Rust in 80s

A question which often comes up from new members, especially those from coastal areas or cold places where salt is used on the roads is rust.

Rust is rarely a problem in 80 Series Cruisers and a far cry from what we see in early Cruisers. Rust may appear around the 3rd row windows, especially on those vehicles without sliding 3rd row windows. Occasionally we see rust around the lower corners of the rear window.

Other areas to check are the rocker panels (see 3rd Row Window Leak and Water in lower side sills). A difficult area to check is inside the chassis rails. If these live a life in beach sand, salt can become trapped inside the chassis rails with rust developing. A regular cleaning regime of flushing the chassis rails with water is generally enough to stop rust from forming.