Frame issues

So I am well aware of the bad frame issues 1st gen Tacomas in the rust belt of the US suffer. Currently my frame is still "good", and may have been replaced under warranty once. But PA yearly safety inspection is requiring me to replace the crossmember at the rear of the gas tank. It had become more clearly obvious why these frames have so many problems. A two-year-old must have designed it. So my question is, has anyone cut some holes in their frame to allow water and dirt to drain out? Has anyone had any luck treating the scaling rust on the inside of the frame? If so, how do you accomplish that?

 

Coating the inside of the frame with something like fluid film is about your best bet. I have yet to find a 360 degree spray nozzle that works well for this application. Maybe someone else could share.

I did drill a few small holes in my frame in the problem areas to help drain out water. Plugging up the side holes is also a good idea to prevent moisture from entering. Washing out your frame (stick a hose in there and rinse out sediment) on some sort of consistent basis also would likely help. You can only slow down the process, not totally revert it unless you cut out everything that has begun to rust.

 

Besides the front leaf spring mount, the next thing is in between the leaf spring mounts. On the inside there's a C piece that accumulates dirt and rust from the inside out. Make sure you keep that clean but my solution was to box the back half of the frame.

 

I use Waxoyl both outside and inside the frame. It's a great product. I buy the gallon tins and use air compressor and a 360* wand. But they also sell an aerosol can with 360 wand. Can't speak to the functionality of that set up, but the cavity wax product is excellent.

https://www.waxoyl-usa.com/products/corrosion-protection/120-4.html