Another.....Rear shock mount broke off my frame today... Is my frame junk? Thread....

What kit did you get? Did you purchase the shock mount only? Or did you get the cap that encases the frame as well? I have a 96 4x4 AC and although I felt like I could get away with just the shock mount 161u4r, I also purchased the 156ur which is a cap for that section of the frame. This part requires you to cut the bump stop off and relocate to the cap once its welded onto the existing frame. I'll post pics tomorrow -- the parts are fairly thick and look to be good quality. From what I have tinkered with quickly it looks to be a really good fit. I'll be sure to post pictures of the fix. It should be pretty soon.

 

Wow I see I am working far to cheap fixing these frames.

The reason so many places pass on these jobs in the great liquid brine belt is insurance it makes them remove fuel tanks for any hot work.

Add in the extra labor the broken fuel lines fuel pump bracket and assorted hardware drives the price to the point it is no longer cost effective for most people.

Give me good old salt over liquid brine any time wonder why so many bridges have weight reductions why so many are getting major rebuilds .

People need snow and ice free roads so they can drive the normal 20 mph over the speed limit

 

Yep that liquid brine mix is what really is the demise of so many vehicles. Its frustrating. That's why I purchased a 4wd. It snows and I need to get to work, kids ice hockey games, to the grocery store, etc. Then about 5-10 years ago my state started using that brine, it gets everywhere and theres no way to get it all off

 

i hope & pray for rain all the time before a snowstorm comes this way to middle USA, then they cannot use that pretreatment, it supposedly will just wash right off the road with a heavy rain before turn to snow but idk

is the water hose down at the local wand wash not very effective in neutralizing it? somewhere somebody said that salt is soluble in water and good enough

i imagine its worse living next to a coastal area where the air is thick with a salty taste lingering, i only have high humidity issues in the summer

dummies overdid it this past winter for a peecoat of snow, less than 1/2 inche on several occasions, roads were glazed over white after until it rained

 

If you don`t mind laying on the ground so you can see where the spray is going it does a decent job .

Build a rack at home to get the bottom of the tires at eye height and wash at home.

The downside is the Glacier from the water build up then dragging the pressure washer in the living room to keep it comfortable till things warm up.

 

usually by the time i would be ready to wetsuit up on the nasty wash garage bay floor my bones are numb and frostbite is settling in and its time to go back to base
they (carwash) used to make me push more frozen quarters into the box to extend the wash time, that is hard when your fingers and hands are trembling from potential frostbite

recently they added a card reader so i can just hit the button on the 2nd pass around truck but the below freezing temps take their toll on the body with the most careful attention to track as little slop back into the cab
no heated garage so the risk is frozen locks handles and windows

 

Holy fuck. Time for a newer vehicle.

 

needs some love all in a mornings work

 

Or go full comprehensive and speed test the airbags $$$$$

 

Here are pics of what I bought. I have a feeling its gonna work out fine for my truck. I'd put the cap on fully, but it requires the bump stop to be cut and I didn't cut anything yet. The stuff appears to be good quality and it's just as thick as the original frame, so if you can make it work and paint it up you'll get some extra life.

I'll be posting pics of my progress. Not sure if you got the cap or not, but it may be worth it to investigate. Hopefully these pictures help

 

yeah...those 2 bits are exactly what i bought.

How hard was it to get your bed up and over the filler spout? That would be my next battle i suppose....if i decide to move forward. Any tips there?

 

Its pretty simple. Take off the tailgate, 6 bolts hold the bed from underneath, some clips holding the wire harness, remove the taillights, gas filler cover, I removed my bumper as well -- made it easier to get to the back bolts. Make sure to pb blast from underneath. They'll be rusty and fun to break loose if you've never removed your bed. The bed was a 2 man job -- lift from The wheel wells and get it clear of the gooseneck, also have something to set it on prior to pulling it off unless you plan on setting it on The ground. The bed isnt heavy, but it's not really a one man job without having to fuss and rig something up. Just double check everything that's attached to the bed is clear before lifting it, or you may wind up having to repair something else. It's not hard, just time consuming with rusty bed bolts. Pb blast for a couple days. I needed to apply a good amount of heat to 2 of my bolts, they wouldn't budge .

 

I've had the bed off both of my first gens for some sort of rust issue. I recall removing the bumper on my 02 as well. I think its easier to get to the bolts, but maybe I just dont have the right tool. It makes it so much easier to work on and it also allows you to assess further damage and clean up/paint better.

 

Thanks. Yeah...i have already soaked all the bed bolts for weeks now.....maybe over a month. They all came loose with the impact just fine. I tightened them back down for now but boy does it creek and make alot of racket back there now. Sounds like the titanic coming apart. I may have missed the furthest rear bolts if there are 6.

I was thinking i could crisscross some ratchet straps in the bed tiedowns nad just lift the whole box up with a cherry picker. The probem is that damn fuel filler. I havent figured out how to angle around that...and im sure it wont go high enough to clear it.

 

Yes you could certainly do that. Once you have it as high as it can go you can finagle the bed over the gooseneck, or if you find a way to stabilize the cherry picker on some cinder blocks you can get another 8-12" higher. I have heard of people doing the 1 man bed pull in their garage using 3 ratchet straps 2 cross cross and 1 in the middle. And rigging a pulley system to the ceiling of their garage and pulling the bed that way. I'd say the bed really isnt any more than 200 lbs. It may only be 100 lbs. Its pretty light when you remove the tailgate.

 

finally found time to get the box off. The passenger side is the worst but the drivers side has holes as well.....
I got the safe-t cap kit for the passenger side but not the drivers.

I dont really want to drop the tank to do the drivers side and welding that close to the tank would likely fix all of lifes problems.

I have been smackin the rust of with a welding slag hammer....and this is how it came out after about 3 hours.

What a mess.

This is what toyota calls a recall........my truck went back and was "coated" so i didnt qualify for the warranty work back when they were replacing frames. Pretty sad.





i was really hoping to fix this but its ready for the junk pile. Damn it.

 

I still haven't gotten around to doing anything yet. I will post pics once I do. I've been busy with other more important stuff. I have 2 tacos in good order, so I may put this off until September.

 

Frame is completed. Seemed to go fine.
New caps on both sides, box holes fixed and repainted, new front and rear shocks and front springs, end links, UBJ and LBJ, outer tie rod ends, steering rack bushings, 3 new belts, oil and filter change, alignment, balance, rotation...and i fixed my wipers and drivers side door lock. Probably other stuff i cant remember...

I am debating on getting a new rear bumper but thats probably stupid since its just cosmetic and pointless. My existing one is rotted out like the all do.

Should be good for at least another 10k and hopefully much more.

 

I was walking through Lowell’s and found these wire wheels that are a HEX head, not a common round shaft that will fit on an drill extension that has a HEX fitting for those hard to reach

 

A piece of 3"x5"x3/16" rectangle tubing some flat stock for brackets and paint you have a new bumper