Frame swap advice.

Hello tacoma world.
I just purchased my first tacoma a few months ago. Long story short, the frame is rotten out pretty bad. I have already found a good frame and am ready to make the swap. My question is..... Can I just jack the truck up, suspend the cab,engine,and trans and drop the frame out from underneath?
Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

That is how Toyota dealer does it when they swap frames. They take it all up on a lift, after removing the bed.

 

Awesome. I'll have to use jacks and jack stands as I unfortunately do not have a lift.

 

I do not believe you can leave the engine/trans suspended. I have swapped a frame before on a full size pickup, I suspended the body but swapped over the drivetrain when it was out from under the body.

Lots of videos on YouTube on how to do it.

 

Sounds like a bold project; best of luck to you. where and how did you find a replacement frame?

 

It most likely won`t be near as easy as your hoping.

Since the Drive train is attached to the frame engine trans /case rear axle front suspension quite a lot of removing things .

Unless your planning to use a rolling frame

Then if your up north at all rusted bolts and other hardware

 

i did a frame swap on 2002 tacoma earlier this year, jack truck up, block under rocker panels with wood blocks,remove bed, driveshaft then you remove fuel lines and emergency brake cables, then saw rear half of frame into behind cab and roll out of way,take out console and shifter use ratchet strap thru cab to hold up trans, remove cab and core support bolts, remove wheels cv axles ,get sawzall and cut thru lower control arm bolts as you probably cant remove them,drop front diff, then remove frame, i may have left out small details but this is easiest way, slide bare frame under truck and start putting back together, plan on buying new cab and body mounts from rock auto cab bolts from toyota, new lower control arm bolts and bushings, you will need press to install them, spring shackles and bolts for the rear and bolts for the front of leaf springs , also plan on replacing brake lines and probably emergency brake cables hope this helps steve

 

Hey guys. Thanks for all the info. Just now getting around to replacing this frame "a year later". stevep3916 how did you support the weight of the engine? I was gonna build an a-frame with a header to chain the engine to. I'm worried that if I support engine off of the wheel wells the whole truck will tedder forward when I remove the old frame.

 

When I did my swap I built a support out of wood and used ratchet straps to hold the engine and trans in the cab. If I had to do it again I think I would leave the engine on the frame and lift the cab off.

I have a 2001 V6 4x4 extra cab manual transmission. The donor was first gen automatic transmission two-wheel drive. Let's just say there were issues with motor, trans and 4x4 crossmembers that would have been easier to deal with if it was all out of the cab to begin with.

I know this is an old post but I'm just putting it here for future information for others

 

Here you go.