2005 TRD SR5 - Scrap it or Save it?

I picked this truck off my neighbour 2 houses down for next to nothing. I was hoping it could be saved after checking out a few videos on how to repair the frame up by the cats. Re-plating or the safe-t-cap.

Now that I have it on the lift it’s pretty ugly. It passes the hammer test everywhere except that bad spots mentioned. But it just looks a bit sketchy. I’m not afraid of the cab comers and rockers as that’s something I’d done before, and am comfortable with. I have all the tools and the space and most of the skills.

Truck is well optioned and has the 4.0 and 6 speed. It has 120k miles. It drives alright but will need some exhaust work, a new belt tensioner and other odds and ends. It sat a year and half.

So if you had the tools and the space and the time like me, would you try to give it a new life? Or would you just scrap it. I was hoping I could fix it up and drive it for 4-5 years as most running and driving tacos are well outside my price range.

 

OMG. That is the worst thing I have ever seen.
I'd scrap it for whatever I could get for it. Lots of good parts on the truck.

Where do you live? Looks like you live in a salt mine.

 

I wouldn’t touch it.
I might consider pulling the transmission and transfer case to try and recoup some money.
But honestly, I’d probably just send it to the scrap yard.

 

If you paid next to nothing for it,and you have the skills,fix it. The Western guys are gonna freak out when they see this

 

Everybody that don't live in a rust bucket state.

My 2012 looks brand new compared to that thing.

 

No sense in not pulling the trans/tcase & engine. Those will still fetch high dollar at that mileage. He can walk away with ~$2K + whatever the scrap yard gives him for the body and frame.

Rear axle and front diff might be a bit crusty but with a factory skidplate the front diff would be in alright shape.

 

Buy frame from da south that rust free and put her back on the road

 

Where are you? If you part this out you would like first dips on the fender flares all 4 of them

 

Lol I was kind of expecting this type of shock.. You southern folks sure do have it good. As for the road salt crowd... there has to be someone who has been stubborn and fixed rust like this. Please chime in.

I live in Newfoundland, Canada. The truck is orginally from NY but they use salt there too. They really whack the salt to the roads here 5 months a year. Unfortunately finding a good frame here will be very difficult. I'm going to hammer the life out of it again and also hit it with a wire wheel shortly and report back.

 

Custom Tube Frame.... it's the only way

that does look extremely crusty
pull the motor, trans, transfer case and computer and find a regular cab 4x4 to stuff them in, that would be sweeeeet

Welcome to TW.

 

I say if you can fix it on the cheap.....go at it

I'd try and find a frame from the South

Here's my 2013

 

Park it again. Find a healthy body/frame truck with a toasted motor and do a driveline swap.

I'd not spend any resources (time, $, material) on any of that frame. Not worth it.

 

On a positive note, you know what you are working with, versus some of those rusty frames recently painted / coated. Getting access to frames in NL may be a challenge. Maybe ask a local dealer if they have any old frames they replaced. May be easier sandblasting that and welding it up, versus trying to fix what your dealing with. Going to be a major project if you decide to undertake it.

Edit. I like the suggestion above ^^^ about finding a truck with a blown motor. If the frame is that bad, there is going to be other rusty parts that will fail too.

 

The amount of rust on these trucks deserves a class action lawsuit. Tons of trucks out there that did not qualify for the "fix" and replacement that have since gone to shXt.

That truck surely would have qualified at the time the replacement was available? That amount of rust did not happen in a few years.

I have bought exactly one GM product and everything else has been Toyotas and Japanese cars but by damn I think a Chevrolet Colorado is a better vehicle than a frame rusting and head gasket blowing POS Toyota Taco, Taco meant in the disparaging sense.

I would not waste any money on that Taco because you will go through huge effort to fix or replace the frame only for the head gaskets to explode! Not worth it. The Chevy Vega of trucks. No wait, my Vega pulled 159,000 miles and my Taco blew up at 139,000. Chevy wins.

 

Sad part about this truck was it did qualify for a frame replacement, but it needed other work like the exhaust, suspension and other bits. Toyota wouldn't replace the frame unless the vehicle passed an inspection first (minus the frame). The PO decided it was too much cost to bring it up to inspection at that time then the recall expired.

Can anyone give me a run down of what used draintrain parts like engine/trans/transfer/front and rear axles are going for? In areas with rusty vehicles. Just so I don't give it away or look like an ass lol.

 

What a bloody fool.
Shame. 120k, so much life left.
Clearwater Bill has the right idea.

 

Get a new frame and swap it, well worth the investment

 

And this is why state inspections exist.

Get a tetanus shot after looking at that truck.

Then ship it off to a junkyard for scrap. After pulling any salvageable parts off it.

 

I moved from IL to VA and was not a fan of state inspection, until realize it prevents the risk of unsafe vehicle.

If you are willing and able, get a frame and swap the parts. If not, strip and sell the parts. For me, I would swap frames, then again I have the time.

 

Some of the most non road worthy vehicles I have ever seen were in Oregon, where there is no inspection. Or emissions testing outside of the Portland area.

Vehicles that make you question if you’ve gone in insane by looking at how rickety they are.