01 Frame Swap/Rebuild Thread

A few months ago I posted about buying a Tacoma only to realize the frame had cracked. Oy.

Since then I went on a hunt to find a donor frame and began the process of swapping everything over. I was supposed to go to the junk yard today to try and salvage some parts but since it is pouring rain I figured I would finally make a post about it.


It hasn't been too bad other than the rusted bolts that have snapped. The cab you can see gets turned sideways when one of the pillars holding it up gave out. Thankfully the 4x4s kept it from falling completely. Only bad damage was my shift lever cause I just figured id leave it in since I was clearing the engine anyways. My CV axle boots ripped the other night while it was sitting cause they were dry rotted and I didn't put any supports under them while they sat. Also my drivers side strut/coil fused to the frame. My extraction tools only managed to strip the stud in the housing.

So far I need to replace the brake proportioning valve, cv axles (or reboot? drivers side was already whirring anyway so probably replace), AC condenser/radiator, brake lines to front wheels and over the engine, skid plate, sway bar, and I need to figure out what wires I accidentally ripped here lol. Could just reconnect them I guess.

Its been a fun rebuild though! Im really excited to drive it again. I wish I had more time to do engine work while its out but my buddy wants it out of his parents garage ASAP. I need new belts and cam seals and valve cover seals bad. Im worried about trying to get the cab back on for real tho. It almost fell taking it off but I honestly can't think of a better way to do it. Probably just going to get more cinder blocks and avoid using the jack stands this time. I basically just raised one corner at a time 4" using blocks. Hopefully second time around I have less trouble since I have to do all this alone. Thankfully Steve was able to come help me after it got cocked sideways.

 

Subbed - good luck man! Doing the full frame off swap is a lot of work. Hoping you coat the hell out of your donor frame before slapping it back under the body. I highly recommend POR-15 (two coats) and the Eastwood frame coating for the inside of the rails.

 

the frame is in immaculate condition. still think its necessary? I considered it in the beginning but now since im pushed for time I figured I would cross that bridge when it became necessary.

 

FYI, you're using cinder blocks wrong. They are meant to be standing with the hollow areas being vertical. The way you have them, you are using the weak axis and that could case them to crack or catastrophically fail dropping the cab. Just something worth pointing out if safety is a concern.

 

Holy shit! I remember your post back when you were still asking about Toyota replacing it or suing the dealer you bought it from. Crazy about of progress, great job.

Depending on if they salt the roads where you live, I would do fluid film every season. How much and where did you get the frame?

 

Yes. It's quick and easy to do, much more so with the body off.

 

@ZrowGz not the same year but this can probably help you with your frame swap

 

I was just gonna post this same exact thing +1 . Please take the time to correctly position the Cinder blocks.

Best of luck with your Garage frame swap, Sure as hell beats 13+K for the dealership job.

I would definitely at the very least check the clutch while you have everything apart.

 

Great job! I like the ambition behind the frame swaps without using a two post rack.

 

Serious question, why are they placed horizontally in building construction then? Because they are offset of each other on each row?

Matt

 

I think you misunderstood his positioning description. The voids in the blocks should be open up/down, not left/right or back/front. They do get stacked in a staggered pattern when building walls.

 

good to see you're making some progress!

If you're in an area where they don't use winter salt and chemicals, you could get away with it.
If not, then it is very important if you don't want your frame to turn into swiss cheese again in a few years. This salt crap is super corrosive, only takes a few years!
Anyway, if I were you I'd do it just for the peace of mind, so you'll never have to worry about it rusting ever again (or very little), no matter if you are in a salty state or not


will be much more easier to do with the body off. My frame was rusty (not rusted through, luckily, just bad ugly surface rust) and I really wished the body and all the stuff weren't on, as it would have been much easier to access and treat the rust

 

^this.
OP has them laying on their side. They’re supposed to be standing up. Well I should rephrase that: they’d be stronger if they were standing up. Since they clearly weren’t intended to be used as a backyard vehicle lift, were not exactly following any building codes here

 

Thankfully here in Memphis we dont have to salt our roads ever. It the snow is bad enough we have like 1 or 2 trucks that lay sand on major roads. I might be moving to the SFBay this summer if this build goes well. So im leaning towards just maintaining it as is and checking periodically for formations. The frame is from southern GA and you can tell its never heard of salt lol. Plus the garage owner is getting hostile with me threatening to toss my shit to the curb. you could say our relationship has fallen out due to other circumstances beyond me. He is "getting his life together" or something

 

maaaaan maybe thats why that pillar tumbled initially! that was a scary moment.

 

ok, thought I was missing something obvious, I’ve always thought cinder blocks should be horizontal as well. Misunderstood, thought you meant he should’ve placed them with the long axis vertically, like an 8.

Matt

 

Since we are on the subject, the use of concrete blocks for this purpose is a safety hazard due to the possibility of sudden collapse without warning. In construction, the load is distributed across the entire length of a concrete block wall (oriented with solid sides vertical), not on point as in this case. While the load here is not tremendous, and is divided over four points, stranger things have happened. SAFTEY FIRST, man. You want to be able to enjoy this thing after all that work.

EDIT: A solution is solid, non collapsable blocking, such as 4x4 as laid up in a stable cribbing pattern. I see some pictures on this site of some sketchy jacking practices, which is particularly worrisome after my cousin was crushed under a car after he did not follow the basic safety rules.

 

see profile picture

 

agreed! can you possible cut some of those trees down in the background and have some nice round stumps as jackstands? (And this would be a "green" solution as well)!

 

oh well, it's better to just put the truck back up together than have your stuff thrown away.

Then there's no salt where you are, so you should be allright without additional POR15 coats. You could still spray a bit of fluid film under there after you're done and that's it