Symptoms
Bubbling paint along the windshield surround, roof gutters and hood, and soft spots in the floors and rear arches. Bring a Trailer's 1989 Raider showed corrosion on the hood, windshield surround and roof. Its 1988 Montero Sport had corrosion and failing clearcoat.
The fix, step by step
- Pull the trim and seals around the problem area and probe with a pick until you reach sound metal.
- Surface rust can be wire-brushed or blasted back to bright steel, then primed and painted.
- Anything holed has to be cut out and patched: coat the joint faces with weld-through primer, weld the patch in short stitches to limit heat distortion, then seam-seal and paint.
- Finish by spraying a cavity coating inside the sills and rails, and refit windshield and gutter seals with fresh sealant so water can't get back in.
Tools & part numbers
- Pick and wire brushes
- angle grinder with flap and cutting discs
- MIG welder
- panel clamps
- seam sealer
- cavity-spray wand.
Where to buy the parts
Weld-through primerEastwood ↗Amazon ↗
Internal frame and cavity coatingEastwood ↗Amazon ↗
Body parts and seals, 1989 Montero 2.6RockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero (First Generation) parts →
Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.