DIY Frame Swap 09 TAcoma

Despite lots of care, my 2009 4WD frame was condemned by separate 2 PA. inspection stations and it was out of the warranty period, so I went to Toyota and ordered a new frame. That cost $3700 and was told it would be made specifically for my truck and take 12-16 weeks. And it did. There are lots of Youtube videos showing dealerships doing the frame swap with lifts, so I got a quote from a dealership for over $20K and decided to tackle this myself. I found a video of a Tundra 2WD that inspired me to do the swap myself (without a lift), in my pole barn. It took me just less than 50 hours and 3 weekends to acomplish. I also took the opportunity to replace the oil pan, upper and lower control arms, struts, sway links, steering rack and hoses, tie rod ends, body bushings and exhaust (cat back). All those additional parts were about $1800 so the total cost was about $5500. I left the engine and trans in the body and lowered the frame along with the front diff and rack and them roller it out from underneath the cab. I used a ratchet strap to support the trans trough the shifter and around a 4x4 where the shifter usually is and I used a come-along to the rafters of the building to support the front of the engine. All support was redundant with a 2nd failsafe method to be extra safe. The surprising thing to me, was how easy some parts were to acomplish such as aligning the trans and motor mounts on the way back to the frame, conversely bleeding the brakes took forever and 3 quarts of Dot 3. The secondary support for the front of the engine was a 4x4 across the fender wells and a ratchet strap that could lift the engine off the mounts. It all worked better than I had envisioned.

 

Nice job!

 

I would have wool wax'd the life out of the new frame before the install

 

Great job! I give you a lot of credit for doing all of that without a lift. Good to know that you actually can buy a frame from Toyota if you really want to. Living in NJ, I see a lot of these trucks that sadly still need a frame

 

Hell yeah! Nice job, Man!

 

Awesome

 

I decided to Woolwax after since once its covered in black wax so are you! Every spot is just as accessible afterwards, just without the mess!

 

Wow! You deserve a cold beer after that. : )

 

I am considering doing this for my 2004 Tacoma. How did it go with the 4x4? And what are some tips you could give to someone doing it next?

 

Can’t speak for rockdan, but I’ve done this in my shed using chain hoists and homemade cab lift using 4x4’s( one set on each side,two chain hoists) .. it’s really easy if you have the room.theirs really only a handful of electrical connections and some brake lines , steering shaft , and you just roll the frame out and start swapping… a torch will be your friend on most bolts that are in the old frame to get out

 

That sounds surprisingly reasonable for a new frame. Given that a good condition 2nd gen still runs $10k, if yours is fine but needs a new frame, and you can do it yourself or pay a shop a non-dealership rate...sounds worth it to me.

If it wasn't my daily driver I'd consider this a fun project. Hopefully I don' t end up needing to do this...knock on wood.