings (especially the splash panels). Breakfast.

You cannot get replacement parts for the bonnet, wings and doors. You will have to scrounge good used and believe me there isn't much left out there (translation=nothing left). If your door skins are good, then you will want to restore the frames by separating the skins from the frames.
Pegasus Parts in the UK sells the best repair panels available.
For repro doors Ashtree in the UK sells 2A doors. Don't know how good they are. If you can weld, then you can sorta use S3 doors and install the door stops on them.
Unfortunately a LOT of these trucks were beat to hell and thrown away. Pity, that.

[albersj51]

Fuel tank. Battery on=nothing left). If your door skins are good, then you will want to restore the frames by separating the skins from the frames. Pegasus Parts in the UK sells the best repair panels available.
For repro doors Ashtree in the UK sells 2A doors. Don't know how good they are. If you can weld, then you can sorta use S3 doors and install the door stops on them.
Unfortunately a LOT of these trucks were beat to hell and thrown away. Pity, that.

SP Land Rover in the UK sells nice repro S2 and S3 doors. I purchased some for my project and they looks great. Not perfect replicas (they use pop rivets on the S2 doors instead of hammer rivets). However, for he price you cannot beat them, and if original is important, I know someone who got them and replaced the rivets with hammer rivets.

[Billy5]

My 2c. First determine what is priority: Meaning what can you live with and what you cannot. For me, I wanted a complete truck. Not chopped, not mucked with terribly. What you are handy with makes a difference too. If you are good body guy, but not so great mechanic, perhaps find one that is mechanically good but needs body work. What is the budget? Leaks: they leak, from everywhere. Sometimes slowly, sometimes its bleeding profusely. Swivel balls: leaking I would say is ok, but make sure the ball itself isn't pitted or peened up. Frame, well ass been stated the outriggers, especially by the fuel tank, and rear cross. These are great crud traps. Door posts..footwells, the drivers side ( LHD or RHD) should be ok, as the steering leaks all over it anyway keeping it perpetually oiled. Rust: bring an ice pick or a small hammer to tap if the owner will allow, but if it dont look right it most likely isn't. If you can, pull the floors as well. These things are basically an erector set with wheel so checking one out is fairly straight forward. I am new to them too so I am not an expert. Buy the best you can find in your budget, dont have false hopes, take your time. I looked for about 6 months. Most owners if not all of these trucks are usually very passionate about them, and will tell you whats wrong or needs work. THe boards are tight knit as you will find out, so chances are when you find one, someone, somewhere will either know about it, owned it, or their third cousin on their mothers side owned it..lol:) Good luck!!

[artpeck]

Lots of good advice above. One more thing to add is whatever you can learn about where the truck has spent its life. Stating the obvious trucks that have been in the south, southwest and west coast have generally had easier lives from a corrosion standpoint. My 57 S1, 73 SIII and 95 d-90 have zero rust as they are all from the west. It may be worth it to look for a truck in a different location that has had an easier life and pay to have it shipped versus settling locally. Also the market out here is thin which I think depresses prices. My two cents

[nantley79]

I'm wondering if the newbie who started this thread in 2009 has purchased one yet and if so how it went?

I've owned my 65 2a for less than a year. I bought one with lots of rust, but I researched for a couple years before I bought it. So I knew what I was getting and I got it cheap. (I paid more to ship it home than to purchase it!)

I haven't had too much time to spend on it yet... I still have a clutch issue that I haven't fixed but I think it is the throwout bearing. I recently found that a PO had cut and fit douglas fir 2x8's into the right hand outrigger in front of the gas tank. Then he fiberglassed the bottom to hold the wood in. He then painted the entire frame with a thick coating which made me think it was for corrosion resistance. Maybe it was, but the real reason was to hide the repairs. It also needs a rear crossmember, and found a kink under the front frame horn indicating a tweaked frame from a collision.

But its OK, I bought it cheap enough to expect a new frame. My wife wouldn't let me spend the cash to get one that was rust free and everything working.

My two cents...