PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

Vehicles with lowest miles...

FIRST PLACE: 2013 Nissan Murano SV AWD (Purchased used in September 2014 with about 11K on the clock; More than 4 years later has less than 33K)

SECOND PLACE: 2000 GMC Safari conversion van (Purchased new in May 2000, traded for the Honda Odyssey mentioned above in May 2004; About 35K-36K at time of trade-in)

 

https://youtu.be/8glWcEuxw3U

 

Do you think my "treated" frame will rot out in this lifetime? I pressure-wash it regularly...

 

So even a digital odometer can "exceed mechanical limits"?!?!

 

Except the power steering rack haha.

Mines got 149,6xx on it now and the rack just blew. NE road salt, wish my brother (previous owner) had the rack done with the frame 2.5yrs ago!

Other than that, I drove it 11,700 (corrected for 265’s) cross country this past summer with ZERO issues, and I expect another 200k out of it. Never selling it.

 

My master cylinder went at maybe 35,000 miles...

 

I’d be pissed! My ‘94 had 250k when the motor finally popped (blew radiator and overheated catastrophically), original rack, clutch, master and clutch master, etc... loved that truck.

 

And probably 1/10 the cost. My brother sold his 540i years ago and bought a Tacoma. And has never regretted it. I drove his once and ended up getting one too.

 

And my evaporator core sprung a leak sometime in 2016-2017. It all started in June 2017 when I noticed that my A/C was blowing ICE COLD out of the driver's side vents, lukewarm out of the center right vent, and hot outside air from the far right vent. My mechanic recharged it and it worked fine for the rest of the summer, but he couldn't not find a leak when he pressure-tested the system. In April 2018, it was doing the same damn thing again. My mechanic charged it again and it worked okay but not perfect. By July, the performance of my air-conditioner was really suffering, and after making it through a heat wave at the Carlisle Truck Nationals with my A/C working at maybe 60% capacity, I finally got fed up and took it to the dealer.

As such, it didn't get properly diagnosed until August or September 2018, when I brought it to the dealer after two recharges. The dealer estimated was almost $1,600 and some of my friends told me I should just get a new truck. With a brand new base model 2018 Tacoma starting at more than $25K, that sure as shit wasn't gonna happen. I also didn't exactly have almost $1,600 lying around at the time, so my dad paid for the repairs.

 

My dad's new Yukon has electronic power steering; No fluid required!

 

If the dealer didn't remove any rust, clean the surface, or any prep work you may want to spend some time cleaning off whatever they applied. If they sprayed a "rubberized" undercoating you should remove it. It would be best clean the frame up, remove the rust with an angle grinder/wire wheel, and re-paint the frame. If they used a rubberized undercoating it will be a real bitch to remove and will come off more easily by chemical means (methylene chloride).

 

I don't have the space to do that myself...

@Taco critter

Do you have the means to do this?

 

The culture of that place supports what they do, even the CC minimum. While they get all sorts of customers, they attract the 16-18 crowd in large numbers - who, while at home can’t seem to get a dish near the sink (YMMV), are willing to act socially responsible there. They also only have cash, even if in very limited amounts...

 

Why can't I just get a new frame?!?! That's what I wanted to begin with!

 

I was able to crawl under my truck or use some ramps to do almost all of the work. I suppose that might not work as well with a five-lug truck.

 

YMMV?

 

Your mileage may vary.

 

What's the worst that could happen if I just do what I've been doing and pressure wash the frame regularly, but don't do anything else?

 

@ALI3N_123
@El Duderino
@Jamesboy2233

Should I still be worried about my frame rotting out?!?!

 

It depends on the state of the frame. If there are no perforations or sheets peeling off (delaminating) the frame would be fine for quite a long time. I don't know what kind of "undercoating" that your dealer would have used though. The "rubberized" types will eventually crack and allow water in but not let it out easily. The dealer could have just sprayed goop over a frame near the end of life or it may have been perfectly fine. You could scrape off small sections of the coating and take a hammer and chisel to your frame to verify its integrity. It's also possible for rust to look bad when it's really not. Rust occupies a much larger volume than steel.