Frame damage

I recently bought a 2007 Tacoma SR5 long bed and kick me for not checking it out closer but apparently at some point in the past there was some damage or load on the bumper that bent the frame rail ends down. (The car-search didn't show any accident). Someone bent them back up and did some poor weld patches in the kinked areas. The bumper was probably replaced because there were no signs of damage.
I don't think I have any recourse with the car-lot because of the as-is purchase.
The frame shop said they can't repair it and warned against towing.
I was wondering if any one has done a frame splice maybe from the mid-cab area back or thoughts on stiffening and strengthening the frame-tails.

 

Welcome to the TW.

There's a few ways to address this. First, post a few photos so we can see where the kink is. That being said, our frames wrinkle rather easily when hit from behind especially when equipment with a hitch. I'd consider adding plate to close the inside of the frame - go from a C channel to a box. You can add plate to reinforce the wrinkled section too. Replacing a section of the frame is a large undertaking and you need to make sure everything is square and aligned.

 

Can you post any pics? Frame repair can be controversial because of the presence of HSS steel and cracking that may appear later on in the HAZ (heat affected zone) adjacent to the original cracks. Toy has limited what can be purchased for frame repair apparently because of the liability concerns of frame repair. I am a bit out of my comfort area commenting on welding in general and particularly as it would apply to frame repair. There are some great welders on this forum and perhaps they can weigh in on this after reviewing the pics.

 

Maybe you could talk to a local Fab shop and have them reinforce the frame.
Of course you’d probably have to release them of all reliability.

A GOOD welder/fabricator will know what can or can not be done.

 

Tons of threads about checking frames BEFORE buying,I feel for you.

 

The leaf Spring bracket is on the left and the bumper bracket is on the right. The kink is right in between the two brackets. It looks like the kink on the bottom flange was cut out and a small plate put in its place after the frame was pushed back into place.

I don't really need to tow but I'd still like to load the bed and not worry about it collapsing.

 

Looks like the truck was in a rear end accident and they did a garage repair to pocket the insurance money. It seems to be a cut at the buckle point, stretch out the pinch, and weld in a space to hold the gap and put things back into relative straightness.

The buckle happened at the weakest point, behind the leaf spring hanger, and fortunately, that won't affect your alignment or your ability for payload since those stress points are forward of the leaf spring hanger on what I assume to be undamaged points on the frame. It does however compromise the frame strength for towing since that is the main flex point of the frame when towing.

If you're handy with a welder, I would grind down their repair and add a plate to bridge over the weak point to solid points on the frame if you do plan on towing.

 

Box the frame at the weak point.

 

Add some reinforcements and continue on