What should I fix next? 96 tacoma

Hi I've gotten help from you guys on how to get CA plates, and fixing my truck in the past. I recently spent a bunch of money and got the major damage repaired. I'd like to start tackling the smaller things now, but I'm not a truck expert, and might not know what's practical or important.




Some Rusting through on the bed and rear bumper.

This fender looks rusty too. Wonder if I should just spray paint it black?

Doors seem expensive, but maybe I could do something with these?

My radiator bangs against the truck while I'm at a light or drive through. Is there a way to fix that easily?

More minor damage.

The ebrake is also broke. I want to fix the cigarette lighter and put in a new stereo, subwoofer and amp eventually.

What do you think a mechanically inclined beginner could tackle?

 

All mechanics start somewhere. Just start fixing what's already broken, or start doing preventative maintenance.

If your bumper looks like that I would really look at your frame for rust. If the truck came from a state where the roads are salted your frame could be the same state as that bumper.

What's wrong with the cig lighter? If it doesn't work it could be as simple as changing the fuse under the dashboard.

Just start doing things, honestly. One of my first posts on this forum was me panicking because I tried flushing my power steering fluid and unplugged the wrong hose, and overflowing the PS reservoir spilling ATF all over my alternator. I was seriously afraid to start the truck after that, lol. It's all in the trial and error.

 

If you're in Northern California and you need some doors, I have some shells from a '98. They're already primed on the outside, original color is red.

 

Get to work on that fender! Sand it down until the rust is almost gone unless you have a power sander or a grinder with a soft wire wheel. In that case get it down to bare metal which you should do regardless, ideally. Spray it with some epoxy primer or at least some rusty metal (red oxide) primer and some flat paint. This isn't to just make it look better, but to halt the rust so you can just sand it down once more when it's time to paint it. Before you paint the truck a final time, all the new body panels should be sprayed on both sides with epoxy primer to keep moisture away from the metal.

Also you can find the weather stripping for the door onparts dealer websites like camelback Toyota or partznet.com. I gotta replace mine too!

 

About the fender and rust in general, you should not paint directly over rust. Use a rust converter, put some primer then paint over it.
If you paint over the rust, it will just come back and make the paint blister and peel off

Also, your frame, it looks rusty, so if it's not rotten and rusted through, have it greased when you will be done with your repairs. Or you can apply some fluid film to it