Is this frame too rusted to clean up?

Hello Taco World. I am looking to buy my first Taco and need some advice. I am torn between a 1st and 2nd gen so ive been looking at both until i find the right one. I came across an 03 trd offroad with 130k. Ive done my research so i asked the dealer about the frame. Found that it has not been replaced and they told me it had no rust... well obv thats not possible so i asked for pictures.

Tldr, does this frame look too rusted for me to clean it up and put an undercoat on it? Or do you think it will need to be replaced? Thanks in advance for any help.

Edit. They are asking 10k

 

From those pictures it doesn’t look too bad. Some surface rust. But I would ask for pictures of the front of the leafs, that’s where they like to rot

 

From the pics it doesn’t look bad at all. Just find the worse few spots and take a screw driver or a ball peen hammer and give it a small wack. As long as the drone doesn’t scale or anything like through, and it sounds solid then it should be fine.

 

Doesn’t look bad. Would need to see more pics. Wire brush clean up and some rust proofing or rusting converting spray.

 

Where are you located? It doesn't look that bad. Just some surface rust from gravel rash.

I have some gravel wear surface rust on a Texas truck. The truck did not live in an area with salt but lived on a gravel road for some point in its life. I'm refinishing those frame areas in phases. I'm roughly 1/3 of the way through. Phase I has been completed. I will pick up the other 2/3 when the weather cools in September or October.

Here's how it looked and how it looked during the process.

Some surface rust around the inside of the wheel wells.





I pressure washed (with soap) the area I treated to remove any oils left over from a leaking engine and to remove any CorrosionX that I had previously sprayed to treat the rust. I wanted to start with a clean and porous surface before sanding and priming.

I took a Harbor Freight sandblaster (the cheap portable kind with the gray plastic tank) with some compressed air and blasted off any surface rust. It was good about knocking off any loose paint or finding possible rust emerging from under the paint. I brushed off the surface with a wire brush afterward to check the surface and to make sure every possible loose chip was gone. This process cleaned up the area for priming in the next step. NOTE: I checked inside the frame and there are no traces of rust emerging from inside or on frame areas that were not exposed to the gravel wear. I sprayed the area with compressed air to remove as much remaining blasting media as possible. I bought Black Diamond blasting media from a company named Tractor Supply. I am treating this frame cleanup like the truck is a farm implement that would be exposed to more rocks, chips, and abuse than an automobile. I am not using a rubberized undercoat that will hide emerging rust and allow moisture to sit under the surface. The final result is dry paint that is harder and more chip resistant than an automotive finish.



Primed the area with some Rust-Oleum Self Etching Primer





Sprayed the frame with Rust-Oleum FARM IMPLEMENT paint. The paint is designed for tractors, brush hogs, mowers, snowplows, and heavy implements that take a beating in the field. The is one of the easiest spray paints that I have ever used. It goes on thick and does not run like regular paint. I gave it two coats. It cures slowly but thoroughly. It appears to have connected with any original paint that may have been left over that I didn't prime. I love the way it flowed on. I used gloss black so it will be easy to clean over the long haul. It was a good afternoon of work to do the first 1/3 of the project. But I think it will be worth it over the long haul.












Note there is a product named Fluid Film that I will use annually to treat the inside of the frame where I could not restore the finish and to maintain the restored finish. I think between the FARM IMPLEMENT paint and fluid film, this frame and vehicle will last for many decades.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zONU9pii_KE

 

Thanks for the detailed response! Gives me some hope in the frame rust issue. To answer your question about location, I am located in north Texas / Oklahoma... So no sand but plenty of red dirt LOL. So the frame is probably in the similar condition to yours. I am very familiar with tractor supply and this is such a good idea, I think you are on the right track with the tractor paint over a rubber sealant. Thanks again

 

Looks fine to me

 

Damn, didn't know HF sold a small blaster.

 

Given the fact it is in texas, most likely not rusted through. Looks to be surface rust, so not bad at all. If it was from an area where they use winter salt and chemicals, I'd tell you to be concerned (and it would probably be far worse looking, by the way)

Better to go see the truck in person if it's not too far, but if it isn't possible, the worst area for rust is where the leaf spring attach to the frame (both inner and external frame rail sides), right behind the cab. Then the inner frame rails by the catalytic converter and the gas tank. Ask for pictures of these areas

 

I live in DFW and mine looks like this around the rear wheel wells. It’s most likely just surface. I need to sand and paint mine as well.

 

I just finished cutting, replacing and plating both sides of my frame right above the middle of the rear leaf springs... In the process of cutting and replacing I discovered that on both sides there is a gusset on the inside of the frame rail that makes it next to impossible to wash out the dust, so I would definitely check that location. It is right where the frame starts to angle down, right above the rear tires.

 

do you have any pics by chance while you were doing this
it would be interesting to see some of the innards!

 

I didn't take any, but I did leave a hole in the bottom of the frame so that I can actually blow the junk out of there in the future. Figured the 3/8" plate I welded on there would keep the frame rigid enough. I'll run out to the parking lot and see if I can get any pictures.

 

Not sure if anyone can help or not. I have a 2002 Tacoma and it got smacked in the left rear pushing the rear portion of the frame to the left an inch. (Right behind the rear cab mounts) i brought it to a body shop to get a quote... And about passed out. 3500-4000 to fix it. It bucked on the inside a little and top of the left rail. I've been driving it like this but it crab walks bad and is chewing the tires up like crazy. So I had an idea. Oh btw, this is a frame swapped truck and they said I'm not getting a new one. So my idea was to go to the steel yard and buy a piece of rectangular tube that fits snug over my frame and cut my frame off on both sides infront of rear cab mounts and slide the tubing over my rails and basically remake the rear end of the frame. So factory frame would be slid inside roughly 3 feet of bought tubing. Then make new rear cab mounts, new cross members and reuse the leaf spring mounts. I planned on using grade 8 thru bolts at each end and welding it to the factory frame. What's your thoughts? Would it be dangerous? If so how? Seems these frames are only 1/8.. I can get this steel for 200 bucks. I love welding and up to the task. But I don't want it to be unsafe

 

Glad to help. Many years ago, I lived in OKC and traveled I-35 to DFW and back. I thought I was looking at my frame when I saw yours. I just got the Taco in April of this year.

 

Mine is from the Tyler/Kilgore TX area. We've got a Texas look going on there.

 

Thanks for the extra info.

 

Its also best to cover that hole with a grommet to keep anything from making a new home inside the frame.

 

Not really, especially if its a rubber grommet. Then once something gets in there, it'll stay there and just rust it out again. Better to just coat it and keep it clean.

I got side tracked the other day and never made it out to the parking lot, if I remember later today, I'll post some up!

 

Alrighty, I remembered! Picture quality does suck, unfortunately.