Fender apron and core support replacement

Agreed, the center punch is your friend, it makes the job a lot easier.

 

Thanks for starting this thread, gents. I have pretty much exactly the same repair to make on my truck, except the left fender. You've taught me a lot already!

 

so glad i found this thread! currently in the process of replacing my radiator core support.

doesnt look so bad but the whole left side is really pushed in. So far got
-fenders off
-wheel wells tubbed
-new grill made
-Headlights built
-Plate deck on new air box
(using this situation to do all the upgrades ive been putting off lol)

 

any suggestions on dealing with the a/c condensor? Also did you have to weld the support on?

 

My condenser broke when I crashed so I had to get a new one and have the refrigerant recharged. I did weld the core and apron back on. I did head of someone Bolting it back together but I preferred to just reweld all of the appt weeds.

 

I don’t know how to weld unfortunately. I wonder if rivets would do the trick...

 

Enough of em probably and some spots you can probably get some small bolts and nuts

 

yah ill probably end up doing that, thank you! do you know where i might be able to find measurements or specs to make sure everything is aligned properly in the engine bay?

 

if you get the core in place I would put the body mount bolts in and clamp it on both sides to the aprons with c-clamp or vice grips and then test fit hood and fenders. When I did it, that was pretty much it.

 

No, I'm not sure that there are any. Just test fitting and adjusting I'm guessing

 

Hate to bump this older thread but this is one of the most informative threads on the subject. I'm repairing a truck that hasn't really been in a bad collision. It's core support and passenger body mount have just taken animal after animal hits under the previous owner. Running no front bumper tends to do that.

My main question is about the spot weld removal on the fender apron. If I center my cutter well I should be able to just drill out the fender apron and not into the body. Then when I go pull a apron/core support from a yard this weekend I should be able to get the apron out without pulling the dash right? Like pulling the dash is just necessary when welding everything back? And to access most of those fender apron spot welds I'll need to wire wheel some seam sealer it looks like.

 

If you leave the dash in there is a very high chance of the jute padding catching fire. I've seen it happen, it smolders then starts burning the wire harness.

At least pull the carpet back and make sure you can get water on the area you are welding. But I wouldn't risk it.

As far as tools, they are more expensive but make the job much easier. I'll show you what I'd use to do that job. I've been in the industry since 05 and done quite a few aprons on Tacoma's.

The wire wheel interchanges with an eraser wheel, Kent Automotive makes a decent spot weld bit, you wont need a boron or any specialty bit. Regular spot weld bit, I'd avoid the cheap hole saw style. They are terrible. The belt sander is good for hard to reach areas, I tend to grind most of my welds rather than drilling.


Another piece of advice is to make a scribe mark around the pieces you are cutting off. It will help you line up the new part faster. Then screw it all together with self tappers and fit your parts before welding.

Let me know if you have any questions or need help.

 

Wouldn't clecos work better for that? You can pick up a set of them with pliers for $15 or 20.

 

If the fender will go on and the hood will close, yeah you can use anything. I like self tappers because they are cheap and fast.

 

I'll probably be picking up something else to remove the seam sealer on my truck. When I'm at the yard this weekend pulling a core support and passenger apron I'll just have to deal with a wire wheel on a grinder or drill. I have a

$37 Blair 11096 Blair - Spotweld Cutter Set 3 3/8In. Cutters Arbor & Pil (11096)

Blair 11096 spot weld cutter set right now but I'll look into the Kent Automotive bit when I remove the parts off my truck. Again, the Blair kit will hopefully do the job on just the removal from the part yard vehicle. Just worried about running out of time in the yard tomorrow if I'm pulling out the dash and interior parts. Just trying to take advantage of a trip out of town instead of making the entire drive again next week. 4.5 hours should be plenty to pull the apron and core support. Especially since I'm leaving them attached to each other.


Once I have the "new" parts pulled I'll probably invest in getting some nicer equipment for install. Thanks for the tip on the scribe marks. Wouldn't have thought about that when removing.

 

So I didn't mention it before but the plan is to do a 3rd gen 4Runner front end swap. Why? I already have a good 4Runner hood/hinges, headlights, color matched fenders, and an abundance of 4Runners in yards around me. I haven't seen a good Tacoma core support in a yard here ever. This Custom Tacos thread and a some other information online has proven this front end swap to be possible. With the fenders, headlights, and hood on this truck being trashed it just makes sense.

Going to be a lot more careful removing the passenger apron and core support off my truck. Then try and find a decent budget welder and practice on the old parts. It was difficult being on a 2 hours time limit each trip to the salvage yard. As the one time I went on a weekend they randomly opened late and closed early. Forcing me to make a second trip to finish the job.

Picture from the Custom Tacos thread linked above.

 

I need to get an apron and support at some point. Just don't want to after drilling mine out lol. Been waiting to see if anyone is selling one they have laying around. Might just bite the bullet and buy new parts

 

Maybe just take a sawz-all to the truck in the junkyard? I would cut part of the firewall, and cut the other apron.

Also before you cut the undamaged truck, take some measurements. It will also help you get everything roughly in the right spot to line the new parts up.

Before welding the new piece in, paint all the hard to reach spots of the used part. Some might burn off while welding but it will be easy to touch up those small areas.

 

I used to use the expensive Blair bits, but they burn up the same as the cheaper ones, I used to use a punch, but now drill a pilot hole to center the cutter, you did a great job fixing that core support, most of the trick is playing with aligning, and ovaling or using washers to get the lines all perfect.

I use these https://www.ebay.com/itm/13pcs-Doub...84079183532?epid=15019369318&_trkparms=ispr=1

 

Hey there 02dubcab. I'm fixing to start rebuilding my 2000 tacoma. It was hit in the front on the drivers side. But it looks about how yours did. Do you mind telling me a list of the body parts you had to get to fix yours? Like core support, outer fender and that stuff. I know I'll need to order a new fender apron, but is there a difference In the apron and the rail? I just want to make sure I have a list of all the parts I need. And is the apron part of the wheel well or is that separate? I'll have to get new parts cause there isn't a tacoma in any salvage yards around here so I'm wanting to get a list of all the parts I need so I can figure about how much I'm going to have to come up with. Thank you in advance.