Chassis Rail Rust & Who/How to Repair?y

[JKHBAY Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JKHBAY]

I have a 2010 150 Prado. I’ve found rust in the last 2ft of the rear left and right chassis rails starting from where the genuine Toyota tow bar attaches. Body panels are all okay.

I’ve been to two local smash repairers in Hervey Bay and they don’t want to touch the chassis.

Has anyone had this problem?

Does anyone know who in SE Qld would do this type of repair?

[sparksy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sparksy]

Yours is the second one recently that Ive heard of rusty rear chassis in a 150.
I recently sold a guy a 150 towbar because his had rusted out, when looked underneath the rust was also in the chassis. He didnt seem too concerned with it , just worried about the towbar where you could put fingers in the holes.

[jrcfam Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close jrcfam]

Hi,

Try Ian at CIN Fabrications at Narangba.

He did my radiator support a few years ago along with cutting a larger holes at the rear of the chassis rail to allow the rails to be cleaned better after being on the beach. I also got him to rust proof the rails.

Here's the link to his website: http://cinfabrications.com.au

[driveway Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close driveway]

I was going to suggest CIN fabrications as well. not because ive been there though its because he is not scared of taking on big jobs , according to his FB posts

[JKHBAY Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JKHBAY]

Thanks for the lead. I also found a company on the Sunshine Coast called "Limitless Chassis" www.limitlesschassis.com.au Has anyone used this company?

[JKHBAY Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JKHBAY]

A very late thankyou for the referral to CIN Fabrications Brisbane metal fabrications (cinfabrications.com.au). Craig was great to deal with and did an excellent job. When I went to see Craig about repairing the rust in my chassis, he had another Prado on the hoist (a 150 series but a newer model) and I could see how he went about the repairs. Craig has repaired many Prados all with the same issue in the same locations so it would pay to check your own Prado. I've posted some photographs so you can see the before and after. It looked pretty ugly after they cleaned up to see the extent of the rust! Quite concerning to think that I'd been towing a trailer prior to discovering this. It was never identified in the 6 monthly service at the local Toyota dealer. This all started when I was underneath the back of the car last year looking for a cable route to run a power circuit for a trailer and I saw a rust stain on the chassis. Paint hides a lot of issues.On further inspection, I was able to poke a screwdriver through the chassis. A big thankyou to Craig at CIN Fabrications for getting my Prado back on the road and for the forum for providing the lead.

[catherder Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close catherder]

Craig has repaired many Prados all with the same issue in the same locations so it would pay to check your own Prado. I've posted some photographs so you can see the before and after.

Thanks for posting.
Did the rust start inside the chassis rail and work its way out, or did it start between the towbar and chassis and eat its way in? Looks like maybe garbage inside the chassis rail can't escape at the rear.
Is this the consequence of launching boats?

[Piggy Water pistol pilot. Find all posts View Profile Close Piggy]

See this when they have done beach work or mud and the chassis hasn't been washed out after. Your's looks like it had stuff sitting there for quite a while.

[JKHBAY Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JKHBAY]

Corrosion appeared to start within the chassis rail. Vehicle had a yearly trip on the beach and was cleaned after every trip including flushing all areas until the water was clear. So I'd assume that the material shown in the photos was an accumulation of Fraser Island sand that didn't flush out from the underbody wash down. My photos of the rust/sand accumulation were identical to the other Prado's being repaired.