2002 Double Cab Frame Rehab

I thought I would start a thread to document some of the work I'm doing to get the 02 Double Cab Pre-Runner back into fighting shape. I got it for my son who just turned 16. I bought it from an acquaintance at work and checked it out pretty well (I thought) before committing. Body and interior in nice shape. I was aware of a leaking brake line in the back but other than that it ran and drove well. I took care of an issue with the rear door locks and then we pulled the bed in order to replace all the brake lines. I figured it would give me better access and I'd be able to check the frame better. I hadn't found any bad areas with the hammer test during inspection, but as I found later, the flaking and undercoating hid a lot of issues. Once the bed was off we went at it with a hammer to knock the barnacles off and I started getting concerned. Then I got the needle gun going and found out how bad it really was. Overall the metal is about 60% of original thickness. Where there are gussets around the upper shock mounts, it was thin enough to break through because the pockets held moisture. These first pics are what I started with.The vise-grips is controlling the brake leak so I could get it the short drive home.

 

Obviously its pretty crusty, like most of them are.
Dropped the fuel tank and exhaust for better access then removed the two crossmembers. The front one is DOA, not enough to work with so a new one was ordered. Rear can be rebuilt but I have another idea I'll get to later.






I added some square tubing to support the frame when I started seeing the holes appear in the sides of the rails
That is a 1973 Plymouth Cuda in the background of this last pic. I was in middle of it's restoration when I got myself into the Tacoma battle.

 

Pulled all the LSPV brake junk off and will probably do a delete.
Started cutting out all the junky gussets and getting back to the basic C-frame. Plan is to cut out the cancer, patch the holes, and then install SafeTCaps where needed.

 

On the driver side I did several individual patches. Cut the bad out, use it as a template for the patch and then stitch weld back in.
I can't bring myself to just throw the caps on top of this mess. It's taking a lot of time but I want it to be as good as it can be.
Welding to this thin, rusty crap is not easy. Blow a lot of holes that have to be patched. Backing with a copper pad helps but it's still crappy.

 

So where it stands now, the rear C-channels are patched. I've Oshpo'd, primed, and painted the interior gusset areas so I can make new gussets and not worry about painting behind them. I only get a couple hours during the week and a little on the weekends to work on it. Once gussets are in I'll strip the area under the rear of the cab and prep it for the caps. Then the rear end comes out, the bottom of the box frame under rear seat is cut off and the caps will be all welded in. I'll likely box in areas of the C-frame once the caps are on. Then new brake lines and work on getting that all tuned up. Lots to do.

 

Wow that looks tedious, but great job. Sub’d for more.

 

Looks like you have the tacoma under control.
Any more pics of the Cuda?

 

Another rustoration underway.

 

Since you have the skill needed for this project, I think you'll be glad you saved this truck in the long run. So long as no "Idiot" runs into it and totals it, you son will be one happy camper. Glad to see another DC saved from the scrap yard.

 

I just hope my son isn't the idiot that totals it. He takes an interest but isn't as enthusiastic to work on them as I was at his age. But he is jazzed about having and driving a nice truck.

It was pretty rough when I got it, didn't run, blown trans, huge hole in the trunk, etc. The first pic is after I got the 340 running and rebuilt the trans. Then I found some serious accident damage that had made it unsafe to drive so it had to be torn apart to fix the frame rails and uni-body structure. I'm now in process of replacing both quarters and the roof skin in the second pic. Then hope to have it back on the road next year while I finish the body and build a 416ci small block stroker motor for it.

 

Does anyone have a pictorial sequence of the SafeTCap install on the boxed section of the frame under the cab that has the front leaf spring perch (TAC-157D)? I did a search and came up empty. The instructions on their site don't really show it much in pictures. Mainly interested in how much I need to cut off the bottom and how the front spring perch is removed and the transition from the box frame to the c-frame is handled. Turns out that area isn't so bad (as far as I've gotten, still a ways to clean) but I've already got the parts so I may as well make it stronger. I'm definitely putting them under the bed, but that is very straight forward.

 

Wow! Awesome job. Curious, was this one ever inspected during the first recall on the frames? Had my '02 inspected back then, and when it was re-inspected in 2015, they deemed it unworthy and I got a new frame then.

 

I'm not sure if it was inspected or not. I don't remember the previous owner talking about it when I was looking at the frame. I'm inclined to believe he was unaware of the scope of the issues with the frames on these.

Still hoping to see some pics of how that front spring perch was removed.

 

A little more progress. Rebuilt the rear brake flex hose bracket and the filler neck support bracket. Brake bracket was rusted to hell and the filler neck bracket had a lot of material removed to get it off for the SafeTCap. I used a hole saw on that and turned a washer down in the lathe to get it back to original look. The two 1/8" holes in that will help get it back in the right spot.

 

Got the gusset plates back in on both sides and rebuilt the upper shock mount supports. I had bought the SafeTCap for them, but decided I could rebuild without too much extra trouble. I had to be careful to leave enough room to get the gas tank cross member in because there is no extra space if you go outside the original lines. I put the nuts on to bolt on the proportional valve, but that may get deleted. Everything is fully welded and I added some additional drainage holes on the lower surface. The parts were pre-primed on the inside surfaces and I'll go back over them with Eastwood internal frame rail paint. I hate welding on rusty metal and the zinc weld-thru primer doesn't help the issue but I got good penetration even if they don't look the best. I went in short runs trying to keep the heat down. Just about ready to hit it with the Ospho and then prime/paint before the caps go on.

 

At this point I don't think the box section under the cab is as bad as I thought and the forward spring mounts probably don't need replacing, but I'll get under there and check that area out good this week. I had to put some heat on the leaf spring u-bolts to break the nuts loose. My new 900 ft-lb Rigid impact only got one of the eight without it, but I'm past that and can get the rear end out for detailing and easier access. The leaf springs don't appear to have any sag so I think I'll try to clean them up and maybe replace the bushings.

Still need the rear cross member. Was going to rebuild it but it's pretty thin. New one is $250+, yuck. Anyone else see a potential resemblance in this Ford F350 front bumper core? I think the plasma cutter might be able to wipe off some of that ugly and give me much stronger result?

 

A little more progress.
Rails are all patched, scaled, and wire brushed. The Ospho was applied liberally and after curing and cleanup, the white Rustoleum primer applied and then a coat of black paint. I then put the caps on and marked the weld lines and removed paint through those areas and applied weld through primer. The caps were primed and painted on the inside with the edges taped and then weld primer applied to the edges. I fit and welded the caps using a bunch of clamps to pull them together as tight as possible. I put a couple of slices in the top and bottom of the cap to allow it to conform to the frame rails. Was a bear to weld because of the overlap of the cap making it necessary to weld up instead of down on both top and bottom. So I was sitting on a bucket bent over for a couple hours. Next time, I would cut a 1/4" off the top part to give better access and maybe cut the bottom flange of the frame rail back to expose the cap from the top side.






I then had to move the jack stands further forward under the cab so I can clean and cut the sections from the front perches back to the cross member. The drivers side is really thin in the area near the spring mount so I'm just going to bite the bullet and cap both sides since I already have the parts. I'm supporting the back of the frame because its a little tippy with the jack stands so far forward. The metal stands clamped to the frame and sitting on the wood cribbing are wheel stands I made for the Cuda. I can remove a wheel or two, bolt these in place of the wheel and remove the jack. The weight of the car is fully supported and suspension is loaded. It's helpful for working in the wheel wells or fitting body panels when you want the body naturally stressed. If I can get access I may try to support right at the rear body mount as well with a hyraulic bottle jack on each side so there isn't any settling when I cut the bottom of the frame out.


Then a pic of me getting ready to go under the cab and clean the 20lbs of rust off the frame and one of my son putting some sweat equity into it. Not going to have much time to put into it this week unfortunately.

 

A small update, have made incremental progress. All the caps are welded in and painted. I decided to keep the factory spring mount on the passenger side because it was solid and just cut that part out of the cap. I spent quite a bit of time fabbing up a new rear crossmember/tire carrier. Not real sporty looking but it is 3x stronger than the rusted one it is replacing. Hopefully there are no unknown interference with the bed, I tried to be mindful of that. Need to get it painted and installed end then I think it is just the LSPV delete to figure out. Looking for details on that now. Also replaced all the spring bushings with OE style, as well as the bump stops and U-blots. Need to get this damn thing out of the garage....

Edit... an additional note. The frame rails may have a tendency to move when the crossmembers are removed and the patches welded in. Make sure to try hold them in place during welding with a bar. That's what the brown angle clamped to the rails is doing. I did measure the width between rails before disassembly but didn't clamp during the initial welding and they moved in a couple inches. Had to rig up a spreader bar with some large all-thread to get them back out where they need to be.

 

Loots like lots of work but its the only way to stope that nasty rust.

 

Has anyone made a map for a double cab of where all the holes for the brake line supports, parking brake line brackets, etc go on the inside of the driver's frame rail. The caps cover them up and of course I didn't think to measure before I slapped them on. Not the end of the world I guess.