Maine

Post some pics of that rust so we can see how bad it is... 1k sounds about right from a body shop but there may be cheaper alternatives. Like ACEkraut mentioned there are all kinds of redneck quick fix options that people do but also looking into a whole new bed from a junk yard could be cheaper for an 04.

Welcome to the Thunderdome! *Tacomaworld

 

I’ll get some pics up tomorrow. The body shop guy mentioned finding a new bed and called the salvage yards he knew but didn’t come up with anything. He also offered a fiberglass fix but that seems too short term. Hoping to keep this truck for a while. Thanks for the welcome! Learned a ton from this site in the past week. Coming from a mechanical background of light maintenance on a subaru impreza (spark plugs, belts, a CV axle once...) so I’m hoping to do more DIY stuff on the tacoma and gain some skills.

 

Man thats a crazy story. The sale of this truck was a bit odd... the bed was full of trash and the guy said it was a condition of buying the truck... almost walked away at that moment but everything else checked out lol

 

I am new too tacoma ownership as well (used to ride chevys) and have learned a lot here over the last few months. This forum is a bank of knowledge. If alternative auto is going to cut off the rust and weld on new wheel wells for 1k you are definitely not getting a bad deal. I semi recently went through a similar thing on my old silverado and was quoted $1,100 to replace the rocker panels. Ended up giving the truck away but wishing I had done it right the first time after filling the holes with spray foam and covering with bondo/truck bed liner.

Considering your truck has a newish frame and you want to keep it for a while I definitely agree that having it done right is the move. Also I recommend getting it undercoated. Just had mine done by Rust check for under $200 and they are originally from Canada so I trust it is good product. Believe there is one in bangor.

 

Gotcha, Bangor Radiator does a rust check treatment and I was planning on going there after the body work. To clarify its just one wheel well that will be replaced, then maybe some grinding and paint on some bubbling spots. Should get final estimate on Tuesday and will update.

 

1k isn't bad, depending on the size of the patch. If you're planning to keep the truck for a while it's worth having it done correctly. Body work in general has gotten crazy expensive in the last 10 years or so; lots of the small shops have closed up because the owners are retiring. I've had 3 different independent guys lined up to do the body work on my '69 over the last 5 years, and all three have retired before they got to me.

Where's the leak in the rack? When I was working as a service writer for one of the local auto repair chain stores ( ) I saw a few Toyota racks where it seemed like the rack was leaking but it was actually one of the lines that had gone bad and it was just running down onto the rack.

 

I’m not totally sure about the leak. When I got it it appeared to be leaking at the cap, or someone overfilled it and spilled. It certainly could be running down a tube. I’m having a mechanic look at it on Monday, we will see if they can find it.

here are the rust pics:

 

Yea I would definitely pay to have that done. Weird that it's just one side.

 

They'll probably cut that out and put a new skin in place of it. Last I checked you could buy that exact panel section for about $70.
Of course, what you're paying for isn't the panel; it's the skill to weld it in seamlessly and then to have it painted to match. I still think $1000 is pretty reasonable

 

I did a thing. Sold my house and real estate prices are through the roof. My wife isn't as excited as I am. My plans are to swap out the tires for ones that will match my truck (lugs already match). Swap out the RTT. Build a lid with struts to lift it. Build a slide-out "kitchen" with drawers and table space for things. I will use my skottle for cooking but will need space for everything else, maybe a fridge and slide.

 

Probably give it a wash down / degrease later this week when it warms up and monitor from there. See if you actually have a leak or not

Oh and also definitely going to want to hold off on any undercoating until that patch is done, otherwise they will hate you

 

Just had a local mechanic give it a once over. They said the power steering leak was in the lines not the rack or pump. Rough estimate was an $800 repair which seems brutal. I believe this would be with OEM lines, as they said the aftermarket ones can be fiddly to convert to work. They also noted dye in the AC system like someone was looking for a leak.

 

That does seem a little steep; I'd have expected somewhere around $600, depending on the shop's labor rate.

 

I want a lid for my m416-style trailer. Is this something you would try as your first fab project or would you pay someone to do it?

 

If the dimensions are fairly square and simple, it should be a good fab project. And even if awhile down the line you don't like the end result, there's nothing to stop you from trying again with a tweak here or improvement there.

 

Yeah 4'x6' pretty simple. I would like to add some height to the top, maybe 6" so that I can have some taller items in the cargo area of the trailer. If I had a fab shop do it, I would have them make the rack system fit aluminum extrusions so accessories for prinsu racks would work with it. That may be able my (in)ability.

 

Id think having access to a bead rolling machine would make that a lot more feasible. A sheet of metal that big would need a ton of reinforcing / frame work to keep it from flexing all over the place. Bead rolling would probably cut down on that to some extent.

 

Anybody need a tailgate panel? I replaced mine and will be junking this unless anybody wants it. I’m in portland but will be driving through NH to northern VT tomorrow

 

I need to get out and get my truck dirty. Installed 6112/5160s this winter and want to put them to use. And I'm a Dan too!

 

I need to get out and get my truck clean.
Dam winter..