Matt's 1998 LS400 Build

MattLS400 · September 17, 2023

Hello All,

I am creating this thread to document the build on my UK 1998 LS400.

So far the car is stock apart from GS300 sport wheels and BC Racing coilovers. I am unsure of the plan with this car just yet buf I have a few ideas.

The first issue is rust...... under the boot/trunk seal. Its gonna need some welding (pics to follow)

Cheers

Matt

MattLS400 · September 17, 2023

The LS with its driveway friend

Malc1 · September 17, 2023

How on earth can a 1998 Ls400 need welding ?

Malc

lex - eleven · September 17, 2023

Looks real nice 👌

Redefined · September 18, 2023

Ditto to what Lex said. Also keen to see what/how it needs welding as Malc mentioned. Hopefully it's something or nothing (sorry, the quote I forget, but you know what I mean 😊).

steve2006 · September 18, 2023

The boot seal lip if you’re lucky generally just needs a good clean, flakey paint removal and a bit of rust inhibitor but I have seen cases where the lip had been left too long. The consequences of which are excessive rust to the point sections have actually rotted away, that’s where the fabrication and Mig welding skills come in to play.

Preventative maintenance is the key here, remove the trim, clean the lip and the drainage gutters around it.

hockeyedwards · September 18, 2023

My 96 boot seal lip had a small notch of rust that had disintegrated, was only one small area, but did require welding.

I couldn't control previous owners lack of care 🤷‍♂️

Pitchfork down @Malc1 😉 😆

Redefined · September 19, 2023

22 hours ago, steve2006 said:

The boot seal lip if you’re lucky generally just needs a good clean, flakey paint removal and a bit of rust inhibitor but I have seen cases where the lip had been left too long. The consequences of which are excessive rust to the point sections have actually rotted away, that’s where the fabrication and Mig welding skills come in to play.

Preventative maintenance is the key here, remove the trim, clean the lip and the drainage gutters around it.

Thanks Steve for this. Mine is also a bit rusty near the rear number plate. So you reckon I could get it draining better and save myself a load of hassle later down the line. Any suggestions on a rust inhibitor that won't then need colour matching/painting over.

Great thread btw @hockeyedwards

MattLS400 · September 22, 2023

Thank you all for the replies.

Rust on a 98 LS...... I know, but there is and i will get some pictures for you all to laugh at.

I have only had the car a few weeks and after investigating said rust it seems like the cause was a botched repair (Lots of silicon) to stop water ingress. This has allowed water to pool under the seal and caused the landings to rot.

Nothing that cant be fixed other than that the car is solid.

MattLS400 · October 14, 2023

It's been a while.

Here are the pics of that rust.

Who's is the best in the UK who could sort this out ?

Cheers

hockeyedwards · October 14, 2023

Someone had done something similar looking for a leak on the backend of my LS, siliconed everything to within an inch of its life, ultimately just trapping moisture against the already exposed metal.

Somewhat comical that I solved the leak with £6 worth of neoprene and 20mins of my time tracing and cutting new weather seals for behind the rear light clusters.

That rust doesn't look too terrible, hard to tell from the pics if it has eaten its way back into the metal. Definitely can be salvaged either way. New weather seals can be found on eBay and seem to work. Check the weather seals behind the lights for good measure.

Happy repairing 🙂

Malc1 · October 15, 2023

Not quite ready for the scrapheap then 😃

a little rust is forgivable at 25 years young

Malc

MattLS400 · October 16, 2023

Yeah I dont think it is too bad but it is in a complex area so I am hoping someone will take the job on.

I am getting tired of drying to boot out haha.

Boomer54 · October 16, 2023

On 10/14/2023 at 5:47 PM, MattLS400 said:

It's been a while.

Here are the pics of that rust.

Who's is the best in the UK who could sort this out ?

Cheers

Surely nothing a bit of silcone won't sort out? If it rusts a bit more then add more silicone. Taken to the nth degree when you hit something you are going to bounce off beautifully well.

Obviously silicone ultimately exacerbates the problem, but given the age of the car one imagines somethingelse will 'kill' it first.

Malc1 · October 19, 2023

Did someone come to your rescue with all this ?

Malc

MattLS400 · October 21, 2023

On 10/19/2023 at 5:04 PM, Malc1 said:

Did someone come to your rescue with all this ?

Malc

I haven't shopped around yet but I assume any decent body shop will be able to get some new landings welded in.

Razor61 · October 21, 2023

I’ve been following this and it’s a tricky problem. I’ve had the leaking boot issue on both LS400’s I’ve owned and replaced the boot seal/weather strip with an OEM replacement and no issues at all after that.
For what it’s worth, in your case this is what I would do.
First off I would put some Bilt Hamber Deox Gel all over the rusted areas, cover with cling film and leave for 24 hours, wipe off all the gel and repeat until all the rust has completely gone and you know exactly what good metal is left. Deox gel removes the rust and doesn’t ‘convert’ it and works really well.
Once that is done and you know how much good metal is left, it can hopefully be dealt with by cutting and welding in new metal without damaging the surrounding body/paint.
The next issue, once the rust has been dealt with and new metal is in place and painted etc, is a new boot seal. They are no longer available to buy so an equivalent type is the only option.

MattLS400 · October 21, 2023

13 minutes ago, Razor61 said:

I’ve been following this and it’s a tricky problem. I’ve had the leaking boot issue on both LS400’s I’ve owned and replaced the boot seal/weather strip with an OEM replacement and no issues at all after that.
For what it’s worth, in your case this is what I would do.
First off I would put some Bilt Hamber Deox Gel all over the rusted areas, cover with cling film and leave for 24 hours, wipe off all the gel and repeat until all the rust has completely gone and you know exactly what good metal is left. Deox gel removes the rust and doesn’t ‘convert’ it and works really well.
Once that is done and you know how much good metal is left, it can hopefully be dealt with by cutting and welding in new metal without damaging the surrounding body/paint.
The next issue, once the rust has been dealt with and new metal is in place and painted etc, is a new boot seal. They are no longer available to buy so an equivalent type is the only option.

Yeah to be honest I don't have much free time so my plan is to send it into a body shop to get sorted. Cut out whatever needs cutting.

As long as no external metal is cut the painting shouldn't be much of a problem as once the boot is shut no one will be able to see it.

There is an issue with the boot seals not being available to have I 3 options. 1) clean up the one I have properly. 2) buy a replacement on eBay. 3) find an equivalent.

I don't really use the boot so I have stripped it and kept on top of any water getting in so it's not the end of the world, I just don't want to rust to get any worse.

The car cost me nothing and j have always wanted a 400 so I am determined to get it back to normal.

Cheers for the reply

Matt

MattLS400 · October 30, 2023

The LS has now been booked into a body expert so by the end of the week it should be rust free.

Boomer54 · October 30, 2023

37 minutes ago, MattLS400 said:

The LS has now been booked into a body expert so by the end of the week it should be rust free.

Be nice if they were videoing the before, during ,after of that work.

MattLS400 · October 30, 2023

4 hours ago, Boomer54 said:

Be nice if they were videoing the before, during ,after of that work.

I will ask them to get some content of the repair.

MattLS400 · October 30, 2023

A few bits ordered today:

Service:

Oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, fuel filter and cabin filter.

Chassis:

Full suspension arm polyurethane Bush kit from psbushings.

Lights:

Drivers and passenger indicator lenses.

Next things on the to buy list are:

Rear subframe bushes and diff bushes

Next things on the to do list:

Full service and a thorough underside / wheel arch clean and underseal (I will do behind the subframe when I drop it to do the bushes)

The idea with the car is to be a bit of a sleeper. I am going to dial in the chassis and brakes before I start looking and the power train. In my opinion you need to handle and stop properly before adding power.

Cheers

Matt

MattLS400 · November 4, 2023

Rust repair now complete, it is a lot less leaky but the bottom of the seal is still letting in water (This is not a repaired section) even with a newish seal on.

Pics: much better than the rust.