Frame Restoration - removing cross members

Blub

 

I didn't have an air hammer with a chisel bit, so I used a flapper wheel on a grinder. Made a mess but was easy work of the rivet head. Punched out the rivet after the head was turned to dust.

 

Do you have a grinder?

 

Another way is drill a hole in the rivet head smaller than the rivet and then just slice the head off with a chisel and a BFH.

 

Why do you want to completely remove the crossmember?

 

The tool you showed in your original post will not have enough power to slice a rivet head off. And air chisel is my preferred tool for rivets. One bit removes the rivet head and another pops whats left through the hole.

 

Looks like a big project... from the pics, existing frame doesn't look too bad. Curious what your plans are for the restoration? Wire wheel/brush and repaint or are you going more elaborate?

 

Hi OC

What product are you going to use for frame paint?
I'm using KBS.

 

My hats off to your hard work of taken things apart. I'm doing best I can from garage floor and a jack.

So not impressed with Toyota about this on going rust problem.

All the best and thanks for posting pics. It helps all of us.

 

My hat is off to you for all of your hard work here. Truthfully though, I'll be interested to see how well your hard work holds up. Rattle can paint just doesn't have the performance of OEM or even body shop paints. OEM has a built in advantage in that they're dealing with steel that has zero corrosion. Body shops have access to similar paints - except for electrodeposition primer - but their process is nowhere near as well controlled - and they generally have some rust to deal with. Unfortunately, you have the worst of all worlds in that you have relatively poor quality paint, an uncontrolled environment and prep, plus existing rust. I really hope all of that hard work turns out to be worth it!

 

Gotta give it to you, you should feel proud in what you are doing. If only Toyota paid this much attention to detail. Keep up the excellent work, my taco will be waiting for you when your are done . . .

 

Good job

 

If you haven't already done so you should do the breather mod - the OEM is one way the mod is two way with a hose to run it high out of H2o. BTW the breathers in the motor area are two ways don't know why they would put a one way on the diff - told my brother in law to do it - he didn't and blew the seal sending diff fluid to the breaks.

 

Thank you for taking the time to document this - the photos alone are worth their weight in gold to me as I start planning to work on my own frame.

 

Great work, same project in my garage 2003 Tacoma. I have removed the rear xmember, but the fuel xmember is being difficult. How did you get it out? It’s loose now(slides both ways on frame rail) but binds up when I try to remove it.