Rebuild front right suspension after wreck

Hi all,

I just purchased my 1st Tacoma, it is wrecked, but I wanted to fix it as side project. It is a 2016 TRD offroad with manual transmission. I got it with 60k miles on it, and the interior is well cared ;just dirty for now.

I removed the right front wheel in order to assess the damage to the suspension, and besides the obvious: 'Upper arm and that long bolt on upper arm,' I am not sure what else I should replace on the suspension to start with. Can anyone point me in the right direction by looking at the pictures I am attaching to this post. thank you in advance.

Regards,

 

Spindle is possibly bent and that end link is straight fooked. Impossible to tell how deep this goes.

 

It needs to be put on a frame machine and all measurements checked. I bet control arm mounts are bent as well.

 

@na8rboy thank you for your suggestion. would work if I measure left side w/ caliper and compare to the right to locate a possible bent? also, is there a way to check control arm is alson bent or just go ahead and replace it? I notice control arm is robust and pricey..

 

You can't really get accurate measurements from caliper. Caliper moves. It really needs to go to frame shop/body shop. To get true accurate dimensions. Control arms can be bought 2nd hand pretty inexpensively. Lots on here replace with aftermarket. Most parts you may need can be bought 2nd hand. Except mount on frame itself.

 

Did you buy it from an insurance auction? Was the truck totaled? If so the damage goes much deeper than bolting on a few parts.

 

@na8rboy I think my main goal on the project for now is have damaged parts replaced, so eventually I can take to a frame shop to get it checked. In case mounts are bent, what are the symptoms of bent mounts in this case? also, would you recommend a brand of aftermarket part over the other? thank you in advance

 

Caliper moves?

 

There is no way you should take this project on if you have to ask these questions. You will most likely need a strut tower which includes cutting and welding. Replacing the entire knee. The fender has moved so a good chance the inner fender structure has been bent too. Lower control arm appears to have shifted so new LCA mounts welded on the frame as well could be needed. And that is assuming the frame is still straight.

 

Turning, suspension travel, bent control arm any of those be screwed will give you a bad measurement basing it off the caliper. Without having a true square starting point bouncing around with a tape measure won't really tell you anything more than eye balling it. If you had a known good frame right next to it and based some measuremrnts off that you may get a reasonable idea

 

Hard to tell for sure, but it looks like both the upper and lower control arm mounts are bent. Replacing parts won't fix that, and those need to be straightened (if they can be) or repaired. Along with possibly the shock tower. You probably wouldn't be able to get replacement parts to mount up without doing that anyway, nothing would line up.

As others have said, it needs to be put on a frame machine. If you can get that worked out, though, replacing everything from the control arms out would be advised. May be able to save the brake parts.

 

I’d replace everything on that side, not worth chasing problems

uca, lca, spindle with hub, rotor, caliper, cv axle, brake lines (maybe keep abs sensor), end links, sway bar I might leave unless it appears bent, all bolts, the wheel, etc. Decent possibility steering rack is wrecked too, but if it wasn’t leaking I guess I’d leave it for now.

When everything is off you can get a good look and see if anything else is bent. It doesn’t look hard enough to have tweaked the frame but it certainly could have

 

@airforceb2cc "every long journey starts with a 1st step." thank you for your advice. I thought the strut tower could be bent but looks like the upper arm bolt completely failed so the strut has a noticeable small bent that doesnt look structural. I will further inspect it after removing all parts (I have to cut the upper arm bolt to remove) and roughly compare it to the left side. For the lower arm mounts I was thinking to 3d scan the good side, CAD design it, mirror it, and CNC laser cut it. I am building my front bumper using the same process so might be able to adjust a few minor bends. But I am decided to take it to a shop to check the frame after repairs.

 

@Veet-88 I am adamant taking the truck to a professional to inspect the frame, I hope that at least have it running so I can drive it there. But Hope is also a vice.

 

I can almost promise it won’t be driving. Things won’t line up. I have many years in rebuilding and ran a salvage yard. That needs a frame machine first before you disassemble.

 

Does it matter if the suspension is already disassembled to have the truck on a frame machine?

 

It could if it won’t go back together.