Burned truck, opinions ?

He said he paid it off two months ago. Why would he still have an issue with them?

 

For some reason I got it reversed and thought he had 2 payments left. My bad.

 

The silence is deafening.

Well, since OP did ask for opinions, I'm a gonna give mine. Based on the fact that the windshield isn't burnt / melted out, I'm having a hard time imagining the fire was extensive enough to burn a centre cap that badly while still on the wheel.

The cap appears to be steel, and I'm gonna say it was left sitting on top of the battery, where it either connected the positive post to the hood, or the battery hold down.

I'm confident that the fire started with a large electrical short based on how the battery itself has turned into a whole lot of nothing. A fire from another cause would have a hard time rendering such a large mass into nothingness.

There, my .02, might not be worth it.

My sincere condolences to OP for the loss of a fine truck. It's a crappy deal for sure. And a loss I can relate to in at least some small way.

 

Pretty sure the metal cap caused an ark between the battery posts and that was all it took

 

Is the cap on the battery just a plastic wheel hub cover?

 

I’m not a very religious person but I don’t see how a boat full of animals could have caused this.

 

Yep. It's a plastic wheel ornament. I think there is a recessed metal wire for mechanical retention that's press fit in the interior.

 

I apologize for the lag and i appreciate everyones input, gives me a lot of angles to tackle this from. The wheel cap was olaced on top if the battery after the fact. The fire made it past the fire wall and melted the dashboard and burned the carpet. It also cracked and burned the windshield as well. Since the fire startes on the drivers side, it also got past the fender well, with the heat melting the tread, and the molten plastic also landed on the wheel and got on to the rim. I must have placed on the battery when looking over the truck.

 

Hey guys thank you for all of your input, but unfortunately I had no luck when it came to my automotive insurance or home insurance. It is an uphill battle. I am in my last semester of school and do not have the funds, time, or energy to try and rebuild this and sadly, I think I may junk the truck. Before I do, is there any parts that I should think of taking off and selling by pieces ? I have a set of up total chaos UCA's that are paired with King coilevers that I will take off. The engine and transmission seemed to be in good shape still. Transfer case, front and rear differentials come to mind. Maybe body panels that some members may benefit or are in need of ? The only thing left in my interior are the seats and seat covers. Anything else that you guys can think of ? thanks in advance.

 

So if it's not covered and you're not filing a claim, does that mean you won't be getting a salvage title? If you don't care about electronics and accessories, it wouldn't be that big of an undertaking to get it moving again. You could get a standalone ECU like an SDS and use a drive by cable throttle body, but you'd lose all the electronics, airbags, etc. There'd be a ton of small parts to replace, but it would be a fun project if you want a gutted off-road vehicle without all the fancy stuff. I couldn't let a truck go without any structural or mechanical damage. You should just make it an off-road beater!

I've bought vehicles on Copart.com, and I know you can sell your vehicles to them if you want an easy route. You'd just have to get it titled as salvage, then fill out a form and they'll get in contact with you for a quote. No idea what kind of prices they offer, but it can't be worse than a scrapyard.

 

Just when i thought i had made peace with it, haha. I never gave that a fair shot as I always considered that the truck would be my daily but that is a good point. But again, i dont think I know enough to tackle that on my own. I will contunue with the research i that aspect ans will also look into Copart. Thanks for suggestions.

 

I have some parts I’m looking for if your truck has them still since your putting the feelers out for the wolf’s haha

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ics-updated-with-more-i’m-looking-for.533422/

 

Wish I could help but my dashboard melted and Im pretty sure I am missing the same parts haha