Rusted Frame…welder opinion/options

Hey all-

my 96 frame is giving in. I neglected it for the first few years I’ve had it, and now it’s looking pretty rough. Been trying to take care of it since I realized what I was dealing with.

the back passenger shock mount broke today, and the frame in that area is in bad shape.

The bad stuff is restricted to the area with holes. Do you think this is something that can be fixed with some rust buster parts and a skilled welder?

you can see the shock sticking up and the back. And that line of holes is what I knocked out with a hammer…

 

I suppose, those look like a pretty good start, but I have no experience with them.
https://www.rustbuster.com/collecti...2noBrXHA6dzCMsUHFoiYJswQ_bWknw8BZ8wPtVCNNGWYz


You can find 1st gen frame reinforcement plates for that area of the frame because it is a notorious weak spot.

Reinforcement plates would not be sufficient to repair your situation, but they could provide a nice template for the fabricator to follow for solid repairs and the be added to the outside frame rails on top for additional strength.

 

Check these out. I think they also sell the shock mount. Find a local welder. You might do the prep yourself.

https://www.autorust.com/safe-t-cap-kits/

 

Welding isn’t hard, you can teach yourself from YouTube. I would buy a welder and do it yourself.

 

That does not seem like a practical or safe recommendation for this problem.

 

I was looking at these parts, just wasn't sure if the frame is too far gone or not.

 

Also, if i remove the dangling shock, how far would you drive this thing? I'm in NYC right now and would ideally be able to get it to my dad's garage in South Jersey without paying to toe it

 

Hard to tell from that one pic, a pic from the inside of the rails (both rails, frankly, your other side likely needs help too) would help assess it. I'm no expert, but if you engage a skilled welder and there is enough solid material, they should be able to handle this no prob. Just carefully inspect the entire frame using a light and mirror focusing on areas where splashing and grime accumulation thrown up by wheels is common. You could even see if you can find a local welder in the Regional forum of TW. The only thing better than getting help online in this forum is meeting actual people nearby!

 

How far is it?
How good is the remaining shock?
Can you do is on surface streets?

Don't take that on the highway, especially in winter. Maneuvering at speed could be deadly.

Frankly, it would be better for you and everyone else on the road if you just paid to put it on a rollback towtruck. Do you or your dad have insurance that could cover all or part of the towing?

 

I have AAA which could take it most of the way. It's about 100 miles. I guess my move is to find a welder/shop near by and have them do the job. I just posted in the regional forum to see if anyone knows anyone in the nj/ny area

 

1) you can drive just fine without the shock it doesn't really support anything might just be a bit bouncier.
2) that's pretty bad but if its just that section some patches could get you another 5-10 years. I wouldn't bother with the rustbuster parts for the frame rails just make your own, I've used the rust buster parts and they are nice for stuff like the gastank cross-member and shock mount. While you're there I would really clean the whole inside of the frame, and remove the little U piece on the inside of the frame rail by the shock, they hold in dirt and cause the exact hole you have. Then I would completely box the frame to seal it in from any more dirt and help give it more strength. I just did this last summer, I paid a welder $1500 for labor plus some odds and ends parts.

 

Some before and after of everything. Definitely a lot of work but if it's a nice truck it might be worth it. It took a lot of work to find someone who actually wanted to do it, got a lot of go-away quotes, 5 to 8k. Don't give up keep looking for someone who is actually interested in that kinda work.

 

My rear shock (22 years old) sheared off a year ago and I drove about 80 miles on it. It's just soft and squishy as you drive. Handling is soft so don't drive like a porsche... But 100 miles driven sanely should be fine.

 

Fair, but looking at that frame he should learn to weld sooner than later. Good skill to have to keep old cars on the road.

 

I drove mine with a broken shock for a few weeks while I gathered all the parts etc. not that big of a deal, it will feel funny but not as bad as you’d think

 

Thanks for all the input.

I got a quote from a Rust buster certified frame guy. For the Frame reinforcement and a new shock mount bracket he wants $2400 for labor. Plus $230 for parts from rust buster. Plus tax
https://www.rustbuster.com/products/mid-frame-section-w-leaf-spring-mount
https://www.rustbuster.com/products/rear-shock-mount

So the price is coming up on $3000. This is more than I feared, I was prepared for something around $1500-2k.
The shop is reputable, all they do is frame work and wool wax application.

Do you think this is decent? Is it worth it for a truck with 230k on it? I do love the thing..

 

If the rest of the truck is ok why not fix it and get a few more years out of it. You can’t buy much on the used market for $3000.

 

That sounds a bit high for labor. It's not complicated work. I suggest: 1) make sure there are no other spots in need of work, or close to it, so that you have some piece of mind in making the investment in the truck and 2) get another price. Find a welder near you and see what they'll do it for (you buy parts). Mine was $700 labor for the same mid-section (cutting off the leaf spring mount and reattaching leaf spring). You have the shock mount on top of that, but that shouldn't add that much.

Looking at your photo, I think you don't want the mid-section with leaf spring mount, you want this section farther back:

https://www.rustbuster.com/products/over-axle-frame-section

Correct?

Still, shop around.

 

I agree, It is steep and I want to shop around but this is the only frame I can find as of now. He even did this exact repair 2 weeks ago on another Tacoma.

The rusted out section is exactly where the shock bracket was mounted, so I guess it is the part I linked, but I’m not positive.

 

Once you find a welder willing to do the work (good luck) pull the bed off, clean everything up yourself really good. Assess the situation and find out ALL the trouble areas. Then visit this site and get what you need

https://www.rustbuster.com/collections/95-04-tacoma

I had a frame bust at the shock mount and I purchased the shock mount and the frame section.. had my neighbor weld it and that truck is still on the road .

Good luck.. it was a PITA, but it was better than junking the truck. Rust sucks