1996 Tacoma Frame Repair Questions

Hello all, I am new here and have some questions to ask about a 1996 Tacoma Xtra-cab truck, sorry in advance, this is gonna get long. Some backstory on the truck: the truck is a 2.7 auto, 4wd with around 150,000 miles. the engine and trans are in good shape, and the truck runs and drives well. I am confident that the drivetrain has some good life left in it. The truck currently belongs to my uncle, but he is planning on selling soon. I mentioned to him that I am going to be in the market for a truck this coming spring and he offered the truck to me for a deal that would be hard to pass on, we haven't settled on an exact number, but I can say that it would be under or around $1500, however the frame is rough. I know that there is a lot of info out there on the frame issues and repairs, but I have some questions before I go forward with anything. First and foremost, for the folks that have dealt with frame repairs on these trucks before, is there a point that you feel a frame is too far gone? I know that this all depends on condition of the rest of the vehicle, available funds, available time, etc. but if we assume that the rest of the truck is worth saving, and I am willing to spend the money required, and have lots of time to do it, what is or isn't worth saving/ or is too far gone that it may no longer be safe to save. The frame on this particular truck solid on the outside and top of the frame almost all the way through with the exception of a few softer spots, but no holes. The bottom of the frame and inside of the frame both have a decent amount of area that is completely rotted through. The drivers side is worse. It has holes in it pretty much all the way from the front leaf spring mount all the way up to the trans crossmember. The rot is not continuous, but either the bottom or the inside is rusted through for most of that span, some sections of rot running for around 12", but there are no sections where BOTH the bottom and inside are rusted through, and the rot on the inside of the frame is contained to the lower 2" of the frame rail, so there is solid metal all the way along the top. The passenger side is better, there are some sections with no rot at all between the front leaf spring mount and trans crossmember, but there are still some pretty bad areas. Both driver and passenger sides are in good condition in front of the trans crossmember. The truck is not sagging or flexing in any way that I can tell. My current plan is to buy the safe-t-caps for the mid section with the leaf spring mounts, and then fab caps for the rest of the frame where it is needed. I have a decent amount of experience welding, my uncle has many years of welding and fab experience, as well as some experince with taco frame repair. I would be using his shop and his tools, as well as getting help from him, so I am not concerned about the quality of the welds or anything like that. I would remove the bed and tank, and sandblast the rear section of the frame. the cab would stay on as there is minimal repairs to be done underneath it. I was wondering if it would be beneficial in the spots where the rot is particularly bad to not only remove the rusted material, but to also weld in new material before adding a cap over top, just for added strength and to make sure that the cap is welded to solid material? Also what thickness steel should the caps that I make be? If I am not mistaken the frame is 1/8 thick from the factory (11Ga), but would it be smart to make my caps out of perhaps 3/16 material, or is 1/8 sufficient? Any tips or advice is appreciated! Also please sent pics of some of the frames you guys have repaired so I can compare. Unfortunately I forgot to take photos of the damage so hopefully my description is enough. I am not looking to get another 1,000,000 miles out of this truck, but rather trying to make sure that it is safe enough to get me through the next few years of college. Thanks in advance!

 

It’s hard to say without actual measurements or pictures.

Whether it’s too far gone or not, you gotta get in there and examine, scrape, clean, treat all of the frame (if it turns out to be salvageable). There’s so many videos and diy’s on here. Easy diy unless you need welding.

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld
Safe T Caps
Coroseal
11 gauge
Now read this
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rust-prevention-treatment-consolidation-thread.355928/

 

Without pics hard to give good advice, but I would give advice on a few.

As far as thickness, matching existing is fine. It'll be easier to get your welding amperage right if they are same. If you treat the frame with POR-15 or Woolwax, should be fine.

If you don't remove all of the old metal under the caps, use a rust stabilizer AFTER you are done welding. You can buy spray cans of rust neutralizer/primer.

Check the upper shock mounts really well, as they tend to trap dirt inside and rust/break off.

You asked to see pics of ones "saved", so I'll show mine. I basically replaced the rear from the axle back, instead of using caps. It was worse than the pic shows. The steel I used is thicker, but only because I had it on-hand. I replaced both upper shock and the rear spring mounts

It's a fun project if you like to cut and weld.

 

Thanks for the feedback so far guys. I am trying to put together a parts list to help weigh out weather its worth it. I am pretty confident though that it is salvageable. I have seen some photos of frames that are about as rough as this one before they were even given the hammer test, and mine has been gone through pretty thoroughly with a hammer, and those were able to be repaired. That said, I will try to get some pictures next time I'm home from school. I plan to use the safe-t-caps for the section with the front leaf spring hanger, however I am going to buy the ones that do not come with the hanger because the hanger does not come welded on from safe-t-cap for the 96-97 trucks, so I might as well go with the lowrange offroad hangers and upgrade to the allpro offroad leaf spring bushings and 18mm greasable bolts to go with the hangers. This would not only save me some cash, but gives me a tougher setup. I also plan to do shocks and brake lines while there, as well as rebound clips and tank straps. New bleeder screws as well when brake lines are done. The remainder of the frame damage would be capped with 11ga. I plan on joining the caps to each other with fish plates for added strength. I am also considering plating the rear section of the frame (the unboxed section) at the very least on the outside portion to ensure strength. As of right now I have no plans to repair anything with the rear spring mounts as they appear to be solid. my plan is to use corroseal on all of the original sections of frame, and then upol weld through primer where I would need to weld to the original frame. Eastwood internal frame coating for the inside of the frame all the way through after cleaning it all out. What do you all recommend for a top coat for the frame? Then after top coat is fluid film best? Or is the oil style coating not the way to go? Let me know if you think there's something I am missing.

 

That sounds like a great plan. I’m excited to see how it eventually turns out so keep the updates coming.

There’s a few different ways to “protect” the frame once the rust is cleaned off. I used rust reformer cuz it’s decent price and acts as a primer for whatever coating you choose. But I’m not sure whether or not that’s the agreed upon best option.

Fluid film is amazing. However, it doesn’t fully dry so I mainly use it for areas that don’t collect a lot of particles (like inside of the boxed-in part of the frame).

Im glad you’re taking the time to plan this one out though cuz it’s definitely a rabbit-hole of a project.