Frame rust... Suggestions, ideas? Please help.

So I bought my 96 tacoma lx 4x4 in November. I live in Virginia beach and the ad came up on craigslist in Baltimore. From the ad it looked immaculate. Talked to the guy and said it had absolutely no issues. And here comes the kicker 60,000 original miles on it's 2.7l 4cyl engine. So of coursed we rushed up to Baltimore ASAP. We got to Baltimore and everything looked great, the engine was in perfect condition, interior was in perfect condition, 4x4 worked great, the truck ran and drove great. Then we got under it. I knew that it wasn't perfect but it didn't look too bad. I overlooked the minor (at least I thought they were minor) rust spots. Needless to say I was so blinded by the odometer that I didn't do a rigorous enough inspection on the frame. We payed $8,000 for the truck in cash and drove it all they way with no issues. I was ecstatic! Then we got home and the next day we got under with a power washer and immediately the thick (and I mean extremely thick) later of undercoating began to peel off and the rust was exposed. We called toyota and worked are way up the corporate ladder and were told they could do absolutely nothing for us. We talked to the seller and of course he had no idea about the rust. So we were then in a pickle. It was either pass the truck off to someone else and have a horrible conscience, or do the costly frame repair. As it stands now there is one frame from a 98 ext cab 4x4 that will match up perfectly for $450 and then there is labor. My fathers friends cousin does these kinds of repairs for a living and I figure he can get it done relatively cheaply and efficiently. Please if you have any ideas tips or suggestions let me know. The majority of the major rust is from the cab back. So even if we just replaced the rear portion of the frame it would be a major improvement. Anyways see the attached thumbnails for pictures of the rust. I apologize for the novel, but any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks tw.

 

Welcome!
If you can a new frame sounds like a good idea.. $450 isn't bad… But id assume labor would be twice that. How bad is the rest of the frame? above the leaf spring perches? Did you take a hammer and tap on it? That pic doesn't look like the end of the world.. If you have a welder and a torch you could do what I'm doing to my 93'
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/other-builds/314146-93-rust-revival-re-build.html

 

The rest of the frame isn't too too bad it's really the rear portion. I apologize for the lack of pictures I'm struggling with uploading.

 

Tacomataco2 Your 93 frame repair looks good! And a great idea!

 

That's not bad at all, i'd say repair it, the sooner the better!

 

It's not letting me upload multiple pics at once. I'll just do them one at time.

 

Another picture of the rust

 

Yet Another rust pic

 

If it were me I would pull the bed off, blast all old paint and rust off with a cheap 5 gallon bucket sand blaster. Get frame boxing plates and weld them in and repaint.

 

that actually looks like some of the frame spray they did to mine. that one spot looks more rusted than the others but not horrible

half of the spray the dealer put on is hanging on and not "bonded" to the frame. something tells me they didn't prep or cure it right but hey, it's covered for 10 years for me.

was there any paperwork from Toyota about the frame TSB the PO gave you? or even mentioned? are they the original or has it passed many hands already?

 

There wasn't any paperwork about any spray from the dealer when the truck was purchased but we did do some research and called the dealer where the truck was serviced in Baltimore since it was bought by the original owner, and it was undercoated and sprayed. But conveniently 2 months after the rust by back for that year truck ended the dealership failed the truck for a frame inspection.

 

I would try to find more paperwork or get a copy now that you are the owner and see if Toyota will honor the TSB. If the frame was sprayed already then it should be covered under a Toyota warranty for repair or replace (at least I hope).

 

I've had the original owner fax over any and all paperwork he could find. We written personal letters and emails to the CEO himself, and even gotten a lawyer for legal suggestions and apparently since the buyback/repair period has ended there's nothing they could do for us. Toyota has been worthless throughout the entire process. They literally said we are on our own.

 

Dude, I think your ovary acting. That rust isn't that bad.

Bust rust all day, then you can either recycle your used engine, gear, and petro stuff by covering the frame with the used stuff a couple three times a year without getting it on your exhaust of course. Then all you have to do is rinse and reapply a few a year (if you drive in snow/salt). <===What I do

Or you can buy some corrosion prevention compound that you wont have to apply as much.

This isn't a Toyota problem. It's preventative maintenance, albeit Toyota could have sealed the frame better.

 

Yeah TigerTheory I gotcha. I know that rust isn't the worst on the planet it's just concerning. But yeah I think I'm sandblasting it in the next couple of weeks. And maybe getting another inspection just to get another opinion. But the rust has completely gone through the frame in some spots.

 

hmm. well if the previous owners did not have it done by Toyota then yes your out of luck. If the paperwork says it was done at a Toyota dealer under the TSB then check the fine print about what happens after (lawyer is better at reading that I guess).

but as someone suggested you may be better off pulling the bed, sanding down and using Chassis Saver to coat it. I use a pill bottle size and covered my hitch, shovels, wheelbarrow, and trailer touch up. there's still 95% of the gallon left, that s**t is awesome and bonds with the surface.

 

Update: Purchased a new frame this week! Found one locally, $400 and in perfect condition, off of a 98 extra cab 4x4. Frame replacement project soon to come!

 

Excellent news! We have finally gotten my frame fixed! As I mentioned previously the majority of the rust was on the rear end (behind the cab) so in an effort to conserve time and labor costs we replaced it from the cab back. The bed was removed, rear end disassembled, old frame chopped and new frame welded, and then reassembled with many new parts. Shocks, leaf springs, bumper, load sensing valve, shackles, u bolts, and a bunch of misc. nuts and bolts. now time for more mods!

 

My 03 is OK now. Any ideas on what to do to make sure it stays that way? Love my truck and want to keep it.