Going from 2014 to 2003 Taco. Have questions

I had a 97' standard cab 4x4 & loved it but a drunk driver took it out. Bought a brand new 12' v6 4x4 & just never really cared for it. Now I'm back in a first gen & I love my truck! First gens just feel more simple & tough. Drives more rigid kind of like a jeep wrangler or something lol. They don't salt the roads around here so I've never even heard of somebody's frame rotting out. Lots of surface rust from the salty air as I live right next to the ocean but no bad corrosion unless you drive in the ocean a lot while at the dunes & don't spray under your truck on the way home.

 

I'd pass

 

Hurrumph. The search will continue.

 

Timing belt....PITA, but it's doable, you can order the OEM kits off ebay, save yourself some coin there....timing belt, tensioner, thermostat...etc. Check under the hood see if it's been done previously, they usually put a sticker with the mileage it was changed, no sticker, no real way to know.......and no idea what the tabs rusting are, if it was me and for the price there asking, have a body shop look at it and see if it's something that's repairable and to what extent of price, give yourself a little more bargain room....just my .02

 

What part of the truck is that? Under the cab? I have no idea what those tabs are without a point of reference. I can look under my truck and see what mine look like...

To answer your frame question in regard to oil and fluid film, I personally haven't done anything to my frame yet, but there are plenty of threads on here about it. But in my opinion if you buy a 2001-2004 truck in the winter, I would not plug any frame holes, because condensation, water, and anything else will still stay inside the frame no matter what you do, and you are just asking for the frame to rust inside out, which is almost impossible to fix in the box portion of the frame. Surface rust you can deal with, but rust inside the frame is no good. In my truck I have rust on the outside of the frame rail, and upon closer inspection of the inside of the frame I have none, and my frame is not plugged at all. I may have been lucky to have a 2003 tacoma that doesnt have the rust horror stories like some have posted, but I think if you use your best judgement you will be fine.

When looking for Tacomas keep an eye for rust around the shackles, and bracket for the leaf spring on the frame. Also rust on the frame rails on ALL sides. I personally have a 2003, and my frame is in good condition (from Salt World in Pennsylvania), but I have surface rust on the rear C channel of the frame near the shackes, as well as on top of one of the frame rails on the drivers side under the cab. There is a huge difference between surface and penetrating rust. For example the rust on the top of my frame rail is not penetrating, if I were to leave it for the next 5 years, it would be. The main point is you are looking to buy a 10+ year old truck, most trucks of this age no matter the make or model will have some rust!

I had my trucks spare tire carrier replaced on recall, fuel pump and sending unit replaced, as well as a multipoint inspection of the truck done in the summer of 2013, and Toyota said for the year my truck was, that my frame is in very good condition. IMO, rust is just something you have to deal with in the Northeast, its just a matter of dealing with it in a timely manner, I will be repairing all the rust on my frame in the spring

 

Under bed and cab. One of he pics is in the driver side floor pan bracing. I have no issue wire wheeling or even cutting and patching sheet metal if it comes to it, but not at 12,200 bucks... I already have a 82 VW rabbit project for that.

I managed to find a red 2004 in CT for just under ten with a brand new frame but 150k on the clock. I'll go see it this Wednesday and if there's no discernible difference between the sheet metal condition then I'll go back to the cape with a wire brush and see what I can make of the taco rot.

I really appreciate the help guys.

 

Tell me more of this mk1.

 

1981 VW rabbit turbo diesel. 1.6 liter 50 something horsepower. Straight pipe routed 3" exhaust. The car sounds like a mack truck. Ongoing work includes full strip out, welding the rockers and the floor pans, paint, vent windows weather stripping.

 

Sounds like fun. I passed on a 1.6 years ago and still kick myself for it. I've ended up in an mk4 with a built 1.8t. Not as fun.

 

Two more options have presented themselves.

Option 1 2002 SR5 with 130k on the clock. Frame swapped in early 2013. v6 manual and asking is 12,000 OBO
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Major issues as I see them - MULTI POINT INSPECT :
SPARK PLUGS/WIRES/PCV EST$280,
E FI SERVICE EST$149.95,
VALVE COVER GASKETS/RESEAL TUBE SEALS ~|~EST$575,
BRAKE FLUID EXCHANGE$119.95,
LEFT REAR PARKING BRAKE PIVOT IS FROZEN EST$320 + TAX
TECH TESTED AND FOUND FAIL CODE P0420. VEHICLE NEEDS A CONVERTOR AND PIPE EST$2675 + TAX
TECH ALSO FOUND CODE PO446. TECH NEEDS TO REPLACE 3 FEET OF VACUUM LINE AND GAS CAP EST$50 + TAX
04/10/2014 MANUAL TRANS CONCERN MANUAL TRANS CONCERN ~|~CUSTOMER STATES WHEN USING CLUTCH OVERRIDE SWITCH VEHICLE STARTS RIGHT UP BUT WHEN STARTING WITH KEY VEHICLE WON'T START ~|~TECH ADVISED THAT CLUTCH OVERIDE SAFETY SWITCH IS NEEDED EST$180 + TAX, PART NEEDS TO BE ORDERED

Truck is now listed with a 2.5in catback exhaust, Owner says he did the spark plugs and pcv. Brake fluid, vacuum line but did not do the gaskets. He also painted the frame to protect form corrosion, which I really dislike...

I know the valve covers on the v6s can get loose so that may be a quick fix, but it the aftermarket catback a good idea for those that did replacements on their cats? Anything I should be wary of here? (haha, get it? Because the laundry list above isn't enough of a warning)

 

Just an FYI, the valve covers may be prone to loosening, but the easy-to-access bolts are only half of what you need to tighten (and do NOT overtighten, torque is like 4ft/lbs). You need to remove the entire intake manifold to get to the other eight valve cover bolts. By then you might as well replace the gaskets and have the valves checked and adjusted.

 

I would tell that tech to pound sand.. way over priced on nearly everything he listed

 

Rust does suck tho.. I live in nh. Pics u showed is mild rust compared to what I've seen on newer trucks

 

Last year I got my 2002 limited trd with 102k for 10,000. Also had new frame done and timing and water pump done at 83k

 

V6 manual

 

^^^^ post whore...

Good stuff in this thread...shopping for a 1st Gen as well.

With over $4K in addl. repairs...I'd steer clear of that candidate, not to mention the aforementioned (mentioned before) rust issues.

Unless there is a time crunch to buy...lots of Tacomas out there, take your time and the right truck will surface.

 

Lol

 

Owner of the latest candidate is a mechanic that says the majority of he issues are resolved, with exception to the valve covers gaskets. I'll give you guys the good news Sunday.

Also, you're absolutely right, tons of tacos out there. But none with less than 150, manual and V6. Seriously, if I wanted a 2.7 this thread wouldn't exist because I'd be too busy driving a first gem taco by now.

 

Traveled to NY this weekend to look at 4 trucks.
#1 - climbed underneath the truck to find exhaust pipe so rotted out pieces were on the ground. The 02 sensor wire was snipped. (not accidentally). The bed was rotting out in the pass side wheel well. I didn't even bother test driving.
#2 - Seller changed his mind after I had gotten to NYC. Boned.
#3 - Jersey truck with a frame swapped in 2010. Rust galore around the shackles and the pass side rocker was tastefully rattle bombed to prevent buyer from seeing that you can put your thumb through it. Metal just gave way without any real push.
#4 - $7500 black 04 TRD with a new frame. Truck chassis was mint, no rust. Engine had 260k on it...

One promising lead has just popped up in Mass but it seems like finding a truck without any rust on it with a new frame isn't possible. I might have to bite the bullet.