Rear Leaf Connection, Was Welded. Thoughts?

Hi Y'all. First post, long time reader.
I'm looking at a truck in the upper midwest, and this was a cause for suspicion on a 2003 Toyota Tacoma X-Cab with 114 k miles. I'm getting it inspected by a mechanic, but wanted to know your thoughts. The guys offering it for relatively cheap, and the rest of the frame looks pretty good, minus a bit of rust on the skid plate. I've read about the rust issues, and will be getting this thing coated, as well as moving south within the year.

 

That is a lot of birdshit with no penitration. I'm gonna guess here. Contaminated weld, not hot enough with to much wire speed, or shitty arc welding by a rookie. Either way it can be ground off and fixed. If it cheap enough go for it but keep enough in your pocket to fix sooner than later.

Im gonna guess they probably didn't use a cavity spray. When you introduce that much contamination into the raw environment you will start rusting on the inside as soon as you close the cavity.

 

Did you ask him why it was welded? Seems like a good place to start.

 

I'd bet my hat the frame rusted through and it's a patch.

If you do buy it, plan on having that properly plated and rewelded. That looks like a cob job and I wouldn't trust it. I would poke around the rest of the frame and see if there are any other weak points. What does the frame look like in that same location on the other side?

 

I'm getting it from at the 2nd owner, this guy doesn't know, which is why its suspicious. Definitely a poor weld job, I'll see what happens at the mechanics. Guys asking $7500. I have access to welding equipment, though I'm not a professional, and would get somebody to do it. Would it corrode the frame from the inside then if it was done improperly? I called the dealer, frame was checked in 09 for corrosion, but they didn't spray it for some reason, voiding the frame replacement warranty, which is both strange and depressing people aren't on top of their service game.

 

If he's pleading ignorance that's a red flag, especially on a truck that's being offered at a discounted price. I'd pass, unless you feel like negotiating for an even lower price and then grinding down and replating that section of frame correctly.

 

Agreed. I'm getting it looked at by an old timer Toyota mechanic now, I think I'll get a sense of things after he checks it all out. Any ideas on how much something like that would cost ? Also, do any of you have experience with undercoating after it gets repaired/ is it worth it? Thanks for answering, I'm new to the whole 'yota thing.

 

The cost to plate a frame varies wildly, to be honest. I had a mechanic plate the shock brackets on both sides of an old Nissan back in the day and he charged me $50 plus the cost of the steel.
However, I had a frame patch put into a different Nissan a couple of years after that and took it somewhere else (I was living in a new town 3 hours away) and it cost me $300 for a 12" plate, and it was a worse job.

If you do have it plated, find a privately-owned garage to do it, usually someplace a little disreputable does a better job because they do it more frequently. And make sure they've got a welder that can handle the job; a true 220 volt name-brand unit; not some chintzy little buzz box.

 

You guys nailed it. Tacoma mechanic said it was so patched and rusted you could put your fist through other parts of the frame. The frame looked good from photos and by eye, but you never know. The search continues, mid-west salt be damned.

 

never mind, last post wasn't there while I was typing a reply

 

No sale,,walk away.

 

yes, in that case I agree definitely run away as fast as you can with one exception.

you "may" be able to get the frame replaced through Toyota warranty so I would keep it in mind and see if this might be an option for that truck. its a gamble but odds are high you might qualify for it and you can buy the truck knowing you can get the frame replaced for free. this is tricky because if the owner finds out he can get a new frame he might and im sure he will want more money for the truck. it all depends on just how cheap the price is so what is he asking for it?

we could at least tell you if you can recover that cost just by selling the parts off of it if you cant get a new frame for free. if the parts value is worth the asking price then its worth a gamble on getting Toyota to honor the rusted frame warranty

personally I don't think I would want to get into that can of worms unless the price was dirt cheap