Opinions on this undercarriage rust?

It is a 1995 4 cyl automatic with 2wd and 108k miles. He wants 3600 for it. It is a Wisconsin truck. I asked for pics of the frame and he sent these. He said that the stamp is still visible and he even ground through the undercoating to show that there is no rotting underneath.

BUT there are some pretty rusty parts that I noticed. I'm not familiar with the anatomy of a tacoma/vehicles in general so I'm not sure if the rust shown is imperative to the function of the truck. Should I just give up on finding a rust free tacoma in the Midwest?

https://m.imgur.com/a/7udAy

Thanks!

 

The photo of the leaf spring hanger that is unground looks bad. Frame appears salvageable- I would want to put a hammer and screw driver to it. I would not buy this one without seeing it in person...

 

kgt0001 is right, Wisconsin is a state where they use road salt in the winter, what you are seeing is the result...........

 

That is way better than my 2004. For the year it is likely better 90% of other trucks in the Midwest. Though nothing will be rust free. I am in Madison, WI.

 

Way better than my '03 also.

Surface rust seems to scare off those not used to seeing it. But that said, these trucks are tricky, rusting from the inside out. It can be nearly undetectable from the outside until it's rusted through. I never saw the rust through on my '01 until the dealer found it, and it was so bad they wouldn't let me drive it home. My '03 has not rusted through at this point, but may end up in the same condition.

 

I have a California truck and my frame has some surface rust similar to that (albeit on a lesser scale). I'd do the hammer test. If you ever see it in person stick your fingers in the frame holes and see if you can remove any rust. Hell. buy one of those USB inspection cameras and look inside the frame.

 

Not bad for a a Truck this old being 2wd it most likely stayed at home in the worst weather.

Any Toyota this old is going to need lots of love .

 

Bump

 

My rear axle housing/diff looked like that. Degrease the area you're working on, paint on rustoleum rust desolver. Let sit then rinse. Once dry, spray with VHT Chassis paint. Done deal. You may have to slide the bed back after unbolting it to get to the top of the frame.

After that, it's fluid film for the winter season. You can spray the FF inside the frame as well so that rust doesn't spread.

 

Thank you for the concise advice! Really appreciate it. I'm pretty much sold on the truck now.

 

Doesn't look too bad from the outside, but these frames have the nasty habit of rusting and rotting from the inside out, unfortunately.

The only way to tell if it is good is to hit it with a hammer, especially where the leaf springs attach to the frame, right behind the cab, as this is usually the first spot where these frames start to rot. Also, by the gas tank and the catalytic converter, as these are commonly rotten spots on good looking but rotten frames.

Another thing to do is poke a finger or something inside the square holes on the frame rails to see how must rust flakes and chunks there is in there. If full, probably not a good sign, but it's the hammer test that is really going to tell you if it is good or not.

If it's all good, remove as much loose rust as possible and grease the frame. If you do paint the frame, I still advise to grease it, as the grease will prevent moisture from potentially building up under the paint, making it rust again.

 

Thanks for the advice, I didn't know that frame rot was so elusive. Unfortunately the the truck is 6 hours away, so I don't want to go there to find out the frame is bad.

 

Yeah, I understand, but I think it is worth taking a look at. (and a hammer to it )

You could ask the seller if it was driven during winter and if the truck has ever received a rustproofing treatment. It won't tell you about the inside rust, but it can give you an idea of if the underside has been taken care of

 

After reading all the post up to now , especially being six hours away, save yourself some grief and
Pass on this one !!