Frame issue - to repair or not?

So I bought this 97 Taco a month ago and started cleaning it up, replacing stuff, and started prepping the frame for a rust repair/painting. Was able to hammer three holes into the bottom of the frame below the doors. Got a those repaired today by them welding a strip of metal along the underside of the frame from front axle to leaf spring main eye on both sides. While it was in the air on the lift, the rear of the truck sagged down a little.

Basically, just watching to see if it bends over the next few days then decide what kind of repair it will need. If it doesn't budge, then great, the weak spot was somewhere along the frame that was repaired already. If it starts to bend back down and go low, probably not so great.

When they set it down and saw it, just to test it, they used a hi jack and lifted the rear up by the hitch. Sounded like it bent a small amount back towards level... Just jack it up and jump up and down in the bed until it's flat??? lol

The question is, should I just straighten and patch it so that the frame is straight, or should I have them cut off the whole rear end and rebuild it (obviously, much more expensive). But there is definitely rust back there on the frame anyway, so it might just require additional patches until it's basically been done.

I've been planning on redoing my suspension myself, but if the whole rear comes off, it'd make the most sense to just do it all then.

Thoughts?

Here's what it looks like two hours after coming off the lift:

 

Of course, if I was to do a rear end rebuild, I'd get to specify exactly how it is built, where the axle is, what suspension to use, etc, etc. That would all be kinda nice...

So much for saving up to do a SAS!

 

In my opinion, patch time has long past. In order to make your truck safe to you and everyone else on the road, you need a new frame--like an entire one.

EDIT: I'd also like to add that I would strongly recommend that you not drive the truck in this condition.

 

I would be very interested in finding a mint frame for 500 bucks but that might be tuff

 

Worst Case Scenario...

 

Don't mess around with trying to patch shit, that's kind of like changing just your pants when they've been crapped in. There's more rust waiting to come out. Find another frame or part out

 

Definitely. You’re not only putting yourself at risk, but also unsuspecting bystanders when (not if) that thing goes. That frame is toast, man.

 

hmm, when the truck is bending like that, it is usually too late, unfortunately

How is the part under the cab? You said there was two holes but was it anymore than that?

 

Yeah I don’t think it wise to patch it up. Either do it fresh or not at all. I wish I had a garage where I could just roll a new frame in and start moving and replacing things.

The part under the cab had those two holes in it, but otherwise looks pretty good. He only had to cut out a couple square inches of rust before welding in the bottom strengthener. It was shocking to see this since the frame overall appears in good shape. Yeah there’s rust, but nothing bad at all. No massive scaly buildups anywhere really. There were a few hundred pounds in the bed with a shell on too so that probably wasn’t great.

Going to look into the options of rebuilding it from the mid cab aft or to just build a whole new frame. No reason to mess around with safety issues.

Don’t have any pics of the fresh strengthener under the cab since I’ve been busy since picking it up.

 

No time to restore it back to stock just:
Cut rear off
Build beefy fame rails
Put dana 80 rear axel with giant spring under leafs
Get a flat bed
Exo skeleton the rest
Sas with dana 80 spring under
Run 40s
Run crazy gear ratio like 7:15s to turn 40s
Boom now you got a kit ass rock crawler
Now Goto MOAB

 

To each there own.

I know of Tacoma`s being driven every day with Frames in far worse condition

Mine being one of them !!!! Just waiting for the Stainless to be bent

I really hope the shop doing this has done several of these Frames and knows all the tricks to fix them so they last another 1/4 million miles just needing paint from time to time .

Anything can be fixed or rebuilt the question is is it cost effective to the owner .

If your in the southwest you might be able to by a complete truck for $500.00 with a failed drive train

 

I'd park that truck until repaired, it's only a speed bump away from catastrophic failure!

 

it is because it your frame has rusted from the inside out, like boxed frames like to do. Doesn't look bad at all from the oustide, but if you could look inside, it would be another story... Anyway, if the part under the cab wasn't rusted through anymore than that, then your frame might be salvageable.

 

I would highly recommend SAFE T CAP. they make parts to save the frame take a look may be the last option to a costly frame swap.
https://www.autorust.com/product-category/toyota-tacoma/

 

"If your in the southwest you might be able to by a complete truck for $500.00 with a failed drive train" Not anymore. The gigs up on these toyota trucks and runners. The Junk yards have jacked up there prices out here. Thanks to everyone from the rust belt

 

Here's a stack of pics depicting the frame, starting at the rear and moving forward. Not cherry picking photos here. Honestly trying to find where the issue could have started, so I can decide whether it will be a new frame, cut off the rear, or do something like the safe-t-caps for the whole frame, basically boxing it in (and replacing mounts as needed).


edit: This is really the worst area of the frame. I believe the rear leaf hanger mounts are original, while the main eye had been moved forward to accommodate the 1998+ OME leafs. This was basically the only area that had any loose flakes of rust that could just be picked off, like a nasty old scab...




LPSV


Example of the shock mounts.


Under the bed.


Coming down the S-curve to where the bed meets with the cab.


Looking along the top rail from in front of the leaf main eye towards the front end.


Leaf spring main eye. Can start seeing the strengthening welds. I was told a lower temp was used around the slider's welds to avoid from decreasing the strength of those pieces since they're much more recent than the frame and in good shape.


Front of bed looking forward.


Overview of the bed-to-cab junction region.


Moving forward, I believe. These thumbnails are tiny.


Crossmember, forward to where it starts to curve up into the front wheel well. edit: Now that these pics were full size in the post, you can actually see inside the frame through the port in the outer face.


Different view.


Just an odd shot of where the recent welds terminate, up at the front axle essentially. You can see the primed metal in the bottom right, the camera/phone is resting on the top of the tire. The Tundra brake line is the red line in the left portion of the shot.

It just looks good, especially compared to so many I've seen. Banged on the frame all the way up and didn't hear any dead spots. The only real rust internally is on that bottom face, hence the holes I found, and hence the welds that I had done. Kinda wondering if it was weakened by the cuts and then welded into a bent shape when the bottom faces were strengthened. Just a little bit of sag caused by the weight in the bed, amplified by contracting molten steel? There just isn't the presence of rust that warrants loss of structural integrity, and the metal is essentially fully thickness in all the places I could check it. Obviously, some has been lost over the years to rust, but that's really just on the very ass end, unboxed portion of the frame.

Huh, weird.

 

what about where the leaf springs attach to the frame right behind the cab? This area wasn't rusted through??
When the truck is bending, it means this area is too weak to support the rear (rusted through or nearly)

By the way, no matter the route you will choose (new frame or patching), to prevent the frame from rusting through again, you must rustproof the inside of the frame as well. Not just the outside because, as you can see, your frame rusted from the inside out (boxed frames are both a blessing and a curse)

 

Really? It doesn't look good to me, and the fact that your truck bent in the middle seems to be a pretty clear indication that the structural integrity of the frame is, in fact, compromised. You've also mentioned you have "a few hundred pounds in the bed," which probably isn't helping given the frame's current state and the fact that your load capacity is nonexistent given the fact that the frame is compromised. That thing is toast, dude. The body looks great and I hope you are able to find a solid frame. If/when you do, I'd strongly recommend ditching the dumped exhaust for a full tailpipe. Think about it. That thing is just creating a perfect damp, warm environment for rust. Considering you're in a dry climate, I wouldn't be surprised if that contributed to the rust, especially in the rear part of the frame.

 

Yeah, that area is just the same as everywhere else. Rusty but sound. It’d been treated repeatedly and repainted. I purchased a full line of Eastwood products with the plan to grind it all down and coat it with encapsulator and chassis paint, after getting any structural or potential hazards/weak points repaired. Definitely want to do the internal surfaces. Debating between sealing the boxed areas in the future or creating excellent drainage and access for repainting. Just make it easy to maintain if we rebuild the frame. Rather than hide rust with fresh metal.

I have the Eastwood internal frame coat/encapsulator. But I’ll be holding off until I see exactly what will need to happen.

 

Yeah man, it really is a stupid location for exhaust. I don’t understand why someone decided to terminate it there. Eesh.