Frame swaps?

Has anyone swapped their Tacoma on a different frame? Rather than constantly fighting to repair a rusty Taco frames, has anyone considered, or actually gone through with swapping their truck into an S10, Ranger, C10, etc frame?

 

The changes you would need to make to make other frames fit.

Much easier to just build a new one with the correct dimensions.

Take your tape measure go measure some other frames then measure yours figure out just what all you need to move

A few years back I bid a job Toyota Pick up 4x4 my Labor bid was $5000.00 i had all the figures and prints but I think they get pitched a few years ago

 

My brother in law swapped his 93 Tacoma onto a solid 85 Tacoma frame. The 93 was a solid truck but the frame was rotted and the 85 the body was rotted but the frame was still good. He did that 5 years ago and the 85 frame is just now starting to get rusty. Said it was an easy swap and did it in his garage. We thought he was crazy for doing it but he proved everyone wrong.

 

I did spend some time this weekend doing measurements, and it shouldn’t be too much more than making body mounts and doing an SAS on a Tacoma. I’m just kinda not a huge fan of the frame rust since I’m stuck living somewhere where salt is a big deal

 

If you buy a frame (any frame) from the same area, you're going to run into the same problem: RUST.

Rust isn't a toyota thing, it's a regional thing. There's a reason you don't see very many vehicles of any brand that are older than ~10 years in places with bad winters/road salts that aren't rusty piles of junk.

As @Wyoming09 said, it would in all likelihood be easier to just make a frame from scratch then try to retrofit an off-brand frame.

The other thing would be to try and source a compatible Toyota from from a region that doesn't salt their roads, like Arizona or central CA.

 

Honestly, I can’t agree with that statement. Rust doesn’t discriminate, frame rust is primarily a Japanese truck issue though. Plenty of Chevy and Ford trucks driving around on rusted bodies and perfectly good frames. I’ve got an S10 more miles and nothing more than a little bit of surface rust on it’s frame.

it certainly might be easier to build a custom frame, but I doubt it would be cheaper. Making motor and body mounts isn’t difficult or expensive. I was just curious if it had been done as I’m already looking to SAS my truck and moving to a platform that was already setup that way does make sense.

 

Well let us know How things work out.

 

Just google "XYZ brand frame rust" and you'll get plenty of results.

Here's an '05 Canyon with 50k miles on it:


F-150 with 41k miles:


An '03 2500 with ?? miles:

 

My buddy that lives just outside of Issaquah, he swaps frame/bodies all the time (seems almost weekly now).
Toyota 1st gen to Toyota 1st gen only.

 

Still seems like a momentous task!

 

Yes, if you google it. But only one brand has been bad enough to warrant a mass recall on the frames. It’s a lot easier to clean out a C channel frame and keep it from being a problem than a boxed one which is why this wasn’t a big problem on 90’s Or earlier American trucks

 

Not if you have a fork lift and space to do it...

 

Again, google:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/04/07/ford-recall-fusion-escape/7427299/
https://www.thecarconnection.com/ne...cks-recalled-over-wintry-market-rust-concerns
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10154649-9999.pdf (note this is on vehicles far newer than our 1st gens)

Go to any enthusiast site, and there are tons of threads from people complaining about frame rot.

Certainly part of the "problem" is the boxed frame sections, because salt water gets in there and doesn't come out. So what's the solution then? Line-Xing the frame inside and out? Sure, that can help, but that also just hides the problem *when* rust inevitably gets inside. Also not good.

If we want to put the blame on anyone, it's those who apply road salts, and the owners who don't take the time to wash it off, then whine to Toyota 15 years later.

 

Again, just trying to see if it’s been done before, but switching to a frame that isn’t boxed also greatly reduces the rust issue. On the Tacoma, mine went right under the passenger rear shock mount where they added a bit of reinforcement with no way for dirt to escape. It was a terribly designed frame and other brands we’re doing a lot better at that time. With stiffer frames also came difficulty with rust mitigation and junk quality steel to cut costs.

since it didn’t appear to have been done before, I guess I have a lot of measuring to do and a new frame to acquire.

 

I wouldn't say it was a terrible design, just not one that had easy rust mitigation as it's primary design factor. It's only potentially an inferior design IF you live in certain areas. So that sucks for some people, but it doesn't seem to be enough people for Toyota (or other manufacturers) to really do much about it.

I do remember someone asking about swapping a Ranger frame on the forum a while ago. I don't think he actually did anything as the consensus seemed to be it would be simpler to just source the proper frame from a rust free region, or getting frame plates, or something to that effect.

But if you're a fabricator and handy with a welder, I would think the world is your oyster as far as either fabricating one form scratch or modifying one. Kinda of a crap shoot which is "easier" depending on your ability to find one.

 

I don’t see any older vehicles in Maine when I go visit my parents. I agree every vehicle driven in the winter without added rust protection will rust in 15 years there. Now if you’re going to swap then just coat the ever loving mother out of the frame and oil it with whatever stuff you like to keep it from rusting in the winter. While you’re swapping you could have a bunch of mods prepared and have a sweet rig when you’ve finished for sure.

 

Can you source a replacement frame from Toyota? It seems that they indicated the cost to be around $3,500 at the time they replaced mine.

 

Rust was the primary reason I traded in my GMC Canyon. Some body, but a lot of frame rust.

 

I actually have a pretty mint C20 frame laying around from a friend's body swap project. That would become the donor and would get built on top of a Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear axle that are laying around in another friend's garage. I'm not a skilled welder myself, but I have friends that are and I'm wanting to learn. I patched my frame this weekend and am not satisfied with the result nor do I think that it'll last beyond this coming winter, even with my rust mitigation efforts.

I also really dislike the look of newer trucks so I'd rather pay for the fabrication than put it toward a new truck.

 

What would be a fair price to pay for a frame from a 2001 Tacoma that was wrecked on the front end thats parted out (not mine) Assuming the frame wasn’t damaged that is?

I came across one at a tow truck company and the guy said he might part it out, so I’m looking at offering him either cash for the frame or maybe even the whole thing depending on what he’d would get rid of it for

Anyone with experience buying a frame from a parted out truck would be appreciated!