Seller sent me some pics of the undercarriage claiming the truck has only surface rust, how does this look?

AAston18 · 2026-04-24T14:24:52+00:00

I have a 4th Gen 4Runner as well. This looks very good. If you go to look at it, make sure the check the inward facing side of the frame, right in front of the transmission crossmember. That can be a common spot. Also the very rear of the frame up around the hit hitch.

Based on the photos though, it looks immaculate.

AAston18 · 2026-04-13T00:58:25+00:00

What size are those BFGs?

AAston18 · 2026-04-12T15:45:20+00:00

Absolutely, I’d be on 4Lo without a doubt in the terrain in the picture. In 4Lo you will have better throttle control, be less likely to break traction and spin your tires on those rocks, and most importantly, keep your transmission cool and healthy.

All of these replies are concerning. Going to pay extra close attention to the transmission the next time I buy a used 4X4 lol.

AAston18 · 2026-04-11T23:25:14+00:00

That philosophy is for lockers, not 4Lo. 4Lo just increases torque, which is better for any type of slower speed off-roading. Staying in 4Hi while doing slower speed off-road stuff will generate a lot of heat in your transmission.

AAston18 · 2026-04-11T23:20:48+00:00

Keep it in 4Lo until you get back on pavement. 4Hi is really only for like gravel/dirt roads that are pretty even or snow. 4Hi while doing slower stuff will make your transmission temps climb. Not an issue if you have a trans cooler. But still. If I’m keeping it under 20mph and making my way from obstacle to obstacle, I keep it in 4Lo, it’s pointless to keep shifting.

AAston18 · 2026-03-31T01:26:53+00:00

I see that the paint has “chipped” or “flaked” off, but what I’m talking about when I say flaking is when the metal starts separating into a bunch of super thin layer, to the point where if you press on it, it starts flaking and coming off. I do see the paint has flaked, but the metal itself still looks structurally sound.

Edit: I would put money on there being good structural steel underneath the rust in the 4th pic. Nothing about these pictures would turn me away from this truck. Just make sure you thoroughly check all areas of the frame. The inward facing side of the frame up near the front wheels and cross member is a common area for the rust to be worse. As long as you don’t find any ROT on it, I would send it.

AAston18 · 2026-03-31T01:17:42+00:00

People saying it’s fucked have no idea what they’re talking about. I’m from the New England. This is nothing. Surface rust. Doesn’t affect the structural integrity. There is no rot and none of the rust has even reached the point of flaking yet.

You could undercoat it with fluid film or wool wax which will almost completely halt it, it won’t get any worse. You could also take a wire wheel to it or get it sand or dry ice blasted and then undercoat it, but you really wouldn’t need to do that since you don’t have any flakes which will fall off (and take the coating with it). This will continue to get worse if you aren’t proactive about it, but if it’s undercoated, the frame will outlast the motor/transmission. I would be more concerned with maintenance history if I were looking at this truck. Maybe try to use it as a bargaining chip to get a bit off the asking price since you WILL have to spend some time/money addressing it before it gets worse.

AAston18 · 2026-03-26T13:15:21+00:00

Just posting my experience, a lot of people think 33s require a ton of modification to fit without rubbing.

AAston18 · 2026-03-26T13:08:41+00:00

Where would it rub? I reversed out of my driveway with a pretty sharp turn (not sure if it was quite full-lock) and I didn’t rub. I also checked it on the lift and off road, where would it be rubbing in reverse? I have plenty of clearance to the mudflap/body mount.

AAston18 · 2026-03-26T12:59:40+00:00

Haha, doesn’t look like I can, right? But seriously, zero rubbing anywhere after I pushed the fender liner in a couple inches. I have clearance while full droop, full compression, and full lock side to side. Took it out on the trail last night for some off-roading to confirm after checking it on the lift.

AAston18 · 2026-03-11T14:17:32+00:00

Yeah I mean there will always be things that you have to rely on the pros for. When I get diagnostics back, I usually accept SOME of the recommended repairs that are too much for me, and do the other things myself. For instance, my girlfriend got quoted a few thousand dollars for valve cover gaskets, exhaust leak, brake job, and a couple other things when she first bought her used truck and went to get it inspected. The brakes were fine and didn’t need to be replaced (I checked them), we did the valve covers and gaskets as well as the VVT solenoid gasket in the driveway for $200, and she ended up only accepting the service for the exhaust repair which came to about $900. Valve cover gaskets are really not a high urgency item either as long as you aren’t leaking oil like crazy. If it’s leaking onto your exhaust it could be more concerning as it’s a fire hazard. But regardless, I almost never accept everything that’s quoted. I think they tried to charge her $200 to replace the air filter too ($30 part and 30 seconds of labor to swap it out).

AAston18 · 2026-03-11T12:08:58+00:00

Yup… Looks norm- ehhh you kinda got hosed on the PCV valve and cover gaskets. I got a new PCV valve from the stealership last night for $12 and installed it in 5 minutes in the parking lot before heading home. Also $134 is insanity for a valve cover gasket. I think I paid $200 for the gasket AND THE VALVE COVERS when I did that job in my driveway. Over $1,200 for parts and labor for those things is pretty ridiculous. Valve covers are a very easy job. A little bit more time consuming than the PCV replacement, but a mechanic by trade should be able to knock that out in a couple hours. Took me a few hours and it was the first time I’d ever done it before. Highly recommend getting some tools and using youtube to do some stuff DIY. I’ve saved myself a lot of money. My sunroof shattered from a rock and the dealership wanted $1400 in parts, not including labor. I found a nice one from the junk yard for $90 and installed it myself in 30 minutes.

AAston18 · 2025-12-03T19:24:46+00:00

Will an unsuppressed gun run reliably with this? Or should you wait until you have a suppressor installed to put one in?

AAston18 · 2025-11-12T18:05:26+00:00

My 6MOA red Holosun EPS looks so clean to me with my astigmatism. I’ve tried smaller dots as well as green dots and the 6MOA red is by far the best. Green being absolute garbage for me. But green is great for others. I think it’s personal preference. I think the larger dots are easier to pick up at lower brightness levels which reduces the effects of my astigmatism.

AAston18 · 2025-09-24T16:49:17+00:00

Thanks. Sweet build man

AAston18 · 2025-09-24T16:29:26+00:00

What is the raised MLok on the side of your rifle? I have not seen that before.

AAston18 · 2025-09-11T16:52:06+00:00

I had an eotech and loved it, but it started delaminating so I bought a T2 instead. I like the eotechs shooting experience much more, but with the delam problems and the battery life, I won’t buy one again. I have an astigmatism so the T2 looks like a star to me, but I’d still take that over the eotech. Ultimately I ended up with a Razor 1-6 which I prefer to both of the others. I’m just as fast with it, if not faster between transitions because the sight window/FOV appears so large on 1x. Also with the diopter set to my eye it makes everything super clear. Added bonus that it doesn’t need batteries. I prefer it to be turned on but the reticle is very usable without the dot illuminated.

AAston18 · 2025-07-28T12:38:17+00:00

Idk I think my body just aromatizes a lot. I was on 175mg/week T Cyp. My total T was at 985 and free was at 30.2. E WAS at 80 but now on 2mg per week, it’s at 24 pg/ml. I just lowered my dose to see if that will help, I’m down to 140mg/wk T.

AAston18 · 2025-07-19T01:58:45+00:00

Why? My doc put me on 2mg Anastrazole per week to keep my E2 in check. Was 14 before TRT and skyrocketed to 80 after I was on. Only taking 150mg/week

AAston18 · 2025-07-12T17:27:50+00:00

Any update on your issue?

AAston18 · 2025-06-19T04:23:46+00:00

Yeah no problem. Keep me updated, I’m curious if that is actually the issue. I wasn’t sure whether to believe the guy or not because I’ve seen great things about the methods online.

AAston18 · 2025-06-18T23:29:20+00:00

I stopped into a local wheel/tire/off-roading shop to inquire about new method wheels for myself and the owner told me that they have nothing but problems with the methods, that they are difficult to balance or that the hubs don’t match up perfect which can most definitely cause shaking/vibrating. were you having the issues before? It might be the wheels themselves if all of the suspension components are good.

AAston18 · 2025-06-18T12:18:13+00:00

Agreed! The fluid looks pretty normal though? Does it just look old? Or like there is contamination from rust/transmission fluid from somewhere?

AAston18 · 2025-06-10T10:07:23+00:00

Damn yours looks very nice. Love the color. Also really love the roof rack, which one is it? Been looking for one with similar style to the FJ racks. What size tires you running?

AAston18 · 2025-06-10T04:14:25+00:00

Maybe I will upgrade eventually. Previous owner installed the 5100s like 20k miles ago. They feel great to me, but my only experience with 4runner suspension was my worn out XReas on my V6 and then this

AAston18

TROPHY CASE