Need advice on my 2004 tacoma

I just bought a 2004 tacoma TRD double cab. The frame looks to have been replaced and shows no rust. The engine is working perfectly, and the seller replaced the muffler before selling. I noticed a lot of rust on the rear axle and rear break hubs. I still bought it with 125k miles for $12,500. It also came with brand new winter tires with steel wheels in the bed which I will use to replace the current tires.

I took it to the Tacoma dealership to have it inspected and received the following:

during inspection, found rear differential leaking from drain plug. Rear differential is heavily rusted, which may cause future repairs to become more intensive and many components. May break during repairs or service. The drum brake backing cover is rusted enough that the structural integrity may be compromised. Coolant is discolored and appears water or another fluid. Besides Toyota coolant has been added to the system. Tires are dry rotted and are 15 years old and are showing signs that the alignment may be off or suspension components are bent or worn. Rear shocks outer casing is half gone due to rust.

I am going to replace all the fluids immediately. I am replacing the rear shocks. I will most likely replace the rear break hubs since they are fairly inexpensive. I am hoping to sand blast or grind off any rust on the rear axle and coat it with a few layers of PR15. I know it’s also possible to purchase the rear axle housing and convert my parts into that. Or I could purchase an entire rear end and save my current for parts.

I am all ears for any suggestions because this is my first “project” truck and I need some guidance.

 

Did the previous owner have a boat? Looks like the rear end has been dipped in (salt) water quite a few times. Would make sense why the frame is in good shape...

To answer your question and offer advice. I would look for a new rear end. Good opportunity to buy a locking diff. They show up on TW for $800-1,000.

Good luck brother

 

Do the 2nd gen rear ends fit the 1st gens or am I stuck looking for 1st gens?

 

Put an ad on the classifieds here.......the are a number of folks that have donor part trucks here......might get lucky....

and facebook market is a good place for the 2000-04 parts......

goal is to find one nearby.......

 

Fortunately, rear axle housings are plentiful.

But holy shit how did you miss that rear end? And you said the frame has been replaced with no signs of rust but I'm already seeing rust on the frame?

 

I saw the rear end and decided to buy anyways.

 

What does the process of changing out the housing look like? A full day?

 

For the amount of rust you have I would plan on more than a day. 1st step is to invest in a can of PB Blaster and start treating the shock bolts, where the brake hose connects to the brake lines and the linkage to the LSPV. I would wager that the U bolts will have to be cut off (you don’t want to reuse them anyway) and the bottom plates replaced. I would not mess with replacing the housing it will be much easier to replace the whole thing so you’re not messing with pulling the axles, disassembling and reassembling your differential. When shopping for the “new” rear be mindful of the gear ratio and the fact that you have ABS so you’ll want to find one that matches what you have.

 

Repairing that axle is doable as long as it isn't totally rusted through. There's pretty thick metal on those things. I had a similar looking axle, no leak but quite rusty. See post #32 from my build thread to see the steps i took to repair it.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2002-tacoma-rust-belt-restoration.769596/page-2#post-27540868

Replacing the backing plates is a lot of work. You have to basically disassemble the entire thing to get at it. Cheap part, lots of labor. I'm in a similar boat where my backing plates are really rusted. Thankfully, they're still strong where they need to be.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/to-all-the-guys-looking-at-overpriced-rusted-trucks.785541/

 

I defiantly don’t plan to use them, I just wanted the inspection. I’m going to do everything myself