Buying 2001 Tacoma with front end damage, good deal?

Hi everyone new to this forum looking for some advice from knowledgeable Tacoma folks. A buddy of mine has a 2001 Tacoma extra cab with the trd package 185000 mi he wants to get rid of. And he offered it to me for $1500. Last winter he slid off an embankment into a concrete drainage ditch wall. I know the truck runs and the motor is in decent shape (seems to be anyway not burning oil starts up right away). I know it will need a clutch, a window motor/regulator, some interior parts, and various front end parts.

I am new to Tacomas and not sure what all i would need to fix the body. I know the front bumper, head light,brackets to hold the head light, grill and trim, and probably a fender. Im checking junkyards around here to find cheap parts i need but no luck so far. I'd rather pull the parts off myself (or buy from a member) than order them online. Obviously its not going to be perfect I just want to get it to pass Md inspection.

I dont think there is any frame damage the hood and fender on the damage side still line up perfect and the airbags are still intact. The truck does not pull to either side while driving.

Any advice or parts i may need that aren't listed would be greatly appreciated. Nice to be here and I look forward to learning from everyone on this forum!

 

I wish I had a buddy ask me to buy his 01 Tacoma TRD for $1500.

I'd do it personally if there's no frame damage, everything can be fixed, and $1500 is an awesome deal.

I was eyeing a Toyota near me, 1992 on 33's, after looking at the frame..... Not only was that thing rusting away, he had shackles welded onto rust, and it looked to be trying to snap itself in half from an embarrassing life of tweety bird yellow mixed with rust and possibly baby poo. He wanted $2000 the way it sat. lol So I'd say it sounds like a good deal. I know here I could part that thing out and make a few grand, doubling money invested is always an awesome way to look at things.

 

Ya it looks like you could prolly do good here. I would confirm what it'll cost for the clutch and estimate the cost of the rest of the parts and figure out whats the most you would have to put into it dollar wise to get it into good shape again. I would say if you could sell it for a profit of at least 25% after you fix it, its prolly worth your time.

 

I would take it to a reputable collision center and get a couple of estimates, unless your fixing it your self, paint and body work is expensive, do the same on the clutch and any other mechanical, figure out the book value v/s the repairs and go from there. Looks like about $4500 damage to me.good luck!

 

Lol I guess I got lucky with this deal. I am praying I can find a 01-04 Tacoma at a pull it yourself junkyard locally. I am going to try and fix what I can. Avoiding a collision center would be best because I know how expensive it will be. The problem right now is that the truck is not tagged. The guy selling it to me was given a new car and let the tags lapse on this one. So this prevents me from taking it to a shop to have it checked out before I buy it. It sounds shady I know but this is a good friend and I know he never got an estimate to have the truck fix and he drove it around as is for 3 or 4 months. So my major dilemma is trying to find the parts before I register the car and get a 30 day tag. I don’t want to get the temp tag now and be in rush to get parts before the tags expire.

Is there anything to look for on the frame aside from obvious cracks and rust that would be a major problem?

I know there are a few Toyota specific sites for parts but does anyone know any body specific sites that may be a little cheaper?

Anyone want to let me rip up there wrecked Tacoma (lol worth a shot)

I think if I am lucky ill be able to get all the parts I need under 2k it’s just the finding them in my area that is a pia.

Thanks for the help guys

 

Certifit for cheap replacement parts

 

So the frame is a little bit rusty on the back end. There is a very small amount on the drivers side under the door but not enough to cause concern. I typed the vin into toyotas recall website and the frame treatment is listed. It states that it is a limited service campaign and end 10/31/10 Anyone know if this would be a problem with toyota if i just bought the truck?

Rust aside the more I look at this truck the more I want it.

heres a few Pics of the rust (sorry for the quality they are from my phone)

Thanks for all the input guys

 

that rust you show is very typical.. you only showed the rear-end. Does that mean the rest of the frame is pretty clean?

Caution though - The frame replacement warranty Toyota offers does not apply to tacomas with bad title. Not sure if they will honor the warranty on this damaged truck.

 

Yeah rest of the frame looks good so far as i can tell. The damage on this truck was not reported so the title is still clean. As long as the frame is ok and I can get it repaired before the recall expires I should be good right?

I am going to try to get some pictures up of the rest of the truck this weekend make sure nothing stands out to the experts that a noob might miss. All the help is greatly appreciated

 

I don't know if they go by title or obvious signs of frame damage or both

 

So no pick and pull junkyard around me has never tacomas...... Internet parts it is!

I need some help identifying parts if you guys wouldn't mind. I need everything that has a red arrow pointing to it (sorry they are so small) The first i believe is a radiator support but i am not sure, I think the next is a headlight support (it is plastic with the headlight adjusting screw in it), The next is a another headlight support that the plastic piece screws into ( honestly i am not sure on this,it is L shape and is held to the fender by two bolts, one is missing on this truck)

Now for the front bumper lol this seems to be the most damaged part on this truck and i am not sure how to get it off. The supports look like they sit inside the frame then maybe welded in there. The arrow is pointing to what i want to remove. how do i get this piece off? The only bolts i see are the tow hook bolts and the nuts that hold the bumper to the support. I am praying that these are just bolted on somehow and i missed it. It started to rain here so i gave up and decided to ask everyone on here.
Is there a specific name for these supports? I dont think i have seen anything that looks the same as this picture.

The truck should be officially mine sometime this week but will sit until I can gather up the necessary parts.

As usually thanks for the help guys you are making this a much easier process and i am learning a lot from this forum!

OP

 

Try here: www.car-part.com We use this as a search tool in the body shop I work. Type in truck info, location etc. Should point you in right direction. Congrats. Looks like a gtreat deal

 

The stock bumper is bolted on, as well as the sturdy frame extension that the bumper houses. You should be able to take that whole unit off of the frame. To attache something like an ARB bumper, you're suppose to remove them anyways.

 

Just to clarify all three of the pieces with arrows are bolted on? I was not sure about the supports. Thanks for the info Ywen. Coolidge looks like that sight will come in handy, Thanks. Now i just need to figure out what those parts are called Is that a radiator support or did i make that up? Thanks guys

 

Look up the Toyota tacoma service manual by googling "Tacoma service manual" there should be diagram showing the assembly

Wait.. in the pic you attached in the post above, the parts you arrowed are one piece I believe and that piece is bolted to the frame. If you look from below, right behind the tow hook, there are bolts as well as the same location on the other frame rail.

 

So i got the reinforcement bumper and bracket off ...... Now I cant find the brackets (they are connected). I can find the reinforcement bar all over the place but no brackets. I circled the part i am looking for if anyone knows the part number you would make my week!!!

 

Why not just go to Toyota dealer and ask the parts guy for some help, looks like the actual frame horn to me, in the last photo.

 

Hmmm, You may be SOL. The large bar is considered the bumper reinforcement (p/n 52131-AD010 $159.97) The smaller is The frt frame auxillary crossmemeber (aux crossmember has an extension/bracket that bolts directly to frame). P/N for the aux crossmember is: 51021-35060 $83.97. IMHO, I would have left the dmgd parts on, and let a frame shop use the bashed member to 'pull', then once the frame is good dimensionally, determine if dmgd frame end can be repaired, then you could bolt the replacement crossmember on. I could not find a p/n nor have I ever replaced the section you have circled on a Tacoma here at the shop (im a body shop mgr). Good luck!

 

Well those components you removed will be quote costly to replace new. Why not just install an ARB bullbar? Expedition Sierra currently has $100 off on ARB until end of July.. that makes it $666 before shipping.

 

Good plan I was there yesterday morning and ordered the auxiliary cross member Coolidge mentioned and the parts guy seemed to know exactly what i was talking about. He said it is actually the part I circled, so it comes with the two frame ends that are connected with a thin cross member. Should be in Wednesday so ill let you guys know if it is the right part. The reinforcement bar is very expensive from Toyota ill prob just get a cheap replacement online to pass inspection.

Coolidge, my thinking was to buy the new part and see if it lines up to determine if the frame is substantially out of spec. Obviously i don't have much experience with this type of work but it seemed logical at the time lol. When I was taking the bent piece off i noticed that the back of the frame extension on the side with the most damage was split exposing some of the bolt. So being the dumb ass i am said screw it and finagled the reinforcement bar/extension until the metal on the back split enough to expose the bolt.

So now the bolt in the frame end will not unscrew it just spins... I am not sure if this is from the accident or my bending the metal until the extension popped off... Either way i get the punishment of hack sawing (or hopefully dremeling!!) the bolt to get it off. From the look of the frame ends i will probably have to have new plates welded on anyway.

Ywen, I thought of going this route also but i am not sure if an ARB bumper would pass inspection. They offer much more protection from stock but I have had bad experiences getting cars to pass Maryland Inspection because of aftermarket parts. Maryland inspection is such a racket how can a shop who offers repair be the ones who determine if cars pass or fail, seems like a conflict of interest to me....back to the truck this could easily turn into a rant.....

I am going to try and get away with just replacing this steel portion of the bumper and make the damaged one work its not bent just really dinged up.

Now to a new problem.....

So Saturday while I was out messing with the truck I installed a new battery and started it up (was told it hasn't been run in 3 or 4 months due to a dead battery and no tags). Needless to say I was quite relieved it started and it sounded awesome. After sitting in the car just listening to it run and testing the ac I got out to gather my tools and leave for the day. Well I glanced under the truck and there was a big spot of oil that I could see dripping from the truck....@$#%. So I hop back in the truck to shut it off and the check engine light is on. I climbed under the truck to see where it was leaking. It is coming from the back of the engine somewhere above the cross member. I did not have a flashlight or jackstands to raise the truck up safely so I am not exactly sure where it is. I think the rear main seal but am not positive. It only leaked while it was running and I did not see any signs of oil looking down on the engine from above, Ill be checking it out tomorrow to find out. I do not have a code reader but i am assuming it is from the leaking oil. Could this leak be from sitting so long? Any other seals it could be? It looked like motor oil and only happened while the truck was running. Thanks again guys this truck is turning out to be more exciting than expected lol

OP