2007 "Red Yaris" RS Restoration

[06YarisRS]

This thread will be dedicated to a major restoration I will be doing on a 2007 RS 3-door that I recently picked up.

The bad:

The car failed inspection for a the following reasons:
- Rotted rear subframe where the axle arms attach
- rear brakes (both sides)
- rear right side e-brake cable
- right front axle torn boot (I have a good used axle, but will try to just swap the boots)

There are a few other things that need fixing which include:
- driver's side door catch is missing (I pulled one from a local junkyard)
- driver's seat track is locked in position and will need fixing or replacement.
- some bubbling around the rear fender wells where it looks like it was repaired before. The car will get complete bodywork and a full repaint.
- missing springbolt on manifold-to-midpipe connection.
- back hatch latch button sticking (remove from car, disassemble, clean, degrease, relubricate tumbler, reinstall).

The good:

- drives perfectly, smooth and no creaks or noises.
- immaculate interior! I have never seen a car in such good shape for its age. The seats from this car are going in my 06 turbo Yaris. The ones in my turbo Yaris are in great shape, but these are immaculate. The interior trim pieces are also perfect and I'll be scavanging the center console bezel pieces for my '06 as well.
- $1000.00 Canadian purchase price.

Pics of the car on date of purchase:

https://i.imgur.com/VhRMWXD.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/BmgYEP2.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/o7oqe7y.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/rTyOapr.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/7Jx3WQg.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YyJDhwa.jpg

[06YarisRS]

Repairs begin

I can't guarantee that the sequence of repairs will be documented in a logical order as I may work a little bit on this job, then a little on that job. I will edit posts though, adding pictures of each job as I go.

Car lifted on jackstands

https://i.imgur.com/IikYbqi.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/l69zjyR.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ZIt4z8t.jpg

[06YarisRS]

Rear Brakes

I have one side done. I removed everything except the wheel cylinders, cleaned up the rust, sanded the nubs that the shoes sit/slide on, painted the backing plates and greased the nubs with silicone brake lube. I disassembled, cleaned and lubricated the star adjuster assembly, installed new shoes, hardware kit and drums.

https://i.imgur.com/2SQrefu.jpg

Drums were primed and painted with ceramic aluminum-colored paint

https://i.imgur.com/2Jcybf4.jpg

E-brake Cable

https://i.imgur.com/Lp43Hs0.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/eJvV3At.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/z6kimLU.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/bUOeSrj.jpg

01 Sept, 2020 Update: E-brake cable installed

https://i.imgur.com/jsu0VvH.jpg

[kimona]

I'll be watching with enthusiasm. I have a soft spot for a 2007 Red 2-door. Lots of good memories. Loved that car!

[06YarisRS]

Subframe Rust Repair - Disclaimer - shocking images:

A 'design flaw' in these cars allows a lot of sand, dirt and debris to build up inside the cavity onto which the supports for the rear axle bushing are molded. Any water is absorbed by the crud and it sits there like a wet sponge. I've already seen several Yari that have failed inspection as a result. I expect that most of them will end up in the scrapyard well before the powertrain is ready to give up.

Before I decided to buy this car, I spent some time under it with a pry bar, flash light and a small collection of tools. Thankfully, the seller was amenable to that. Because of the gaping holes, I was able to confirm my suspicion that Toyota used heavily reinforced steel at the axle mounts and thinner steel surrounding those areas. I have yet to determine all the locations that water, dirt and debris enters these cavities and sits there doing its insidious work, but I do know how to access these areas and saturate them with oil. I think I saved my '06 in the nick of time as I drenched all these rust-prone areas well as soon as I got the car and have done so a couple times a year.

https://i.imgur.com/SQkYdgG.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CC38cQr.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/afiubDv.jpg

Getting these bolts out was a time-consuming process, but they came out intact. The threads above the captive nuts were very rusted. Lots of repeated doses of ReleasAll and wire brushing over a couple of days and lots of back and forth with the ratchet and they came out. I was prepared to use new bolts and weld new captive nuts in but it turned out to be unnecessary. The nuts were wire bushed, coated in antiseize and reinstalled.

I notice that my rear axle bushings are cracked. They are solid in the main part of the bushing. I actually have 2 new ones in boxes that I bought a while back as they were on clearance. If I need to, I will remove the axle and take it somewhere and have those new bushings pressed in. But, for now, it's very tight and no noise.

https://i.imgur.com/dgCaDtM.jpg

Body brace degreased, sanded and primed. Will paint this in satin black.

https://i.imgur.com/KI7dgZy.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yW7DcYy.jpg

Update 01 Sept, 2020: 2nd brace degreased, sanded and primed:

The second brace bolts came out using the same procedure of wire brushing, multiple applications of penetrant and back and forth with the ratchet.

https://i.imgur.com/w2uLCTl.jpg

[06YarisRS]

I'll be watching with enthusiasm. I have a soft spot for a 2007 Red 2-door. Lots of good memories. Loved that car!

My goal is to have my car look like yours, Kimona. Gorgeous!!! :clap:

[bronsin]

It’s always distressing to see what Canadian winters due to cars! :cry:

I grew up in upstate New York 80 miles from Lake Ontario so I have some experience with that problem.

Now that I live in New Jersey cars fare much better. My wife’s 2005 Camry with 185,000 miles is like brand new underneath! :headbang:

[06YarisRS]

Door Check Install

The driver's side door check on this car was sheered off. To replace it, the door panel needs to be removed. Thanks to another post here on YW, I learned how to use a cloth to remove the window crank retaining clip. YARISWORLD MUST NOT DIE!!!


So, it appears that I will need a new door gasket as it's swollen from rust proofing. A blessing in disguise as the doors are 100% rust free. I'll be hitting the U-Pull again, so I'll grab a door gasket, or, remove a section of this one and weld it back together.

https://i.imgur.com/VSMhMnc.jpg

I got a lot of grey anti-seize on the door using the wrong rag, duh! It cleaned up pretty well though. Car will need a thorough detailing when I'm done for sure!

https://i.imgur.com/UQmdXDj.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/03ndd0g.jpg

Somebody was in here before. Painter's tape???

https://i.imgur.com/RFoqMt5.jpg

Junkyard door check, $10.00 at U-Pull.

https://i.imgur.com/drTXdIF.jpg

All re-sealed. I love Tuck Tape!

https://i.imgur.com/FdD4Uop.jpg

Door back together:

https://i.imgur.com/4hXsUWu.jpg

[komichal]

I personally find a lot more attractive if somebody restores a "normal car" rather than some rare "piece of art" that needs to sit in a museum after the successful restoration.
I wish I had time, space, money and knowledge to do that as well. :) Nice work!

[bronsin]

:bow::bow::bow:

[06YarisRS]

I personally find a lot more attractive if somebody restores a "normal car" rather than some rare "piece of art" that needs to sit in a museum after the successful restoration.
I wish I had time, space, money and knowledge to do that as well. :) Nice work!

Thank you, komichal! All of this is such a great learning experience. Some day, maybe in retirement, I will attempt the restoration of a more 'classic' automobile. Not like a true classic, but something interesting and sporty. That said, anything I fix up/restore, will get driven regularly. I agree. What's the point in putting in lots of effort and time if you can't enjoy it, other than staring at it? For the time being, my hope is to find more Yari that are seemingly destined for the scrapyard (aka, fail inspection due to the rear rust) or other minor issues, fix them up and put them back on the road. Who knows, maybe it could net me a little supplemental income in retirement.

[06YarisRS]

:bow::bow::bow:

Thanks bronsin!

[06YarisRS]

Preparing to weld

Didn't get to go out to the car until almost dark tonight, so only had time to do a little poking around and plan my welding. I did discover more about the internal structure of the rear subframe/unibody area.

The oblong plug just in front of the rear wheel on each size does provide access to the cavity that forms part of the rear axle support structure. Spraying oil into the oblong plug holes will not actually get oil/rustproofing into the larger inboard cavity. But...there are holes a few inches up into which a short wand could be placed. Possibly even the straw on a spray can of rustproofing could reach. A flexible wand would definitely work better. No matter how you access the inner cavity, I would load it with a very large amount of oil or rustproofing. When my repairs are done, I will be using a flexible wand and blast close to 1/2 a liter or more of stuff in there. I plan to use a thin product so that it will soak through any additional debris and stuff that accumulates in there.

Here is the hole to access the inner cavity.

https://i.imgur.com/HrqqdLr.jpg

Another look inside

https://i.imgur.com/YZLWYh3.jpg

[Desircustoms]

Preparing to weld

Didn't get to go out to the car until almost dark tonight, so only had time to do a little poking around and plan my welding. I did discover more about the internal structure of the rear subframe/unibody area.

The oblong plug just in front of the rear wheel on each size does provide access to the cavity that forms part of the rear axle support structure. Spraying oil into the oblong plug holes will not actually get oil/rustproofing into the larger inboard cavity. But...there are holes a few inches up into which a short wand could be placed. Possibly even the straw on a spray can of rustproofing could reach. A flexible wand would definitely work better. No matter how you access the inner cavity, I would load it with a very large amount of oil or rustproofing. When my repairs are done, I will be using a flexible wand and blast close to 1/2 a liter or more of stuff in there. I plan to use a thin product so that it will soak through any additional debris and stuff that accumulates in there.

Here is the hole to access the inner cavity.

https://i.imgur.com/HrqqdLr.jpg

Another look inside

https://i.imgur.com/YZLWYh3.jpg

Great job and great find!
Was telling my friends I feel like scrapping my Yaris because of the holes on the subframe, and they were laughing at me. I have to admit that I'd be spending as much or more time swapping the turbo setup into another Yaris than patching these holes...

I'll be following this closely as I plan on doing this before the winter.

[Konstantin88]

Good to know, thank you for the new information! It would be nice if you could take a picture of the access hole as seen from the inside of the corroded cavity. I am thinking of feeding a thin vinyl tube into the access hole until it reaches the bottom of the cavity and spraying the rust inhibitor through the tube.

On the other hand, it might be unnecessary to use the tube if the rust inhibitor readily spreads over metal surfaces by itself (similarly to, say, kerosene or WD-40).

[06YarisRS]

Great job and great find!
Was telling my friends I feel like scrapping my Yaris because of the holes on the subframe, and they were laughing at me. I have to admit that I'd be spending as much or more time swapping the turbo setup into another Yaris than patching these holes...

I'll be following this closely as I plan on doing this before the winter.

Yeah, it's a shame this happens. It's going to involve quite a bit of cutting and shaping metal to properly rebuild the area. I was toying with the idea of welding in some reinforcement patches and then using a heavy fiberglass mat and epoxy resin to just fill the thin metal hole. But, that will be a last resort if I can't mold up nice metal pieces to 'rebuild' it close to the same shape as original. I wouldn't worry about the fiberglass as it's both thick and won't let go if the surfaces are well prepped. Also, the cavity will be filled with oil, so should stay in good shape. Hope to start digging deep into this on the weekend.

[06YarisRS]

Good to know, thank you for the new information! It would be nice if you could take a picture of the access hole as seen from the inside of the corroded cavity. I am thinking of feeding a thin vinyl tube into the access hole until it reaches the bottom of the cavity and spraying the rust inhibitor through the tube.

On the other hand, it might be unnecessary to use the tube if the rust inhibitor readily spreads over metal surfaces by itself (similarly to, say, kerosene or WD-40).

I will try to grab you a pic from the inside later today or tomorrow. Pretty wet out there today. I like the flexible tube as it would cover all areas, but, yes, if you dumped tons of stuff in there, it should fill up a bit and soak everything. I guess you just never know how much debris/dirt is in there, so you want enough oil to thoroughly soak through that to the metal.

[Desircustoms]

Yeah, it's a shame this happens. It's going to involve quite a bit of cutting and shaping metal to properly rebuild the area. I was toying with the idea of welding in some reinforcement patches and then using a heavy fiberglass mat and epoxy resin to just fill the thin metal hole. But, that will be a last resort if I can't mold up nice metal pieces to 'rebuild' it close to the same shape as original. I wouldn't worry about the fiberglass as it's both thick and won't let go if the surfaces are well prepped. Also, the cavity will be filled with oil, so should stay in good shape. Hope to start digging deep into this on the weekend.

Last time I looked at it, I got discouraged because it's so close to the fuel tank on the driver side...
Your thread is motivating!
I had the same idea, if I can't fully patch the holes, I'll weld some braces at least.

[06YarisRS]

Last time I looked at it, I got discouraged because it's so close to the fuel tank on the driver side...
Your thread is motivating!
I had the same idea, if I can't fully patch the holes, I'll weld some braces at least.

Yes, I think some metal strips bridging the hole would provide a good foundation for fiberglass. I would use the mat material as it's very strong - almost like steel when the resin cures. The added advantages, of course, is that it doesn't rust, it's very easy to conform to any shape and primer and bedliner sticks to it like crazy. I might drill some holes in the metal strips to poke the fiberglass into. Then, maybe apply a second layer of fiberglass. Everything will ultimately be drenched in oil, so no further corrosion should occur. I did a quick bit of research as I was concerned that the oil rustproofing might destroy the bond between the fiberglass and metal. Apparently both the polyester and epoxy resins are tolerant of many fossil fuel based products. Now I just have to find some epoxy resin. Shouldn't be too hard as I live in a fishing community. LOL.

[06YarisRS]

First Welding Attempt

It turned out ok, I guess. The metal will not come off. I tugged on it as hard as I could. I am no welder, though things were complicated by a number of factors including poor lighting, poor grounding for the welder and about 1/2 way through it started to rain. I had to rush my welder back into the garage. However, the repair is very solid. I will see how it turns out with the other pieces. If I can't get it sealed with weld, I'll cover the whole repair with epoxy resin soaked fiberglass mat. If I use the fiberglass, it will be sanded and boxliner coating applied. Again, noce the repair is done, I'm dumping in a 1/2 L of thin rust proofing, probably followed by some thicker stuff. This will work its way down and saturate everything, including my weld points under the fiberglass. Hope to have this side (driver's side) done (the welding part) tomorrow evening. I found a source for epoxy resin at a local boat repair place.

Template and shaped metal:

https://i.imgur.com/TxfcMa5.jpg

Piece held in place by body brace bolt:

https://i.imgur.com/4ONw4Nw.jpg

Welded (sort of, lol) in place:

https://i.imgur.com/InBg3mW.jpg

A little paint as temporary rust protection:

https://i.imgur.com/jKh5jnT.jpg

Hole drilled through metal piece for body brace bolt:

https://i.imgur.com/SJM4xrg.jpg

[Desircustoms]

First Welding Attempt

It turned out ok, I guess. The metal will not come off. I tugged on it as hard as I could. I am no welder, though things were complicated by a number of factors including poor lighting, poor grounding for the welder and about 1/2 way through it started to rain. I had to rush my welder back into the garage. However, the repair is very solid. I will see how it turns out with the other pieces. If I can't get it sealed with weld, I'll cover the whole repair with epoxy resin soaked fiberglass mat. If I use the fiberglass, it will be sanded and boxliner coating applied. Again, noce the repair is done, I'm dumping in a 1/2 L of thin rust proofing, probably followed by some thicker stuff. This will work its way down and saturate everything, including my weld points under the fiberglass. Hope to have this side (driver's side) done (the welding part) tomorrow evening. I found a source for epoxy resin at a local boat repair place.

Template and shaped metal:

https://i.imgur.com/TxfcMa5.jpg

Piece held in place by body brace bolt:

https://i.imgur.com/4ONw4Nw.jpg

Welded (sort of, lol) in place:

https://i.imgur.com/InBg3mW.jpg

A little paint as temporary rust protection:

https://i.imgur.com/jKh5jnT.jpg

Hole drilled through metal piece for body brace bolt:

https://i.imgur.com/SJM4xrg.jpg

Nice work! With enough patience, I'm sure you can seal it with metal only.
I'm hoping to be able to seal only with metal and then add a thin coat of epoxy primer, undercoating paint, then rust proof the whole car.

[06YarisRS]

More welding

A tiny bit of progress. Didn't have long to spend tonight. The metal that I'm welding to is very thin so I got a little burn through. I managed to fill the holes though. These welded plates are very strongly attached. I literally try to pull them off and if the come off, they get ground back down to fresh metal and rewelded. I did have to do this once with my third piece.

Tonight's welds, although strong, are marginally better than last night's welds. It is very difficult to do this under the car and getting everything ground to bare metal can be challenging, especially lying on my back with my face close to the chassis.

https://i.imgur.com/rI5f0lj.jpg

I put two pieces on tonight. The lower piece is pretty heavy gauge steel and I welded it to the rear axle support mount. Unnecessary for strength, but every bit helps.

https://i.imgur.com/gxBlhrz.jpg

It's doubtful that I will be able to make this area water tight with welding alone, so I do plan to do the epoxy impregnated fiberglass, or, if there a just pin holes to fill, I may use 2 part epoxy (like JB Weld) to fill the holes. As mentioned numerous times, I'll cover completely degrease, sand and cover the entire repair with bed liner, then a heavy film of gel rustproofing as well as filling the interior cavity with old ATF.

I have great respect for welders. This is not easy under ideal conditions. I did bump the power up on my welder a bit and slowed down the wire feed and it did give me a little more control. Hopefully by the time I'm done this side and practice a bit more, the other side will turn out better. At least, it's a much smaller hole!

As a bonus tonight, I discovered there is another small access hole into the cavity from the back. This way rustproofing can be sprayed in at opposite angles, allowing better coverage. I'll post up a pic of that hole later.

[06YarisRS]

Another piece added...two small patches left to go...

My welding seems to have improved over night. :laugh:

I think turning down the wire speed, upping the amperage and ensuring a good ground has really helped. I'm almost thinking that I can grind down all the welds, maybe smear some JB Weld on the seams, sand and apply bed liner. I'm surprised I got a shape that actually might look OE when finished.

I have the paper template cut for next piece. Once cut to shape, it will need to be ground and bent for a perfect fit to the non-uniform existing body metal.

This repair, so far is rock solid. I bet I could almost jack the car from this point!

https://i.imgur.com/1OiOfNU.jpg

Another piece added...one left!

https://i.imgur.com/kmrXu0E.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/QubYN7S.jpg

Applied a thick layer of JB Weld. Tomorrow, I'll sand the repair and some of the surrounding area, prime and apply bedliner.

https://i.imgur.com/0kQbX9x.jpg

[zoidberg444]

Damn dude - Haven't been on the forum much the last few months so I didn't see this.

The rust is going to get a lot of these vehicles and I think the area where the rear axle beam mounts is going to be the main culprit. Last November I was getting a clunking from my rear suspension and when I crawled under there I was rather alarmed by how rusty it all was so I dropped the rear axle beam and did a lot of grinding and sandblasting and then painted this nightmarish epoxymastic called "Jotun 87" over a lot of the metal. Initially I was just going to replace the shocks.

I'm going to put some cavity wax in all the cavities when I do my service in a few weeks.

In the UK if you know the registration of a vehicle you can actually look up its MOT history and see what faults have been flagged up by the tester every year. I have noticed many of the Yaris's in the scrapyard or some of the ones you see on the road were flagged up for corrosion within 30CM of a critical suspension mounting in the rear. I think this is what is going to kill most of these cars.

I'm very impressed with your repairs.

Welding near the tank is a bit risky but there isn't much choice.

I don't know if you saw my thread - the pictures towards the end show some of the corrosion on the car: https://yarisworld.com/forums/showpost.php?p=828057&postcount=20

[06YarisRS]

Damn dude - Haven't been on the forum much the last few months so I didn't see this.

The rust is going to get a lot of these vehicles and I think the area where the rear axle beam mounts is going to be the main culprit. Last November I was getting a clunking from my rear suspension and when I crawled under there I was rather alarmed by how rusty it all was so I dropped the rear axle beam and did a lot of grinding and sandblasting and then painted this nightmarish epoxymastic called "Jotun 87" over a lot of the metal. Initially I was just going to replace the shocks.

I'm going to put some cavity wax in all the cavities when I do my service in a few weeks.

In the UK if you know the registration of a vehicle you can actually look up its MOT history and see what faults have been flagged up by the tester every year. I have noticed many of the Yaris's in the scrapyard or some of the ones you see on the road were flagged up for corrosion within 30CM of a critical suspension mounting in the rear. I think this is what is going to kill most of these cars.

I'm very impressed with your repairs.

Welding near the tank is a bit risky but there isn't much choice.

I don't know if you saw my thread - the pictures towards the end show some of the corrosion on the car: https://yarisworld.com/forums/showpost.php?p=828057&postcount=20

Yes! I had read your post but just read it again. Great info there and excellent documentation! I too have to replace an axle boot. I picked up a used axle from a 120000 km ish Yaris while we were away in vacation. I'd rather not pull the axle out of the diff, so will try to disassemble the outboard end and replace.

I totally agree that this rear rust will be the demise of many Yari. That said, in many cases, the structural integrity is not threatened. Toyota just seems to skin over with very light gauge metal, but the supporting structure for the axle bushing is thick metal. The 'thin skin' obviously can be replaced. I intend to watch for Yari that fail, buy them up cheap, fix them and try to put them back on the road.

Waxing the cavities is a necessary evil for these cars I believe. I discovered how to access this inner cavity via the outboard oblong plug. There is a large hole inside that that leads right into the cavity. There is also a square hole toward the back of the cavity and maybe a foot up.

And, yeah, I was a little nervous welding and grinding by the tank. When I do the other side, I think I'll drop a sheet of metal between the tank and what I'm welding/grinding. Being a total welding newb, I left my cell phone too close and the case and screen tool a bit of slag. The screen didn't break but it looks like it may have burned through the tempered screen protector. Duh!

[06YarisRS]

Driver's side done and on to passenger side...

I applied 3 coats of bed liner after sanding, degreasing, adhesion promoter and priming. When the bedliner cures, I'll saturate the whole area in thick, wax-based undercoating.

https://i.imgur.com/IhGup0B.jpg

And, on to the next side... The hole is smaller, but it extends upwards at the back a bit farther. I

https://i.imgur.com/gNceemS.jpg

Still deciding if I'll drop the rear axle and replace the bushings.

Here's a pic of the rest of the underbody. It was well undercoated and in great shape. It's really too bad that the rustproofing companies actually did study the internal structures of cars as all of this could have been avoided. Rust Check company claims that they have schematics of all cars, and they may, but I think it's bully pucky that they actually look at them. This was all avoidable, simply by removing one rubber plug and spraying some stuff in there.

https://i.imgur.com/QMj45Yt.jpg

[06YarisRS]

Cleaning up wheel wells

A previous owner of this car sprayed the wheel wells with rubberized compound. I hate this stuff unless an amazing prep job has been done. I scraped away the sprayed on crap to reveal rust underneath. It's just very superficial rust which did no damage. Here I have ground off all the rubberized undercoating, wire wheeled it, degreased and applied phosphoric acid gel (rust converter). I will leave alone any areas that still have the factory undercoating. The whole thing will get a thick coating of gel undercoating.

https://i.imgur.com/AovMzMM.jpg

I found another access hole for the large cavity. The upper bolt hole (unused mystery hole) for the axle leads right into the cavity and up high for good pumping of fluid. I will use my 12V extractor pump to inject the rustproofing liquid. Then at the school shop, I'll blast in some thicker goo.

https://i.imgur.com/1SmGzPl.jpg

Pumping in the ATF. I ran close to a gallon of used ATF through the rockers, cavities and other unibody rails. To make sure I got everything soaked, I cycled the fluid through, collecting it in another bucket.

https://i.imgur.com/rYqwt2A.jpg

Then I blasted everything underneath with ATF. Once this stuff wicks in everywhere, I'll coat it with a more durable wax-based product.

https://i.imgur.com/T0eZtRb.jpg

[Desircustoms]

Driver's side done and on to passenger side...

I applied 3 coats of bed liner after sanding, degreasing, adhesion promoter and priming. When the bedliner cures, I'll saturate the whole area in thick, wax-based undercoating.

https://i.imgur.com/IhGup0B.jpg

And, on to the next side... The hole is smaller, but it extends upwards at the back a bit farther. I

https://i.imgur.com/gNceemS.jpg

Still deciding if I'll drop the rear axle and replace the bushings.

Here's a pic of the rest of the underbody. It was well undercoated and in great shape. It's really too bed the rustproofing companies actually did study the internal structures of cars as all of this could have been avoided. Rust Check company claims that they have schematics of all cars, and they may, but I think it's bully pucky that they actually look at them. This was all avoidable, simply by removing one rubber plug and spraying some stuff in there.

https://i.imgur.com/QMj45Yt.jpg


Amazing! Welding in this position, especially laying on the ground, is not an easy task. I hate having sparks flying overhead, wear a hoodie and ear protection so the sparks don't fly inside your helmet and burn your ears/eyes. Never got burned but I've seen sparks/spatter fly inside my helmet, and I've heard stories...

[06YarisRS]

Amazing! Welding in this position, especially laying on the ground, is not an easy task. I hate having sparks flying overhead, wear a hoodie and ear protection so the sparks don't fly inside your helmet and burn your ears/eyes. Never got burned but I've seen sparks/spatter fly inside my helmet, and I've heard stories...

Thanks man!

Yeah, not ideal conditions, for sure. I have a few small burns. About two small pin burns on my arm. It burned through both my coveralls and shirt. Also got a burn on the tip of my thumb. Some slag landed right in the top of the thumb of my leather welding glove and burned through. When doing my brakes and trying to get that god awful spring on, my hand slipped and I took a chunk off the tip of my thumb. You can see the two little burn spots. I can tell you that I got the glove off in a hurry. LOL

https://i.imgur.com/xGfjMPx.jpg

I'm going to invest in better and longer gloves and likely a hoodie. We have nice heavy leather welding jackets at the school, but they are so bulky, I bet I couldn't even get under the car with one on.

As an update, I think I am going to drop the rear axle and replace the bushings. They're still solid, though cracked on the outer part, so I may drive it a bit and see. I actually have two new bushings already. Not looking forward to this job as I don't have a bushing press. I also want the bushing bolt to soak in rustproofing for a while as I expect it's going to be a bear to get out. I did soak it repeatedly in Releasall. Thinking about it now, I probably should have put a big wrench on the captive nut when it was all open. Oh well.

[3rdSEman]

Thank you for sharing 06... I screen captured that photo of access hole above bolt, precious info THX

[06YarisRS]

Thank you for sharing 06... I screen captured that photo of access hole above bolt, precious info THX

Mon plaisir!

[bronsin]

I wonder if rust converter would be useful to you? Are used it to save the power steering lines on my 2002. Eco. And also extensively on a 99 Miata I bought that I didn’t realize it was a flood case.

[06YarisRS]

I wonder if rust converter would be useful to you? Are used it to save the power steering lines on my 2002. Eco. And also extensively on a 99 Miata I bought that I didn’t realize it was a flood case.

Yes, I use rust converter on all metal before I prime and paint it. It's great stuff. I love watching it slowly turn the rust from red to black. I use the Permatex brand.

[06YarisRS]

Passenger side axle mount

I welded most of the hole closed. There was one small opening left but it was in a position that would have been virtually impossible to weld due to space constraints and proximity to the gas tank. I manually sanded about an inch all around the opening down to bare metal. I spread a thin coat of JB Weld around the hole. I then mixed up a batch of JB Weld and saturated a thick piece of fiberglass mat, pasted it on and shaped it. Finally, I coated the whole repair with another layer of JB Weld. This should be a long lasting repair. After the JB Weld cures, it gets a coat of epoxy primer and a couple coats of bedliner. Like the driver's side, I'll pump in lots of ATF.

https://i.imgur.com/GLjdxcn.jpg

[06YarisRS]

The plot thickens...

I found more rust damage. Fortunately it's only on one side - the passenger side. Although the inner and outer structures are solid, one of the inner support plates has rusted away from the bottom plate and the bottom pinch weld crumbled away. The damage is about 12" - 14" in length. This will require removing a section of the outer quarter panel skin to gain access to the inside. I will use two pieces of angle iron, one welded to the bottom plate and one to the outer quarter panel skin after I reweld the cut out piece of skin back on. Then, weld the two pieces of angle iron together for from the pinch weld/jack point.

I spent about and hour thoroughly inspecting the car and feel confident that this is the extent of the rust damage. The driver's side is in great shape with no additional corrosion. These cars seem afflicted with corrosion damage just around the rear axle area of the car. Everything else seems to hold up well.

https://i.imgur.com/cwCpLGA.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/uQE0T4N.jpg

[06YarisRS]

New toy...

Always keeping my eyes open for tools to add to my shop. I picked up this metal brake at Princess Auto today. It's surprisingly heavy, robust and should easily handle the 18 gauge metal that I need to bend for my rocker area repair. I entertained - for a brief moment - making my own, but the materials alone would have cost me as much or more. This was $79.00 Canadian.

https://i.imgur.com/jjTN3Ty.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Ja77QYn.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/uFDuyBa.jpg

[06YarisRS]

Welding started

I discovered something interesting and probably explains why this rotted so badly. I pulled a large piece of foam (like mattress foam) out of the wheel well. This quarter panel had been impacted and repaired. Despite the holes drilled in the door jambs for rustproofing, the oil soaked into the upper part of the foam, none making it down to where it was really needed.

https://i.imgur.com/kfNAPWI.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ewccu9l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qgQHoBT.jpg

First brace

https://i.imgur.com/zj4J5qI.jpg

Heavy gauge strip welded underneath. Two more braces will be added toward the outer edge. They will be welded on to the two inner pieces of metal visible. All the factory supports that I'm welding on to are very strong. They just rotted at the very bottom where water pooled.

https://i.imgur.com/TqFJrKw.jpg

Second brace

https://i.imgur.com/xXMp8BC.jpg

Rebuilding pinch weld seam. The outer panel skin will form the outer edge of the rocker seam. I will mold in water drains.

https://i.imgur.com/LYFHlUj.jpg

Temporary primer. After the two additional braces are added, I am going to weld an approximate 3 ft long piece of heavy angle iron behind the rocker pinch weld seam. This will tie into just forward and aft of the repair area. In it's current state, it's already strong enough to support a jack under it. With the two addirional braces, the angle iron behind the pinch seam and the outer panel skin, I could probably lift the entire car from this point.

https://i.imgur.com/zrblgDP.jpg

[06YarisRS]

Rebuilding continues

My welding has improved a lot. I now have 4 heavy gauge braces that connect the rocker pinch weld with the inner substructures. Shortly, I will be able to weld on the outer quarter panel skin that I cut out. I will weld tabs on the inside edges of the rectangular hole I cut out, then fill the gaps from the cut lines. Will add pics to this post as I make progress.

https://i.imgur.com/ZaVhep8.jpg

All welds will be ground down, primed and sprayed with bedliner.

https://i.imgur.com/9VQDAZB.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8v1b5Zs.jpg

[scarsofcarma]

This is an impressive level of rust repair. I commend you on your efforts. 👍

I'm not sure I would have gone ahead and bought the car knowing that. But on the positive side it was a great deal to be had if you could fix it. 😎

I plan to get more experience welding. It's was something I intended to get a degree for in school after I finished up automotive classes.

[06YarisRS]

This is an impressive level of rust repair. I commend you on your efforts. 👍

I'm not sure I would have gone ahead and bought the car knowing that. But on the positive side it was a great deal to be had if you could fix it. 😎

I plan to get more experience welding. It's was something I intended to get a degree for in school after I finished up automotive classes.

Thanks, man! Yeah, although I did a fairly thorough investigation, the extent of the damage wasn't readily apparent. I really had to start busting pieces off to see what was involved. I might just have passed on it too, had I known. Had I been able to demonstrate the extent of the damage, I probably could have had it for considerably less. That said, I have always wanted to do this kind of repair and now I am learning. I like the challenge of figuring out how to go about providing an adequate support structure. Kind of like a low grade engineering. :laugh: In one way, it's almost been worth it as now I have a very thorough understanding of the inner construction of this generation of Yaris.

The power train and suspension etc seems in pretty good shape. I don't think I'd make a dime on it if I was going to flip it. I do have to replace the rear axle bushings and that will be a bit of a job for sure. But, when this job is done, most of the major stuff will be complete. Next summer, likely, the car will get a repaint.

I don't regret the purchase, especially since it's an RS trim. I am partial to those and they are pretty rare around here.

[06YarisRS]

Almost ready to re-weld outer quarter panel skin

Final outer support strip. Each end just past the support strip will serve as a water drain. The areas will be ground and filed smooth, treated with phosphoric acid, primed and painted. I did a little mockup of the 'drain caps' that I will fabricate and weld on. This will keep water and crap from entering underneath but allow easy draining from inside. There is another support strip welded behind what you see in this pic. There will be about 3/16" of jacking thickness when this is done. I may even weld another strip behind at the jack point. Overkill, but I have the metal and it only takes a few minutes.

https://i.imgur.com/fYK2K4n.jpg

Out panel attachment plate. I have two options when re-installing the panel piece that I cut out:

Option 1: Tack weld it to the support piece, then apply seam sealer on the outside.

Option 2: weld a strip to the quarter panel piece and drill holes in it, then apply a bead of seam sealer between it and the support plate and rivet it together. The upper portions of the panel piece will be tack welded, welds ground down and then a thin layer of body filler applied. I think I may go with option 2.

https://i.imgur.com/RpZtmJV.jpg

Just to check the integrity of the repair, I jacked the car on the repair. It is solid as a rock. The entire inner area will be saturated in Fluid Film or similar before I button it all up. This may be another reason to go with Option 2 above as I'd hate to start a fire in there welding the final quarter panel seam. The beauty of the RS is that the side skirts cover everything, so any painted rivets and seam sealer would be invisible anyway.

Some more bracing:

https://i.imgur.com/ksRo62M.jpg

[06YarisRS]

Buttoning things up

This was a very difficult welding job due to the fairly large gap between the patch and the hole. I basically had to weld a small blob on each side of the crack (cut line) and then join the blobs. The patch is extremely solid. I ground the weld nubs down, degreased the metal thoroughly, then squished in and smoothed off some JB Weld. Unfortunately, I ran out of JB Weld, so will pick some more up tomorrow. The final job will be to attach the patch panel to a piece of angle iron which will be welded to the pinch weld. I think I'll put a bead of seam sealer on the angle iron and rivet the bottom of the patch panel to the angle iron. This part only needs to be securely attached and does not have to offer any structural support. When the JB Weld cures, I'll sand it down and decide whether or not I'll skim the repair with body filler. It may not need it since the car has the RS side skirts.

https://i.imgur.com/XdYPoCQ.jpg

My rustproofing gun arrived today, so I will press that into service once all the repairs are done. I'll start with a liberal application of used ATF, then after it soaks in to all the cracks and crevices, I'll spray in some thicker stuff, probably Fluid Film.

https://i.imgur.com/wa4L0mR.jpg

[ohms]

oh my god - i've seen guys let otherwise mint classic cars sit and rot because they needed LESS work done like this - but heres this yaris getting super-re-fortified and ressurected - pretty sure once you get it on the road its gonna come to life like herbie/christine cuz of all the love it got

[Leegamer]

oh my god - i've seen guys let otherwise mint classic cars sit and rot because they needed LESS work done like this - but heres this yaris getting super-re-fortified and ressurected - pretty sure once you get it on the road its gonna come to life like herbie/christine cuz of all the love it got

Indeed. The time and effort put into this is nothing short of amazing.

It is red, like Christine.

[WeeYari]

Be sure to give us your impressions of that gun. I know you will. Does not review very well for applying higher viscosity material.

[06YarisRS]

oh my god - i've seen guys let otherwise mint classic cars sit and rot because they needed LESS work done like this - but heres this yaris getting super-re-fortified and ressurected - pretty sure once you get it on the road its gonna come to life like herbie/christine cuz of all the love it got

Haha! Yeah, I think I've gone a little overboard. This has been a great learning experience for me and should prove useful in the future in other projects. I guess this little car can't say it isn't loved. Lol.

[06YarisRS]

Indeed. The time and effort put into this is nothing short of amazing.

It is red, like Christine.

Thanks, Leegamer!

[06YarisRS]

Be sure to give us your impressions of that gun. I know you will. Does not review very well for applying higher viscosity material.

Will do. I too read that it didn't spray FF very well. If it doesn't, I'll either heat the FF or thin it down with - as recommended by Fluid Film - some vegetable oil.

[06YarisRS]

Undercoating/Rustproofing Gun Review

One word review: Crap!

Ok, so I'll blither on a bit about it... My theory is that the hose diameter is too large. The gun gurgles and spits. We have the same kind of gun by a different manufacturer in our school shop and it has much narrower tubing. It sprays beautifully and uniformly. I think what's happening with this one is the air pushes past the oil/product and sort of airlocks. I'm going to downsize the fitting and see if it works, but I'm not optimistic that it will make a big improvement as I still have the tip that's designed for the larger tubing. If you cycle the trigger on and off, you can get a spray of product, but it's not uniform and it has a tendency to splatter. I only tried a mix of motor oil and transmission fluid on my neighbour's truck, so no experience yet with a thicker product. Oh well, I guess that's what I get for cheaping out. Should have spent the extra $30.00 - $40.00 and got the better one.

I'll have some pics of the final rocker repair soon. I'm getting close to priming it. I'll put some rockguard on it, let it cure and then start dumping in the rustproofing. I'll probably do a combination of spraying with the crap gun as well as a few cans of FF I have and maybe also my extractor pump (ATF).

[06YarisRS]

More grinding and JB Weld skimming

I am getting ready to sand everything, prime it and apply the bed liner.

https://i.imgur.com/5goK8Z9.jpg

[kimona]

What's going on with the RS Restoration saga?

[WeeYari]

What's going on with the RS Restoration saga?
I'm guessing not a whole lot since schools are now back in session. That, and the past few days no doubt prepping for the arrival of Teddy.

[06YarisRS]

Hello gents! It is true...school is back in session. However, enthusiasm remains high, while time is sparse. Next job is to drop the rear axle and replace the bushings. I can't for the life of me find the second bush that I'd bought way back, so I'm awaiting the arrival of the second. After that, I'll attack the few bubbles on the rear quarter panels as well as a few small door dings. The full repaint will happen during this upcoming summer, but I hope to have a good chunk of the bodywork done before the snow flies. I think I'm going to go with a single stage Urethane this time as it's a solid color paint - not metallic. Other than that, I believe, all that remains is the seat slider fix and the cleaning, freeing up and greasing of the rear hatch key lock. Oh yes, and the passenger side axle (or just boot) replacement. I'll do an estimate of costs so far below.

Car $1000.00
ebrake cable $80.00
rear drums and pads, hardware kit ~$90.00
door catch $10.00
axle $50.00
Bushings 2 x $40.00 $80.00
Various shop supplies ~$60.00

Anticipated costs:
Driver's seat track assembly $35.00
Paint, primer and supplies ~$300.00

I'm not even going to think about the number of hours that will ultimately be spent rebuilding this little buggy. It's been really fun so far.

[06YarisRS]

Another Issue

I checked behind the engine as I thought I heard a very slight exhaust noise. Well, indeed the exhaust manifold needs replacing. Fortunately, I have one. Getting the manifold off is going to be quite a job.

Check out the gobs of muffler cement or epoxy whomever repaired this used. Shameful! This is after I pulled great chunks off.

https://i.imgur.com/0h8kFle.jpg

Wiper tray removed. Glad to say that I'm a pro at doing this as I did it during my swap, my turbo build and during my coilover installation.

https://i.imgur.com/Rq57peD.jpg

Thr right upper stud came out fairly easily with several applications of penetrant and then some heat applied.

https://i.imgur.com/k6DFYIn.jpg?2


https://i.imgur.com/QZOyPRL.jpg


Upper center bolt came out with the same process.

https://i.imgur.com/9FmBjVm.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/bxrkYBb.jpg

Upper left stud came out fairly easily as well.


Here is where the fun begins...

The two lower bolts are going to be very difficult. I got a socket on the lower right bolt nice and tight but the socket just spun.

I attempted to weld first a nut, then a bolt to the manifold bolt. Because of the limited space and the curvature of the welder gun, I couldn't get good contact. First I tried grinding to bare metal to weld to. I used my pneumatic die grinder.

https://i.imgur.com/yimoSUD.jpg

Hopefully there is enough bolt head left to get an extractor on. I ordered a set of socket bolt extractors which I will pick up this week. If that fails, then I'll grind off the bolt head flush and drill and use a splined or spiral fluted extractor. I also picked up a new bi-metal recip saw blade. I'm going to cut the manifold runners off to make room to work.

https://i.imgur.com/8ROArQ3.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/DX6mYVN.jpg

[ern-diz]

Holy smokes, cars in your neck of the woods sure do rust up good!

My engine bay looks nearly the way it did off the line, 13 years ago.

You're right, that was a shameful repair attempt by the previous owner.

[06YarisRS]

Holy smokes, cars in your neck of the woods sure do rust up good!

My engine bay looks nearly the way it did off the line, 13 years ago.

You're right, that was a shameful repair attempt by the previous owner.

Oh, for sure. It's the god awful road salt they dump by the ton. With rustproofing, they can look like new after years and years. I had a Dodge Grand Caravan, which are notorious for rotting out in the rear rockers and dogleg area. I rustproofed mine from day one and after 10 years it looked new, even inside the rockers when I check it out with my inspection camera. Other than that manifold, the engine bay in this '07 is in pristine condition as, at least in the bay, they sprayed a lot of rustproofing goop. Those manifolds though do rust out. I had to replace the one on my 2006 RS when I bought it, but that car doesn't see winter. I expect that the '07, when done will also be a 3 season car. Cars around here that aren't driven in the winter last a very, very long time.

Yup, using muffler cement is a piss poor way to fix something. I'm paying the price now as they didn't do the correct repair and replace the manifold. Pretty sure I'm going to be looking at a difficult job extracting what is likely going to be a snapped off bolt. I'm prepared, though, as I have a variety of extractors and drill bits as well as the welder if I can move the engine forward and get the right angle to weld a nut on. It ain't gonna be fun, though. lol

[06YarisRS]

Bolt extraction decisions

I'm applying my limited knowledge of physics to this problem. First, I will try the socket extractor. I ordered these and will pick them up this week.

https://i.imgur.com/AFUM3sH.jpg

If the socket extractor fails, I'll try the drill and extract tools. Since my bench vise is broken and I have to buy a new one, I used it to test the strength of the various extractors I might use. Surprisingly, I think that the tool of choice will be a Torx T25 socket bit. I drilled a hole in my vise, pounded in the torx bit, attached the ratchet. I was really surprised at how much pressure it could withstand. I figured it would snap the bit off, but it actually shredded the cast iron inside the hole. I know that cast is softer than the actual bolt but I was really pushing hard on the ratchet. Although a Torx T30 would be stronger, I feel that the expansion force in the drilled hole in the bolt might bind it tighter. The advantage, I believe of using the Torx bit, is that it should provide a better grip on the bolt as it's not tapered or cone shaped like the 'actual' extractors, so should have deeper and more consistent grip. Regardless of approach, I'll heat the bolt and cool it a few cycles as well as apply lots of penetrant over a period of time.

https://i.imgur.com/HQ8vXXA.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/s2zPo3T.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/4dK6P7t.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/s2zPo3T.jpg

I plan to cut the manifold runner pipes off as close to the head flange as possible. I will try removing the other bolt first (the one I haven't attempted yet). If unsuccessful, I'll grind both bolts off level with the manifold and remove the manifold. This may give me a bit of bolt poking out of the head (due to the thickness of the manifold) to attempt to weld a nut to it. I'm not optimistic that I'll be able to weld inside the nut and I could probably only do this if I release the lower dogbone engine mount and/or remove the passenger side axle. This is an option as I have to replace that axle anyway.

There were some deep discounts at Princess Auto, so I picked up a few other items including a 5pc pry bar set, 5pc center punch set, telescoping inspection mirror, telescoping magnet, a torch and a few other odds and ends. Here's the compact impact gun I picked up. I won't actually use this in the extraction process, but rather I'll use a ratchet as it will give me more control.

https://i.imgur.com/3DTIPyT.jpg

[zoidberg444]

Literally a nightmare scenario for me with the exhaust manifold. I'm very fortunate on my 1 litre engined Yaris that the exhaust manifold is on the front of the engine facing the radiator. I literally just replaced my exhaust manifold last weekend. It had a very large crack in it which was causing it to set P0420. I also replaced both the Oxygen sensors with new Denso sensors. I have also had to replace the water pump (leaking and rattling) and the radiator as I think it has a pin hole leak or two which is why I was losing coolant.

In my case all the bolts came out without too much of a fight.

From what I have seen your best bet would probably be to weld a nut onto whats left of that bolt and use as much heat as possible. Hopefully it has the effect of freeing the bolt. Using a torx isn't such a bad idea either - unlike other kinds of extractors it doesn't have such an "expansive" force on the fastener which might increase the friction you're trying to overcome by getting it out. Those other extractors you have which have teeth inside the socket are fairly decent. I have a set and I have used them as well a few times successfully.

Best of luck mate - you will need it.

[06YarisRS]

Literally a nightmare scenario for me with the exhaust manifold. I'm very fortunate on my 1 litre engined Yaris that the exhaust manifold is on the front of the engine facing the radiator. I literally just replaced my exhaust manifold last weekend. It had a very large crack in it which was causing it to set P0420. I also replaced both the Oxygen sensors with new Denso sensors. I have also had to replace the water pump (leaking and rattling) and the radiator as I think it has a pin hole leak or two which is why I was losing coolant.

In my case all the bolts came out without too much of a fight.

From what I have seen your best bet would probably be to weld a nut onto whats left of that bolt and use as much heat as possible. Hopefully it has the effect of freeing the bolt. Using a torx isn't such a bad idea either - unlike other kinds of extractors it doesn't have such an "expansive" force on the fastener which might increase the friction you're trying to overcome by getting it out. Those other extractors you have which have teeth inside the socket are fairly decent. I have a set and I have used them as well a few times successfully.

Best of luck mate - you will need it.

Yes, I am quite apprehensive about this operation. My intention is to tackle it on the weekend. I have been worrying about the 'expansive' force on the bolt that you mention. I see it as a bit of a catch 22 in that using too large of a drilled hole and extraction tool would likely increase the friction, yet using too small an extraction tool could result in it snapping off inside the hole. I really think that the bolt head and washer are the parts that are rusted to the manifold flange and attempting to break them free is what might cause the head to either strip or shear off. The threads of the bolts themselves - the ones that I already removed - don't appear to be rusty. I am considering grinding the head and washer off and just tackling the shank. Welding a nut on would be my preferred approach and I may yet do that. If I can grind the bolts flush to the manifold flange, theoretically I could remove the manifold and have a stub of shank to weld to. Regardless, it would require leaning the engine forward quite a bit. I simply couldn't get the welder perpendicular enough to the head to get down inside the nut due to space constraints. I do intend to let heat be my friend. I have a propane torch and in testing, have managed, quite easily, to get a bolt head glowing cherry red. I just put a similar sized bolt in my bench vice and heated it. I'm not sure if I have enough BTUs to get the shank of the bolt red hot as it's sitting in quite a heat sink (the head). If I'm applying heat for a period, should I worry about melting the aluminum head? Then again, I doubt I could do it as there is likely water in the water jacket surrounding the bolt. The other option, I suppose, is to drill out the bolt completely and tap for a larger bolt. However, I don't have any info on how thin the aluminum is and if it poses a risk to entering a water jacket. I can put a slightly shorter bolt in but not knowing how much wall thickness I have to work with would concern me.

I really appreciate the feedback and am open to additional suggestions.

[06YarisRS]

Good news and bad news...

Good: I got the 5th bolt out with the socket extractor. It was touchy going, but it came out.

https://i.imgur.com/y4Wil1L.jpg

I cut the runners off the manifold to have better access to the bolts.

Bad: I keep making mistakes. I had no luck with the socket extractor on the last bolt. The head was too badly damaged. I ground the bolt and washer flat to the manifold flange. This is where I screwed up. I should have removed the manifold flange at that point. Had I done that, I probably would have had enough poking out to grab on with some vise grips. But, figuring that with the bolt and washer gone, I could drill a hole and use the extractor. The torque needed to remove the other bolt was well within the strength of the extractor. So, I used a center punch and then drilled into the bolt.

https://i.imgur.com/H5VDBh3.jpg

The actual was drilled a little deeper - deeper than the depth of the extractor.

https://i.imgur.com/wq4t3Vp.jpg

I got it centered well. Unfortunately, despite setting the extractor well, it just stripped and tore the bolt, leaving it in the head. Heat didn't help, sadly. I decided to drill a little deeper and try a slightly larger extractor. Then, the unthinkable happened...the drill bit broke off in the bolt.

https://i.imgur.com/U7s3qon.jpg

Tomorrow, I will weld the hole closed, build up a good nub and try using vise grips to get this dang thing out. If that fails, I'll pick up a diamond bit, bore it out slowly and try using a thread chase or pick to remove the last bit of the bolt. If that fails, I'll drill larger and tap new theads for a larger bolt.

Not giving up yet! I don't want to pull the engine, but I will if I have to. If I do pull the engine, I'll put my other lower mileage 1NZ in in its place.

[06YarisRS]

Fail...

I got prepped a large washer by drilling it out the exact size of the manifold bolt, then ground down both sides to shiny metal for good contact. I built up the inside of the hole drilled in the bolt the best I could, then welded the washer to the base of the bolt stub. Finally, I built up a big nub of weld. I shaped it enough so that I could get a socket extractor on it. The bolt shank went through several heat and cooling cycles during the welding; glowing red then cooling. I applied a lot of force with my ratchet; much more that was required to remove the other 4 bolts. It seemed to start turning, then the washer and weld nub snapped off, leaving the bolt shank flush with the block. I tried drilling and using an extractor, which, of course, snapped off inside the bolt shank. :cry:

I will not give up! I am consider a few more options:

1) get a diamond or carbide tungsten bit and drill the whole shank out, then tap new threads for a slightly larger bolt. Or, use progressively increasing sized bits and try to remove the bolt shank while preserving the threads. I would use a pick to pull out the remaining material and run thread chase through.

2) Build up a nub of weld on the top of the flush broken stud. Install the manifold with the metal gasket, weld a washer to manifold over the weld nub and then weld the nub to the washer.

3) Carefully weld (so as not to warp the manifold) a stiffening brace around the missing manifold bolt. The manifold is pretty thick metal and quite stiff. There may not be a leak with the 5th bolt missing.

https://i.imgur.com/RylUp6K.jpg

My gut tells me to go with option 1; continue to try removing the broken bolt shank. Then installing a new fastener.

[06YarisRS]

Some pics from yesterday

This is the washer I welded on. I don't have a pic of the massive nub I piled up in the center. Sadly, the bolt's shank is still in the block. I'm amazed how badly stuck it is. I put some serious force on the ratchet before it sheared off. The washer looks like it was welded to the head on the top, but it wasn't.

https://i.imgur.com/JHzQw2V.jpg

Here's the old manifold. The flange that attaches to the cat pipe rotted off so only one spring bolt kit was holding it in place. Also, the support bracket attachment point was completely gone. Nice extra OE wideband, though. :biggrin:

https://i.imgur.com/jbeQpaJ.jpg

The manifold from my swapped out 1NZ. This manifold is in pristine condition despite the flaking ceramic paint. Note to self...not even high temp ceramic paint will withstand exhaust temps. I even had a relatively new, yet used spring bolt kit and a new donut gasket that I bought on a closeout ages ago.

https://i.imgur.com/gE6g0Rs.jpg

Got bored waiting to pick up my diamond bit and tungsten carbide burring tools (to drill out the broken extractor in the manifold bolt), so I sanded, primed and painted the manifold support. I will have to take the support in to source a bolt. The old one had to be sawed off as the nut was rust welded to it and completely corroded.

https://i.imgur.com/izYYPox.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5DflMS2.jpg

In the next few days, I'll remove the 1/4" chunk of hardened steel extractor from the bolt shank with my diamond tip bit and or tungsten carbide pointed and round deburring tools. Then, I'll either drill it out to 10M (original bolt is 8M) and try tapping for the larger bolt. Or, I'll install a helicoil and use another 8M bolt. I do not know how thick the water jacket walls are, so a bit apprehensive about upsizing the bolt hole.

[ern-diz]

Oh, man, you've been through the ringer with this one. Enjoying the persistence!

[06YarisRS]

Oh, man, you've been through the ringer with this one. Enjoying the persistence!

Yeah, it's been a rough one. I worked on it a bit tonight and managed to grind the extractor out with the tungsten carbide dremel bit. It wasn't easy going as the bit wanted to keep slipping off the hardened steel extractor piece in the hole and dig away at the softer aluminum. I'm sure that if I had had the engine out of the car things would have gone differently. It's very hard bending over the engine and using mirrors to see what I'm doing. I started drilling a new hole which I will tap and use a different bolt. I need to go get better sharper bits as mine are pretty worn. I hope to have this wrapped up in the next few days. I don't get much time in the evenings - maybe an hour or two.

[06YarisRS]

Success...finally!

Most people know this, but I can't underscore the importance of a good drill bit. I picked up a new gold oxide bit and it cut into the block clean and straight with almost no pressure needed on my pneumatic angle drill. Tapping was fairly easy as the aluminum is soft. I was a little nervous drilling deep enough to have adequate threads, but I didn't break through into any water jackets or anything else. Although a bolt turns in nicely and tightly, I've decided to use a stud and nut instead. I will probably use a stud in place of the other manifold bolt too. I think it will make future repairs, if needed, easier.

Long end of stud in block. Before final installation, I'll apply some copper RTV sealant. There are probably better high temp sealants, but the copper RTV has done a great job of holding my turbo studs in and those get a heck of a lot hotter than any head stud/bolt.

https://i.imgur.com/rO7LjvC.jpg

Nut on stud

https://i.imgur.com/UdOFYFF.jpg

[kimona]

Success! I've been following your struggle and admiring your tenacity. Congratulations. Carry on, mate.

[06YarisRS]

Success! I've been following your struggle and admiring your tenacity. Congratulations. Carry on, mate.

Thanks! Haha, yeah, it feels good finally getting it sorted. I know where I went wrong and have definitely learned from the experience.

[06YarisRS]

Exhaust work done...

Got the manifold on. I applied a bead of Permatex copper RTV on both sides of the steel gasket. It squeezed out nicely on both sides. Hopefully it seals. I'll start the car later today after the RTV sets up a bit. Then, final torquing of the bolts after that.

https://i.imgur.com/RicMJJt.jpg

Brace remounted

https://i.imgur.com/fFzBhIN.jpg

New exhaust donut and used but fairly new spring bolt kit installed.

https://i.imgur.com/dEDjKzr.jpg

[mitch9521]

Bet it felt great when you finally got that bolt out.

[06YarisRS]

Bet it felt great when you finally got that bolt out.

Oh man, you know it! If I ever have to do this again, any bolts/studs that won't come out, I'll grind flush with the manifold. Then, remove the manifold, weld nuts onto the bit of stud/bolts that's sticking out. I think my welding nub failed because I'd already compromised the bolt shank by drilling it out. No more male extractor type tools for me! I think I got lucky after the extractor broke off in the bolt shank. Those carbide dremel burring bits saved the day. They chewed up that hardened steel extractor like it was nothing, and it did no damage to the bits. I also got lucky drilling and tapping.

BTW, started the car and it's dead silent up front now. I do need to install an exhaust donut between the cat pipe and muffler at the back. Otherwise, the exhaust system is in excellent shape.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Wow, that was intense! You, sir, have patience and perseverance!

[06YarisRS]

Wow, that was intense! You, sir, have patience and perseverance!

Haha, yeah, it was a demanding job. Oddly enough, I've wanted for some time the experience of removing a frozen, broken bolt. I'm sure the experience and what I learned will come in handy again!

[bronsin]

Oh man, you know it! If I ever have to do this again, any bolts/studs that won't come out, I'll grind flush with the manifold. Then, remove the manifold, weld nuts onto the bit of stud/bolts that's sticking out. I think my welding nub failed because I'd already compromised the bolt shank by drilling it out. No more male extractor type tools for me! I think I got lucky after the extractor broke off in the bolt shank. Those carbide dremel burring bits saved the day. They chewed up that hardened steel extractor like it was nothing, and it did no damage to the bits. I also got lucky drilling and tapping.

BTW, started the car and it's dead silent up front now. I do need to install an exhaust donut between the cat pipe and muffler at the back. Otherwise, the exhaust system is in excellent shape.



In my experience it’s best to heat rusted fasteners with a torch before trying to remove them. Heated up cherry red. Not often necessary to resort to EZ Out with that approach.:bow:

[06YarisRS]

In my experience it’s best to heat rusted fasteners with a torch before trying to remove them. Heated up cherry red. Not often necessary to resort to EZ Out with that approach.:bow:

Yes, I agree. In this case it was nearly impossible to get anything on it as it was pretty corroded. My mechanic heats them up red hot, then uses an ice cube on the fastener and immediately removes it. Due to the difficult position and the fact that I had to become a contortionist just to get something on to turn the bolt shank, I couldn't coordinate heat, a removal tool attached while holding an inspection mirror in the other hand. Much of this job was done 'blind'. I feel thankful that I managed to drill and tap straight and the nut ended up flush to the manifold. If the engine had been out of the car, it would have been a quick job, I suspect. Live and learn. The next time, I'll know exactly what to do and hopefully it won't be in such an awkward and cramped position.

[bronsin]

Yes things are a lot tighter these days when working on a car! I’m kind of thankful the car is I got to work on have a lot more space to do so. I would have a difficult time changing a water pump on my 09 Yaris. Even 10 years ago!

[06YarisRS]

Yes things are a lot tighter these days when working on a car! I’m kind of thankful the car is I got to work on have a lot more space to do so. I would have a difficult time changing a water pump on my 09 Yaris. Even 10 years ago!

Missed this. Yeah, I remember the old boats I drove; 69 Olds Cutlass, 70s Buick Century, 80s Crown Vic. You could practically stand in the bay beside the engine. Some day I might buy a classic car and work on it. I can only imagine how much easier it would be, space-wise.

[06YarisRS]

More exhaust work...

I knew I had to replace the little donut at the back of the exhaust system. I got it unbolted and the old deteriorated donut removed. Man, it was stuck on there and it took a while to pry off all the little bits.

https://i.imgur.com/vrkkbLl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/NUInyR9.jpg

I started up the car and still...exhaust leak! I plugged the exhaust with my hand and could hear exhaust coming out just above the flange. Dang...the little welded on shield had rusted through at the weld. Seen this before. I got it ground down. The rest of the metal around the hole is very thick and solid.

https://i.imgur.com/vbAhoP2.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/DAjmuLS.jpg

I just slowly bent a small rectangular piece of old car hood into a curve in my vise. Got the patch welded on.

https://i.imgur.com/g8ntg8V.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Ch3mgTN.jpg

When I bent the small shield over to have good welding access, I noticed that the other weld had also rusted through. I figured I'd weld that, then weld the shield back on after both patches were done. Ultimately, gave up on that idea. There's a large aluminum shield between that and the gas tank anyway.

https://i.imgur.com/gxL9IgU.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3zLFeTO.jpg

Painted with VHT flameproof ceramic paint.

https://i.imgur.com/Q0V9UYP.jpg

This should hold up for a good while. I would have just put the relatively new muffler I had on my '06 before the swap, but then recalled that I'd put that on my '08 LE before I sold it. Eventually, I'll pick up a Walker SS muffler from RockAuto, or, I'll keep my eyes open for a Megan or other performance muffler, if I can find a cheap one for sale.

Car is coming along nicely. Went out for a nice drive in it today. Still have a few jobs left to do.

https://i.imgur.com/taRSIFl.jpg

[zoidberg444]

Impressive job so far. Glad you managed to deal with that bolt. I just can't believe it was seized so bad. It's an aluminium block - I just don't understand what was holding it in like that. If anything it should have just removed the threads from the block.

What jobs are left to do on her?

[mitch9521]

Impressive job so far. Glad you managed to deal with that bolt. I just can't believe it was seized so bad. It's an aluminium block - I just don't understand what was holding it in like that. If anything it should have just removed the threads from the block.

What jobs are left to do on her?

Salt makes everything metal-wise an absolute nightmare to do on an older car.

[06YarisRS]

Impressive job so far. Glad you managed to deal with that bolt. I just can't believe it was seized so bad. It's an aluminium block - I just don't understand what was holding it in like that. If anything it should have just removed the threads from the block.

What jobs are left to do on her?

Thanks man! I have theory on why that whole job went so badly and it involved compounding errors on my part. First, I should not have attempted to use a socket on it as the bolt head was corroded somewhat. This rounded off what was remaining to some degree. Had I used the socket bolt extractor in the first place, I think it would have come out. Three of the other bolts/studs came out with relative ease using a standard socket, the forth with the male socket extractor and I wasn't in possession of the socket style extractor for the stubborn bolt at the time. My next error was drilling and trying to use a male extractor. I think this just expanded the bolt shank diameter, clamping it to the block. I may have drilled too large a hole. When I initially drilled and used the male extractor, the bolt head and washer was still present and I think the washer was corroded and adhered to the block, which didn't help either. Then, I ground the damaged bolt head flat and pulled the manifold off, which left a decent sized nub. I should have done this first, before any drilling attempts. I would have had an undamaged nub to crank on. I couldn't effectively fill the damaged bolt shank with weld making it strong enough to withstand twisting. A broken extractor tip in the bolt shank fiasco didn't help either.

Although every situation in unique, if I again ran into the same conditions, I would try in this order: 1) Try socket style bolt extractor. If that failed, 2) grind bolt flat and remove manifold. If the nub of shank wasn't enough, 3) weld a larger nub onto the protruding bolt shank, roughly shape to take a socket style extractor.

What remains to be done:

- passenger side axle boot, or axle replacement. I have a whole axle and may just do that.

- Driver's seat slider assembly

- Stuck hatch lock tumbler

- despite having replaced an ebrake cable, rear brake job and and topping up fluid, I have a brake warning light on. Will have to troubleshoot that. I think the car has ABS, but no ABS light. I was thinking rear wheel ABS sensor plug corrosion, but not sure what the root cause is. I suppose I should check the ebrake switch. Ebrake and braking system function flawlessly with great pedal pressure etc.

- Optional (as they're not that bad), rear axle to frame bushings. I have 2 new ones. I expect that will be a tough job getting them out. I have an air hammer and will attempt to walk them out. I know you bought a bushing remover and I may end up having to do that too.

- Full repaint, though this will not happen this year.

Plugging along slowly, but the car is coming along nicely. It will be pretty nice, solid and reliable when done. A lot of work! I undertook this for a few reasons: 1) it's an RS and 2) I've always wanted to buy a cheap (though good quality car) and tackle such jobs as welding/structural repair, and one that involved more than just simply bolting on parts that obviously needed to be replaced. This car, provided both! 3) everything from the rear axle forward is in pristine condition from a rust perspective. The owner had it rustproofed really well from the axle forward. A true learning experience and one that's honing my 'rebuild skills' to some degree. I would say that a car that needs this many repairs is on the far edge of projects that I'd be willing to take on again, though. Haha.

[zoidberg444]

Salt makes everything metal-wise an absolute nightmare to do on an older car.

Believe me mate - we have rust in spades in England and I have never encountered something that was seized that bad.


What remains to be done:

- passenger side axle boot, or axle replacement. I have a whole axle and may just do that.

- Driver's seat slider assembly

- Stuck hatch lock tumbler

- despite having replaced an ebrake cable, rear brake job and and topping up fluid, I have a brake warning light on. Will have to troubleshoot that. I think the car has ABS, but no ABS light. I was thinking rear wheel ABS sensor plug corrosion, but not sure what the root cause is. I suppose I should check the ebrake switch. Ebrake and braking system function flawlessly with great pedal pressure etc.

- Optional (as they're not that bad), rear axle to frame bushings. I have 2 new ones. I expect that will be a tough job getting them out. I have an air hammer and will attempt to walk them out. I know you bought a bushing remover and I may end up having to do that too.

- Full repaint, though this will not happen this year.

Plugging along slowly, but the car is coming along nicely. It will be pretty nice, solid and reliable when done. A lot of work! I undertook this for a few reasons: 1) it's an RS and 2) I've always wanted to buy a cheap (though good quality car) and tackle such jobs as welding/structural repair, and one that involved more than just simply bolting on parts that obviously needed to be replaced. This car, provided both! 3) everything from the rear axle forward is in pristine condition from a rust perspective. The owner had it rustproofed really well from the axle forward. A true learning experience and one that's honing my 'rebuild skills' to some degree. I would say that a car that needs this many repairs is on the far edge of projects that I'd be willing to take on again, though. Haha.

In regards to rear axle bushes - I replaced them on Betty.

https://i.imgur.com/7Ey8nuV.jpg

I used the air hammer to fold the lip out and then cut the lip off with the grinder.

https://i.imgur.com/ehUse53.jpg

That meant I could get my bushing extractor on. It took an enormous amount of force. I actually damaged the M12 forcing screw in the kit. I would suggest adding heat to the metal sleeve with a propane torch. It might help them come out.

https://i.imgur.com/5Yxi67m.jpg

Mine weren't in great condition. They were causing a "clunking" from the rear when I was braking. It was quite annoying. My rear shocks were dead as well. Also my rear axle was very rusty so I needle scaled, sand blasted it and painted it with Jotun 87. The amount of rust scale the air hammer and needle scaler chipped off it was shocking. It may well have rusted through somewhere if I hadn't treated it at the rate it was going. Seen as you have to drop the rear axle to do it you might as well clean it up.

As for your brake light being on - I would sometimes get this if I was driving on a wet night when the roads had been salted. Near as I could figure out salt water was getting into and shorting out a connector somewhere because it would go away when the car dried out. The main culprit on mine was one of the rear ABS sensors. So I stuffed the connectors with vaseline to keep the water out and it seemed to cure the problem.

[Snappy]

This post has been great to follow! And the basic car you are working with looked great to begin with as well. But as a US-living guy, a couple things about your car surprise me, the fact that it has black mirrors (not body-colored,) and manual windows. I thought CDN RS spec cars came with upgrades to both these items? (Power Windows and Colored Mirrors.) And only CE/LE cars might have not?:confused: But your door panels look like they are original RS ones, the place where window switches go is correctly dark colored... I even wondered if a previous owner had "combined" an crunched RS interior with a LE pkg 3 door in good shape? I have an old online CDN 08 HB brochure that shows the original equipment for these cars, and thought that the 07 range was the same. Or am I totally wrong? Many years ago I bought some Canadian parts from a BC dealership and looked closely at a couple LE models (no RS on site,) and always thought that in Canada, I would quickly replace the mirror covers of an LE with US-sourced colored covers...

In any case, thanks for a fantastic post about rebuilding your car! And I hope you don't mind my intrusion. Again, Great Work so far!

[06YarisRS]

Believe me mate - we have rust in spades in England and I have never encountered something that was seized that bad.



In regards to rear axle bushes - I replaced them on Betty.

https://i.imgur.com/7Ey8nuV.jpg

I used the air hammer to fold the lip out and then cut the lip off with the grinder.

https://i.imgur.com/ehUse53.jpg

That meant I could get my bushing extractor on. It took an enormous amount of force. I actually damaged the M12 forcing screw in the kit. I would suggest adding heat to the metal sleeve with a propane torch. It might help them come out.

https://i.imgur.com/5Yxi67m.jpg

Mine weren't in great condition. They were causing a "clunking" from the rear when I was braking. It was quite annoying. My rear shocks were dead as well. Also my rear axle was very rusty so I needle scaled, sand blasted it and painted it with Jotun 87. The amount of rust scale the air hammer and needle scaler chipped off it was shocking. It may well have rusted through somewhere if I hadn't treated it at the rate it was going. Seen as you have to drop the rear axle to do it you might as well clean it up.

As for your brake light being on - I would sometimes get this if I was driving on a wet night when the roads had been salted. Near as I could figure out salt water was getting into and shorting out a connector somewhere because it would go away when the car dried out. The main culprit on mine was one of the rear ABS sensors. So I stuffed the connectors with vaseline to keep the water out and it seemed to cure the problem.

I wish I had your press. haha. I picked up an air hammer and will give that a try. I'll definitely apply some heat. If the air hammer doesn't cut it, I'll bore a hole through, slide a bi-metal hacksaw blade through, reattach it to the frame and saw through the metal part of the bushing. I have already loosened and tightened the bolts, so at least that part went well. Having those gaping holes there - before the repair - allowed me to liberally soak the captive nuts many times over many days. I'm sure that helped.

My 2008 had the ABS light issued as well. A pin had actually corroded off. I clipped the ends off a sewing needle plugged it in, like you, applied grease and plugged the connector back in. Never had a problem again. I have a jumper for the OBD2 port, so I'll bridge the appropriate pins and get the code. If the pin or pins on the wheel speed sensor are gone, I'll order a wss and install it.

Thanks for the insight and guidance!

[06YarisRS]

This post has been great to follow! And the basic car you are working with looked great to begin with as well. But as a US-living guy, a couple things about your car surprise me, the fact that it has black mirrors (not body-colored,) and manual windows. I thought CDN RS spec cars came with upgrades to both these items? (Power Windows and Colored Mirrors.) And only CE/LE cars might have not?:confused: But your door panels look like they are original RS ones, the place where window switches go is correctly dark colored... I even wondered if a previous owner had "combined" an crunched RS interior with a LE pkg 3 door in good shape? I have an old online CDN 08 HB brochure that shows the original equipment for these cars, and thought that the 07 range was the same. Or am I totally wrong? Many years ago I bought some Canadian parts from a BC dealership and looked closely at a couple LE models (no RS on site,) and always thought that in Canada, I would quickly replace the mirror covers of an LE with US-sourced colored covers...

In any case, thanks for a fantastic post about rebuilding your car! And I hope you don't mind my intrusion. Again, Great Work so far!

Thanks! No intrusion. Always great to have lots of input. Not sure what options came with the RS in Canada. I think the VIN number brings the car up as an RS. I suppose it's possible that someone changed the interior out, but the entire interior, seats, trim, headliner and all are the same as my silver RS. Another feature that suggests that it's an RS is the factory holes drilled for the side skirt pins. However, you have me intrigued now! Haha. I'll do some more digging. Thanks! Oh, and if the mirror surfaces are prep-able, I'll paint them the body color when I paint the car. BTW, I'd love to see the brochure if you're willing to share. I love that stuff.

EDIT: I found this:

https://www.autotrader.ca/research/toyota/yaris/2007/#:~:text=The%20RS%20models%20add%2015,does%20not%2 0have%20power%20locks.

Then there's this (though USA, I believe). It shows power locks, windows, A/C and a few other things as options. It does look like body colored mirrors were standard equipment. I wonder if the mirrors were replaced on my car. It had definitely been in a few fender benders. Both front fenders look like aftermarket ones. I was planning to pick up two at the U-Pull before painting the car. Or, what I have here is really a CE done up like an RS. I'm going to look on my insurance card. The policy links the VIN to a model and trim automatically. I'll post up the result after I check. Again, very intriguing.

https://www.auto123.com/en/new-cars/technical-specs/toyota/yaris/2007/3-dr/rs/

[Snappy]

I think I downloaded this from Toyota.ca back in 08.
(Split into 3 PDFs for size posting limits.)
First Part:

[Snappy]

Second Part:

[Snappy]

Third Part:

[06YarisRS]

Those are awesome! Thanks a lot. I downloaded them to my Yaris folder. I didn't know about those optional wheels and the performance exhaust. I love the slightly retro font. Haha.

[WeeYari]

There's too much RS in that car to be a lesser model converted with RS bits. I have the '07 brochure and it is not quite the same as '08.
The mirrors however are supposed to be body colour regardless of whatever option package the car was delivered with. Body colour mirrors is achieved by snapping coloured caps over base black mirrors is it not? Could be a factory oversight, or caps have been removed.

[06YarisRS]

There's too much RS in that car to be a lesser model converted with RS bits. I have the '07 brochure and it is not quite the same as '08.
The mirrors however are supposed to be body colour regardless of whatever option package the car was delivered with. Body colour mirrors is achieved by snapping coloured caps over base black mirrors is it not? Could be a factory oversight, or caps have been removed.

Yeah, I'm thinking it's an RS. I can't imagine someone going to the trouble. Even if someone was flipping it, it wouldn't be worth the effort. I suppose you could replace all those parts, but the 'definitive proof' for me was the side skirt pin holes in the rocker area.

[WeeYari]

Features page from the 2007 brochure. You can see how the standard and optional features differ from 2008.

[06YarisRS]

Features page from the 2007 brochure. You can see how the standard and optional features differ from 2008.

Interesting! I see though that even my 3-door RS should have body colored mirrors. I'm going to guess they were replaced. I wondered about the car not having A/C since it's an RS. My '06 does. I see now that it was an option. Thanks for posting the pic.

[WeeYari]

You're welcome. Reread my earlier comment about the mirrors. I would like confirmation that body colour mirrors are just snap on caps.

[06YarisRS]

You're welcome. Reread my earlier comment about the mirrors. I would like confirmation that body colour mirrors are just snap on caps.

I'll check out my silver RS. I though the mirror was one solid piece - not a cap - but I'll confirm and post back.

[Neinris]

My apologies for reviving an old thread. It was linked from another thread I was looking at. What's the difference between the RS and non-RS seats? I believe I have an LE since I have four speakers. Since I didn't want to mess with the weight sensor for the passenger seat, I thought about replacing my seat with one from a Scion tC to give it more bolster in hopes that it'd work. Does the RS have more bolster than the non-RS?

[WeeYari]

Does the RS have more bolster than the non-RS?

Yes.