Repair rust damage or replace vehicle suggestions

Hi, I have a 2005 Tacoma DC TRD Off-Road that is suffering from rust caused by Vermont winters, namely all the salt they needlessly pour on the roads.

Now that I have moved to Florida, I'm debating whether its worth replacing the front bumper, suspension, wheels and having the surface rust cleaned up. It has a small hole formed on the right fender apron. Otherwise, from what I can tell the rest of the rust is surface.

Toyota replaced the frame around in 2015-2016. The bumper is the Shrockworks (powder coating is useless!). The factory trailer hitch assembly completely rusted away. The truck has about 151,000 miles on it.

I'd appreciate any thoughts and suggestions. Part of me would like to keep it, but I no longer need it for lugging around mountain bikes or a kayak, but that could always change.

 

By the looks of it you didn’t take care of the replacement frame very well. At this point it will probably only get worse. I’d treat best I could and drive it into the ground or to the point it’s no longer safe to drive all while saving for a new one and pay cash for the new one.

 

Hard to tell. That rust doesn't look horribly bad if it hasn't penetrated completely through. If you wire wheel and coat your frame you can sure have many years out of it. The frame is only 4 years old so hopefully the damage isn't to severe. Suspension and a trailer hitch are virtually inexpensive especially if you can find a set of Oem Take Offs off a third gen tacoma.

 

Vermont here!
1st pic appears to be a hole for the light on a aftermarket bumper.
Aftermarket powder coat shit hasn’t held up well for me either.

The rest of the rust looks like it rotted from inside the engine bay into the wheel well.
Lack of cleanliness letting crap sit in those spots..
Be interested to see what the rust is like under the hood.
Clamps lines fittings etc.
I’ve seen plenty of used ones at the dealer that are all shiny outside but crispy inside.
You should also take a look underneath at the floors and where the cab mounts/bushings are.

Those rust spots can be fixed easy and don’t really show.

Get the old rusted hitch before it rusts to the frame.

My 08 @200k has no rust like you have shown and has been in VT it’s whole life.
I got lucky and found a hole in the frame on a front cross member by the tie down.
Looked like a missing weld and got a frame.

Definitely looks like it could use some maintenance..
Bushings shocks etc.
At least some rust inhibitor to slow down some of the rot.

 

None of those pics show the frame. The frame is fine. The front bumper though is a different matter, even with undercoating the salt ate it up pretty quick. I do regret not having the bumper removed, stripped and painted with decent paint after the first sign of surface rust.

 

Its penetrated through the bumper, or at least has damaged the driving light recesses one of the brackets broke off.

The frame itself is fine. Sorry, I should have included a pic showing more of the bumper as it seems you are thinking that is the actual frame.

 

Yes, that is the light recess hole, the whole bracket fell off a couple of weeks ago. I regret not having the bumper removed, stripped, and repainted with some actual bumper paint at the first sign of rock chips and surface rust. The last 5 years have been an extreme challenge with other things. Still, regular undercoatings, washings, and checks at the dealer were done.

The engine bay looks okay, aside from the one spot on the passenger side. I believe that hole that rusted up was for the factory air intake system. I'll take a peek again later today in there and take some more pics.

Yes, I'm considering just buying a complete suspension kit including bushings. Toyota always checks all that, supposedly, but I think its time to replace it all. Or put the money towards another vehicle. The factory wheels need to be replaced too. Between the balance weights and moron mechanics with their impact wrenches that like to damage things they are fairly trashed.

 

Don’t trust the dealer.
Most of them are just trying to get past their warranty period.
Can’t imagine you’d get much for a rusted Vt vehicle there.
Try to find a small local shop you can trust.
I’m thinking the new frame is ok and if it runs and drives ok I’d keep it.
Oh and if you like your truck then that’s more reason.
Gotta way out what’s good and what needs attn.

 

Here's '98 Tacoma from Minnesota. It's been on Craigslist off and on for a couple of years.
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/pts/d/saint-paul-1998-toyota-tacoma-4x4-bad/7120060645.html

 

I've lived in the rust belt all of my life and have experienced rust in every vehicle I've owned to one degree or another. One thing I can tell you for sure is that the rust you can see is just the tip of the iceberg. And it's what you cannot see that causes all the damage. Trust me, as bad as what you can see on your truck is, there's plenty more hiding just out of sight.

The other thing I've learned is that once it gets as bad as yours is, attempting to find and fix all of is is pointless. You'll sand and grind until you think you've got it all exposed only to find even more rust just behind the next panel. And you'll never be able to just sand or grind well enough to truly remove all of the rust before applying paint. And that means the rust will just come right back. Anybody who tells you they can totally remove rust so it won't come back - without totally replacing a panel - is lying. Sorry to be so blunt, but it's the sad truth.

 

That’s just sad.
Sorry for your loss.

 

It's not mine, just something I seen on C.L. auto parts section. All my vehicles get some type of rust preventive. Right now I've been using Eastwood products and I check for needed touch up areas yearly and often. Tried Fluid Film but keep going back to Eastwood.

 

How the driver's side fender apron? More critical since it holds the weight of the battery.

Off-road bumpers have pretty much doubled in price since you got yours thanks to higher steel costs from all the trade wars. It would be significantly cheaper to find a shop to sandblast and re-powdercoat your existing bumper.

 

Agree
I used to see new car brochures listing the steps uni-body cars went through to protect them from rust. Some were like seven steps or more with a galvanization in there. Haven't seen it lately, then it's been a long time since we purchased a new vehicle. For best protection against rust, it all has to start at the manufacture.
Ever wonders why steel brake lines are coated now?

 

Another day to count my blessings of not living in a Northern State cursed by freezing water.

 

If you plan on Kayaking at the beaches here in Florida just keep it the way it is and save $$ for the next truck SUV.
Our saltwater will crush it.

 

in Florida bare metal will develop surface rust in a matter of 15 minutes.