Frame swap

I have a 96 Tacoma and I was wondering if a 91 frame or a 93 t100 frame would fit under the 96 cab. my frame is rotted and I know a guy that has a 93 t100 with a bad cab. so I am trying to see if we could buy a 93 t100 and he could take the cab and I could take the frame

 

Probably not..

 

Measure it up and see and get back to us.

 

May I ask why your frame is rotted?

Is it a product failure (as many frames apparently have been) or is it a salt country vehicle that's spent it's last 20 years as a victim of chemical abuse?

 

Im thinking because of salt. The guy i bought it from lived near me and they use salt on the roads during the winter.

 

How bad and what portion of the frame is it? Might be cheaper and easier to have a welder/fabricator scab in some 3/16 plate if its just on one section of the truck.
As for a pick up frame working on a tacoma i know the beds mount up slightly different however 1st gen tacomas use the same rear springs iirc.

 

I think the guy would just take and use the cab I believe his bed is ok. If I cant do that deal with him im gonna look out in arizona for 96 with a bad motor or tranny and a solid frame and then just take the frame and sell the rest

 

to be honest I think your much better off finding one without an engine and drop your engine in it then sell yours for parts.

a frame swap is not something you want to do unless you have full access to a body shop with air tools and lots of extra guys helping, there is soooo much more to it then just taking a few bolts out and swapping parts over. it will take a full week working a full work day every day.

think of your truck as a parts truck and buy a cheap truck that needs a motor or motor and tranny (make sure its the same motor that's in yours) and you can get it at a very cheap price, especially if it has a few dents or rust on some fenders, then use your truck to replace the engine and any dented or rusty fenders. that's the best way IMHO.

also look into the frame rust recall and see if yours might qualify, im not sure of the years or rules about it but look into that, maybe you'll get a new frame from toyota

 

What he said^
I know a toyota tech that done more than his share of frame replacements..
In a dealership setting with alot of experiance under his belt it still takes him 5-7 days to do one..
He said he loves doing them, they pay around 70 hours flat rate to do and he can normally get one done in 50 hours
So if it takes a toyota tech with 30 years experiance and unlimited resources 50 hours to do one then id say doing one in a two car garage with a 300 piece craftsman tool set could take a while...