Tacoma rust repair

Okay, so this truck isn't new and its not the prettiest, but it has been my truck since high school. So today I thought Id give it some love and start repairing small rust spots before then turn into big problems.



The second pictures are of the frame, I honestly think its alright just kinda dirty, so ill put that project aside.


Next is the lower left corner of the tailgate I went ahead and bought a body kit online for $54 and started sanding the original paint off. I then applied rust remover and waited for about 90 minutes before continuing.


Unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures until after the tailgate repair, so im sorry for the lack of photos, but from here on out I will be taking pictures. Here is the finished tailgate


Again its not pretty, but its loads better then it was. Just imagine an ugly rust hole there.
Next comes the rust above the rear left wheel .

In order to fix this, I need to remove these bolts holding the chrome on. There's 8 and they are 10mm.

Heres a better look without the chrome on.


And thats currently where Im at in the project, as of August 14 2019. I will be posting more like sanding, bondo-ing and painting.



Its now August 15th 2019 (morning)
It looks like this was repaired once before me. The grey under the paint looks like Body putty to me.

It looks better then I thought it was.. still not great, but better. There's a bunch of sand and rocks that keep falling out, so I'm cleaning it out with an old paint brush and the air compressor.


After cleaning the loose rust and dirt, I then when over it with the rust remover gel. I applied it with a smaller paint brush and made sure to get in side of all the small nooks and crannies.




After 90mins it looks like this. Kinda dull and yellowish.

I will add another coat of rust remover and then apply the putty.

Applied the putty.

Sanded and applied more putty in some of the low spots. By Sunday I should be painting.


Next I made sure everything was dry and firm and then applied the first coat of paint. This is what is currently looks like.



For the people interested, I dropped the spare tire and took a couple pictures of the frame. Its not bad, but it will require attention soon. By soon I mean before winter. Im not sure if you can tell in the pictures, but the paint is loose and chipping off.


Drivers side\/


Passenger side \/


I put the chrome back on the driver's side rear and then removed both chrome pieces from the passenger side, just making sure its clean under the there.




If you do decide to do remove the chrome, make sure you mark where the attachments are. 24 year old plastic is brittle and will break, even if your careful.

After I marked the attachments I used J-B WELD to secure them into place.

You can also buy new chrome online if you feel like doing it the right way, but who'd wanna do that right? Part numbers are...
(7508635010) 《 Driver's side front.
(7508535010) 《 Passenger side front.
(7508735010)《Passenger side rear.
(7508835010)《 Driver's side rear.
Finished chrome and wheel wells.


Next is the inside of the bed...




So far all I've done is look at the bed of the truck. It is rusty too, but I'm not sure how to go about it without putting a hole through the metal.

 

As far as that frame rust goes, yeah, that doesn't look too bad at all! But, looks can be deceiving. These things rust from the inside out (that's where the salting water gets trapped the most), so before going too hog wild, get a hammer and tap around on the frame.

If the sounds doesn't really change form a ping to a thud, you're all good in the hood.

 

Okay will do!! I believe it was sprayed by Toyota once in its life, but it looks like it might need another go. Thanks for the advice.

 

I doubt Toyota did anything to that frame. The rusty frame extended warranty thing applied to the 2001-2004's. The 90's models were bought back and crushed.

It definitely wouldn't hurt to take a wire brush to it and repaint what you can. Depending on why they do to the roads where you live, you may not need to worry about it too much. Search around here for some idea on how other people treat their frames to prevent rust in the salt belt.

good luck and enjoy!

 

Thanks, I guess I need to do more research on it. I also went out there and whacked that thing with a hammer, no change in pitch.

 

excellent!

 

nice truck more 'prettier' than most but me be biased you know what i mean
has it been in Idaho all of its days or do you know?

do you have an idea of where it may have first started in the tailgate area?
I am trying to keep an eye on mine and already notice some corrosion on the passenger side gate right in the crimp seam/weld place?
had that one fixed and now am concerned with the driver side showing spots in nearly same area!

how many miles are on your truck?

 

That fender repair is a bit of a problem. Since anything significant like cutting it out and replacing would require painting a pretty good size area, I am wondering if you might want to consider some fender flares to hide the repair, instead of trying to match the paint (impossible due to fading). It looks like you already have some offset bringing your tires out from inside the wheel well anyway.

Amazon has several sets for under $200.00. You could repair that rust, paint that small area, then cover the area with flares.

Edit: BTW, nice truck!

 

do you have any idea how that exactly starts in the fender area? i have tried to keep it clean back there (front as well) for 2 decades so it doesn't happen like most trucks in my location often, some Fords are not even 10yrs old with spots there
is it an internal thing or is it where the screws fasten in the molding trims and splash guards?

 

Here is what mine looked like the day I got my truck. Looks like the bottom corners are a likely candidate since both OPs and mine were rusted there (both 1995s)

 

It starts due to retaining water + dirt/salt between the chrome arch molding and the painted outer surface, or inside the fender well, on top of where the fender is bent at a 90 degree to make the opening safe for the tires. That top section is basically flat so gravity doesn't help drain it in both those locations. Dirt collects there and holds water, turning the iron in the soil into rust. Also, in the winter you get snow and ice pack in there on top of that little ledge.

 

Ha, not sure why this pic is giving me issues uploading. One more try... you can see mine rusted in both corners.

 

haha finally

 

It started out in California, then the original owner moved to Utah and then to Idaho. Its been here since 09.
As far as the tailgate, take a look under the tailgate. It seems odd, but i noticed corrosion forming down there. It probably wouldn't hurt to take it off and possibly appart to see if there are any rusty areas inside the tailgate. Miles are currently at 182769.

 

Fender will be hard to say the least, my 88 Toyota had the same issue. That was easy though... ductape and matching spray paint, but I care more for this one, so Ill have to either cut it out or attempt to fix it with what i have. Hopefully the chrome hides most of it. As for fender flares, Im not really a huge fan of them. Also my tires are not off set, they are just too big. The stock tires/rims fit perfectly, those were off the 4runner and they tend to stick out. I honestly dislike them, but Im using them until I can replace them with a size smaller. and thanks haha

 

i just had my tailgate Line-Xd all the way down in the back (left drain holes open) it had a plastic cover on it since new. I can take the half piece off and maybe shine a flashlight down inside to see if anything worrisome is going on. The bodyshop that fixed my hood also put some sort of wax inside the tailgate bottom to prevent water from pooling up inside of there, it was their best solution lol

looks like you're gonna hit the 200k club one of these days i have quite a ways to go still

 

Bondo and spray paint

I honestly don't know I just guessed the chrome kept water and dirt against the body and that caused rust.

 

looks like i will have to remove my molding trims completely and check it out and clean it up better, i just put all new screws in and sprayed with wd40 anti corrosive stuff up into the holes, i have to spray them again before winter

i have been fairly diligent to hose that 90 degree spot as best I can without shooting freezing water back into my face

 

That will probably help a lot, I should probably do more interms of derusting the tail gate, but im on a budget haha
It had 100000 when we got it, but over the last couple of years I used it as my daily driver and that racked up miles.. Oh well it was bound to happen. 200000 here I come!!!

 

Good idea, Im going to do it more often. I might go as far as taking them off in the middle of winter and give them a good clean.