1. Welcome to Tacoma World!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tacoma discussion topics
    • Communicate privately with other Tacoma owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Frame restoration - did it myself

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by SeNate, Mar 23, 2015.

  1. Jun 27, 2018 at 1:55 PM
    #181
    Ma da tacos

    Ma da tacos Member

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2018
    Member:
    #257679
    Messages:
    5
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jay
    Vehicle:
    2013 Tacoma 4.0L
  2. Jul 8, 2018 at 6:21 PM
    #182
    Rosy Posy 88

    Rosy Posy 88 Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2018
    Member:
    #257622
    Messages:
    22
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Mark
    Herriman, UTAH
    Vehicle:
    2008 Silver Tacoma TRD sport
    Trd cold air intake, TRD cat back exhaust, Icon add a leaf and coil overs, 17" alloy rims with 285/70r17
    SUB'D!!! Totally going to do this later in the year. My truck needs it, I love it and I want to take care of it.
     
    SaphiraTaco likes this.
  3. Jul 9, 2018 at 6:50 PM
    #183
    ALLGNHWII81

    ALLGNHWII81 Member

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2018
    Member:
    #258722
    Messages:
    17
    Gender:
    Male
    Big island Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2009 Tacoma DCSB 4x4
    Dang nice job bro, it looks brand new:thumbsup:
     
    SaphiraTaco likes this.
  4. Jul 24, 2018 at 2:07 PM
    #184
    brownoarsman

    brownoarsman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2016
    Member:
    #186445
    Messages:
    55
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Dan
    Bala Cynwyd, PA
    Vehicle:
    1998 V6 Prerunner
    Stock
    Any issues getting to the forward sections of the frame? I read earlier that the OP got to it all with 1" foam brushes, but I just did the same to touch up a few spots with Ospho and it was pretty drippy, as well as tough to access (from the underside, through the wheel wells, etc.). Anyone have some tips?
     
  5. Jul 28, 2018 at 6:45 AM
    #185
    SaphiraTaco

    SaphiraTaco Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2018
    Member:
    #243869
    Messages:
    483
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Sean
    Seattle WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 DCLB TRD Sport
    About halfway done...
    I see you have a first gen. So I’m not sure what is different. On my second gen I just put on all my PPE and a headlamp. Crawling around under the truck was the hardest part. I would take a break thinking a section was done only to look at something from a different angle and see more rust:annoyed:
    I realize how lucky I was to have the truck on jack stands for 3 weeks because I had already bought my new truck.
    Just take your time if you can:thumbsup:
     
    brownoarsman[QUOTED] likes this.
  6. Aug 3, 2018 at 12:59 PM
    #186
    brownoarsman

    brownoarsman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2016
    Member:
    #186445
    Messages:
    55
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Dan
    Bala Cynwyd, PA
    Vehicle:
    1998 V6 Prerunner
    Stock
    Thanks, @SaphiraTaco ! I guess I'll just be prepared to get dirty :) I went ahead and got the internal frame coat done, waiting to get my DR350S starting consistently before I take the bed off and go to town on the Taco ...
     
  7. Sep 2, 2018 at 4:43 PM
    #187
    Taco_TX

    Taco_TX New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2018
    Member:
    #264928
    Messages:
    2
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Johnny
    Vehicle:
    2Gen Tacoma 4x4 DBcab
    To OP, great work!

    I'm in the process of buying my first Tacoma.
    The truck was driven up north (salt) for the first five years.
    Then owner moved down to South (no-snow/salt) for the past six years.
    The frame was replace along with the leaf springs in 2014.

    The truck, however, still show some sign of rust spot on area and parts that did not get replace under the recall.
    I have pictures for anyone that want to pitch in their advice.

    The truck is an 2006 Tacoma 4x4 with 180k miles.
    I have been back and forth with this truck not sure if I should pull the plug and buy it or not.
    As far as I can tell, the truck would need some rust treatment on areas that is critical.

    No sure if it's a good call or not.. Thanks everyone for the input!









    image.jpg
    image.jpg
    image.jpg
     
  8. Sep 5, 2018 at 2:35 PM
    #188
    SaphiraTaco

    SaphiraTaco Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2018
    Member:
    #243869
    Messages:
    483
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Sean
    Seattle WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 DCLB TRD Sport
    About halfway done...
    Look fixable to me. But I had another vehicle to use while I took my time removing rust... Looks like the fame and leaf springs are in good shape. Tow hitch is easy to remove and work on. Guess the price will make this a deal for you.
     
  9. Sep 11, 2018 at 1:04 PM
    #189
    SeNate

    SeNate [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2011
    Member:
    #68619
    Messages:
    129
    Gender:
    Male
    Salt Lake City
    Vehicle:
    05 SR5 TRD 4x4 6spd
    Satoshi Grill (HomerTaco), Ambiguous' headlights, refinished my frame with POR-15 after half a week of prep and rust removal
    @SaphiraTaco that looks great! I dare say even better than mine turned out. Sorry for the late reply, I've been busy. I actually sold my tacoma to my brother (keeping it in the family like you did haha). It always makes me happy that people see this and decide they can do it too.
    I also got a new truck :) The frame is covered in a super thick grease, so no worries on that part. It was the first thing I looked at when buying it.

    If you're looking to sell your Tacoma (I kept mine for another 3 years) this will make your truck worth so much more to people.
     
  10. Sep 11, 2018 at 2:34 PM
    #190
    SaphiraTaco

    SaphiraTaco Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2018
    Member:
    #243869
    Messages:
    483
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Sean
    Seattle WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 DCLB TRD Sport
    About halfway done...
    Thanks for the inspiration @SeNate
    I actually completed the frame restoration specifically to sell my truck. The frame rust was the only bad thing I could see.
    I got a great price also so win win
     
  11. Nov 5, 2018 at 3:02 PM
    #191
    brownoarsman

    brownoarsman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2016
    Member:
    #186445
    Messages:
    55
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Dan
    Bala Cynwyd, PA
    Vehicle:
    1998 V6 Prerunner
    Stock
    Taking the bed off used up all the project time I had allocated to my frame painting, but excited to get started with the needle scaler tomorrow ... only a week late!

    IMG_20181104_125657948.jpg
     
    deanosaurus, Rick111 and MarX like this.
  12. Nov 14, 2018 at 6:20 AM
    #192
    brownoarsman

    brownoarsman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2016
    Member:
    #186445
    Messages:
    55
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Dan
    Bala Cynwyd, PA
    Vehicle:
    1998 V6 Prerunner
    Stock
    So this is probably going to be an unpopular opinion here, but I would definitely not do this job again. It was hard, uncomfortable, labor-intensive, and time-consuming. For a truck I bought for $2,500 - I should have just wire-wheeled/brushed and used a pressure-washer to degrease the back-end (without any disassembly) and sprayed Ospho over everything. I think that would have been about 90% of the benefit and 5% of the time.

    Someone asked for time estimates up-thread, here's what it took me. Note, I only did from the back to just before the front wheel wells (my front looks pretty good and space constraints in the back-yard kept me from getting at the front). Add some hours to do the whole job.
    • Needle-gunning: 8 hours
    • Degreasing/Washing: 1 hour
    • Rust Converter: 3 hours (less time needed than painting as the whole truck didn't need to be covered)
    • Sanding/Air-gunning surfaces: 1 hour
    • Painting: 6 hours
    • Total project time: 18 hours
    Here are my tips/findings.
    • As others have mentioned, if you could get a decent angle on everything, it would probably be faster, but a lot of time is wasted just trying to get into position (I left the truck on its wheels as the ground was pretty soggy for jackstands, but did remove the bed).
    • Get full chem goggles or a face shield, even when needle-gunning. I was wearing 'sport' safety glasses as that's what I had up here, and shit flew in the sides all the time, especially when laying down. Took some breaks to eye-flush, especially when needle-gunning. In the same vein, dust mask for needle-gunning, and respirator for painting. Even outside, working up-close to the acid-based rust converters and paint is pretty harsh. My 3M worked great to protect me.
    • I applied with foam brushes and a quart can. The foam brushes were exceptionally frustrating. While okay on flat surfaces, they don't apply paint very well to round surfaces (think axle/diff and tow bar), and they don't spread paint well enough on medium pitted surfaces/seam welds, especially upside down. A rattle can of Eastwood would be a helpful addition as the forceful spray would better coat pitting, apply to welds, and get the rounded surfaces done. In addition, I went through about 18 foam brushes - I actually used so many I had to stop painting and go down to Lowe's to get more! While the foam brushes kept some stiffness for the first few dippings in the paint, they very quickly became paint-logged and floppy, and lost all stiffness, which made them very difficult to use, especially upside-down or when trying to force paint into narrow places. In addition, the coarseness of the surface ripped the foam apart, and they quickly disintegrated/tore apart. I really needed firm tips to dab paint into weld-seams on the frame, and a flat brushing surface to get the long straight-aways. The foam brushes provided neither for very long. For what it's worth, I've used foam brushes quite a bit for marine varnishing, and this is the first time I've had issues like this. I used the multi-pack 'Project Source' ones from Home Depot/Lowe's - not sure if there are better ones.
    • I used Eastwood Rust-Converter on heavily-rusted areas and then top-coated everywhere with Eastwood Rust Encapsulator. The Eastwood Rust-Converter DOES NOT work with a standard trigger-bottle head, despite their assertions to the contrary. It is thick, and very quickly clogged/broke the spray head. To spray hard-to-reach places that the foam brush couldn't get to, I switched to Ospho, which is thinner and sprays very well with a standard trigger spray head (like what you have on a Windex bottle). The Rust Encapsulator, on the other hand, is a great product that creeps very well and spreads smoothly.
    Anyways, here's the finished product, now to cut holes in the bed so I can get the nuts out and re-secure them.

    IMG_20181113_160612354.jpg
     
  13. Nov 14, 2018 at 6:25 AM
    #193
    brownoarsman

    brownoarsman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2016
    Member:
    #186445
    Messages:
    55
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Dan
    Bala Cynwyd, PA
    Vehicle:
    1998 V6 Prerunner
    Stock
    Just to echo everyone else, as well - the mini needle-gun from HarborFreight was great, though it did punch some holes in the bumper where it was really rusted out! Someone up-thread asked what size tank it needed, the packaging says it needs 7+ gallons as I recall, but I used it with a six gallon tank, and it had more than enough pressure. Especially underneath, you'll often take your hand off the trigger to shift position, and the tank has time to recharge. Even doing the flat surfaces, I always seemed to have enough to rip. It did a great job pulling off old frame-coat that looked fine, but was rusted underneath, and that the brush would have left intact. Definitely a requirement to do this job all the way.
     
  14. Nov 14, 2018 at 6:30 AM
    #194
    brownoarsman

    brownoarsman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2016
    Member:
    #186445
    Messages:
    55
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Dan
    Bala Cynwyd, PA
    Vehicle:
    1998 V6 Prerunner
    Stock
    I'd try the Ospho, first. Spraying that is going to be a lot easier than brushing POR15, and will probably get better coverage. It's not the sort of thing that's going to get it all done (for instance rust underneath the frame coating is pretty common), but I'd just plan on doing it once every six months or a year. It turns the rust black, so you can just go underneath and touch-up any new places every once in a while. I don't think trying to resurrect is worth it, but slowing it down ... definitely :)
     
    whatstcp[QUOTED] likes this.
  15. Nov 14, 2018 at 2:31 PM
    #195
    george3

    george3 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2008
    Member:
    #7173
    Messages:
    4,564
    New Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2008 2.7 Manual Trans Tacoma
    Seat belt beeper, Cabelas (Weathertech) floor liner gray, Covercraft Seat Savers in Taupe, Protecta Heavy Duty Rubber Truck Bed Mat, Pop n Lock PL5200, Pace Edwards Full Metal JackRabbit, Wolverine oil pan heater, Scangauge2, afe pro dry s filter, Remote Underbody 4 Piece LED Light Kit (White) used as Bed light, DIY Washable Cabin Air Filter, PA15-TOY, 4x4 Illuminated Switch, full synthetic, Redline Tuning Hood Support, Smittybilt Nerf Steps black powder-coated
     
  16. Nov 14, 2018 at 5:52 PM
    #196
    steelhd

    steelhd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 15, 2013
    Member:
    #118650
    Messages:
    3,440
    Gender:
    Male
    Eastern WA
    Vehicle:
    2011 DCSB TRD OR
    Not sure anyone would spend significant time on a $2,500 vehicle.
     
  17. Nov 15, 2018 at 4:39 AM
    #197
    TheDevilYouLove

    TheDevilYouLove You can’t polish a turd, but you can polish a TRD

    Joined:
    May 26, 2016
    Member:
    #187953
    Messages:
    2,760
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Steve
    Marylandistan
    Vehicle:
    2010 Tacoma TRD Sport Access cab 4x4 silver streak
    What does the vehicle value have to do with anything? I’d you like the truck and it’s paid for, it’s a golden goose. Take care of it! If it saves you 5 years of car payments it’s incredibly valuable.
     
    Rick111, george101 and MY50cal like this.
  18. Nov 15, 2018 at 9:00 AM
    #198
    steelhd

    steelhd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 15, 2013
    Member:
    #118650
    Messages:
    3,440
    Gender:
    Male
    Eastern WA
    Vehicle:
    2011 DCSB TRD OR
    I have, and have had, many myself. But going to the effort of a professional grade frame restoration isn't something I'd bother with.
     
  19. Nov 15, 2018 at 1:37 PM
    #199
    ljma90

    ljma90 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2018
    Member:
    #268310
    Messages:
    177
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jordan
    Vehicle:
    2007 Toyota Tacoma v6 4x4
    2.5 inch suspension lift front with rancho 9000 quick lift struts, rear rancho shock absorbers with 2.5 inch sky jackers add a leaf springs in rear. extra 2 inch long braided front brake lines with radiator flush, transmission flush, brand new front brake rotors, calipers, and shoes all done myself. more to come
    did you have it inspected for the frame replacement before you put in all this work?
     
  20. Nov 16, 2018 at 3:16 AM
    #200
    brownoarsman

    brownoarsman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2016
    Member:
    #186445
    Messages:
    55
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Dan
    Bala Cynwyd, PA
    Vehicle:
    1998 V6 Prerunner
    Stock
    It's a 1998 that I bought at the beginning of this year, so I think the PO (my brother) probably missed the clock in 2013! :)

    While it's probably a $5,000 truck now with the repairs I've done to it so far, I totally agree that it's not worth it, even still. The only reason I put the work in was some sentimental value (my brothers' and my old work truck, first date and bench seats ...). Still. I just wanted to advise anyone else who may be thinking of the job as to the amount of work and level of 'uncomfortableness'. I tend to do projects just to fill spare time, but this one ended up becoming full-time! :)
     
    george101 likes this.

Products Discussed in

To Top