Just baught a 1983 4wd wagon (paint tips anyone? :)

[melzy]

Hi guys and girls

Newbie 1983 4wd wagon owner from the UK here. I've posted on some other threads but I wanted to start a new thread on paintwork/bodywork. Hope I am not going over old ground. I would like to touch up my Terc4wd as have some rust issues as you can see in the pics. Does anyone have any advise for rust reduction/coverup? I also wanted to hear other peoples paint job modification journeys as I might even go for a whole body revamp and love a before and after story. I love the kaki greens and matt black wagons. Anyway here are my before pics. Warts and all!

[dlb]

is that all the rust you have? if so, you're laughing. that's a tiny, tiny amount, and very superficial. would be quick and easy to sand down and paint over. in my experience, once rust begins, it is a lifelong battle that involves touch-ups every few years even with the most careful professional job. but with such small amounts, yours should be easy to control.

i absolutely hate painting and after doing it a few times, i won't do it again. it's very labour intensive, and easy to do a poor job of. it's one of the few jobs i will hire a pro to do now.

i would personally stick with the stock colours. i love the two-tones, and you wouldn't have to worry about painting door jambs or the engine bay.

those are just my thoughts though, do what you think is best. and welcome to the forum!

[larry mcgrath]

The proper way to remove rust is to sand blast it----small sand blasters are not to expensive---- tape off the rusted area and blast all the rust away. Remove the tape and feather the paint edge. Treat the bare metal with a rust mort --- a 3M product--- there are several products on the market to treat bare metal after s-blasting, next use a SELF ETCHING primer. Next you use a body primer to build up the s-blasted area,wet sand with 320 wet n dry sand paper to feather the edges and paint. The color code for your paint ,I THINK??? is on the firewall in the engine compartment. Have fun .Larry

[greeny2022]

Rear hatch could be contamination, you will want to block it back to stable material. defiantly keep that colour scheme stock.

Take your time, a good finish is all in the prep.

[melzy]

Thanks so much, this forum is a great community. The rust on the boot is not showing up as bad as it is in the pictures. But once I take the top layer of paint off will show you guys. The rust is sadly also under the car and on some coponents under the bonnet etc also around the sides under the bonnet but not too major (I suspect) but now I have your step by step info I will tackle it head on with confidence. Thanks will show you once it's done and if it goes Pete tong I'll get a pro on it :p x

[melzy]

Rear hatch could be contamination, you will want to block it back to stable material. defiantly keep that colour scheme stock.

Take your time, a good finish is all in the prep.

noted

[melzy]

Ahhh another thing... do the seals need to be taken off when sand blasting? I'm guessing yes?

[Mattel]

Hi Melzy, thats a rare car over there. congrats! we have had a couple of other UK owners on here before. It would be awesome to keep it as original as possible if you could. Last time I checked there was only 5 or so running around the UK! there are some on FLICKR if you google that. That two tone colour is really rare. I have never seen that outside of the USA. i saw your car for auction on UK ebay recently and it seemed to be on some UK toyota websites.

For spare parts, I think you would be best to get in touch with some of the french guys - if you speak a bit of it then you are in luck. There was a very active thread here a few years ago. http://www.forum-auto.com/automobiles-m ... 9-3990.htm but if you go to the latest page it might be worth getting at least seeing if someone will send you a tail light. I think Vince is the main guy down in Marseille.

you might be able to save that front side light with some sealant as it is different from the USA ones that petros mentions and not compatible and it does not have the USA side marker lights. you might get one for yours from france though.

with the mirror it would be good to take that one off and open it up. something might be just loose. pry off the interior cover and there are three bolts that will let you unscrew it.

The rust is a biggie and I would get onto that but in the meantime it would be good to see if it is just surface (see above advice) or coming through from the inside ( perhaps you could find a replacement tailgate and get it painted to match. ) either way get some advice from a pro. Probably the best course of action would be to get in contact with the UK toyota owners clubs. they would have some contacts in the business i'm sure. Also probably worth a good clean and underbody spraying if they use salt on your roads!

Also good idea to get the gearbox oil changed (and rear diff) if there are no records of it being done as the gearbox is the achilles heel in these cars. Good luck!

[BaileySims]

I've got a light somewhere. I'm not sure what side it is. I'll check when I get home and report back then.

[melzy]

Thanks for the lovely and informative response Mattel. I cant speak a word of French. But its worth a shot and I may try the German websites too as these wagons are so rare here theres no chance of getting parts here sadly. I wonder why there arn't many of them around in the UK. They're awesome! sadly also having a few power issues and it rattles like a crazy snake on idle. plus lurches forward and looses power but this is after I put some engine oil in and some coolant into the rusty overfill which were both left empty by previous owner.Maybe having a system clear out. I am getting her into service next week. Will tell them to check the gear box oil too. Thanks for that little tip! Tomorrow I will finish the rust on the windscreen wipers. The rust is making me sad but to be expected as has lived by the Essex coast for 30 years Have started pulling the access rust in the engine bay. Tomoz will sand put some filler over and rust prevention primer. Below are some engine bay rust pics which will tackle next.

I've got a light somewhere. I'm not sure what side it is. I'll check when I get home and report back then.

Thanks Bailey

[dlb]

sadly also having a few power issues and it rattles like a crazy snake on idle. plus lurches forward and looses power but this is after I put some engine oil in and some coolant into the rusty overfill which were both left empty by previous owner.Maybe having a system clear out. I am getting her into service next week. Will tell them to check the gear box oil too.

unless you have a mechanic who knows and loves old cars, do not be surprised if shops are less than interested in working on your car. modern cars are computerized and most mechanics no longer know how to work on carbs. most will just say "it's an old car, it is what it is." of course, that's BS but to them it's not worth the time or headache to learn to work on an unfamiliar system.

if you plan on keeping your car for a long time, i think the best thing is to get a decent set of tools and learn as you go. this forum is full of all kinds of info and very helpful, knowledgeable people, and that's about all you'll need. tercels are incredibly easy to work on with lots of easy access and bone simple systems, so they're a great car to learn on.

[BaileySims]

Right side?

[Mattel]

No problem at all. Good thing about that car is all the parts are there.

UK Toyota owners club will be your best bet for contacts that will work on old cars (and google translate for the overseas crew!) good luck!

[ARCHINSTL]

Review threads on PROPER procedure for draining and refilling trans ! ! ! There IS a procedure!
Since your car is rare there, it's doubtful many have ever done this procedure.
And - make sure they can remove the filler plugs before the drain plugs! These are easily rounded.
Tom M.

[melzy]

Hey Bailey Awww thanks that's the one! How much do you want for it plus shipping? Don't forget I'm in the UK.

Mattel thanks for pointing me in the right direction so helpful I'm sure il find what I'm looking for as I go along

Archinstl thanks il show this to my mechanic who will give her the first once over service. I doubt they have ever done it because the guy said he thought he'd worked on every car until now and he's retiring in a few weeks!

Dlb right on! I'm learning so much from the forum. A lot is like a foreign language with all the technical stuff but u guys are all so friendly it's taken the anxiety and 'what have I done' away. Just getting the windscreen wipers prepped for spraying before I tackle the bigger rust problems