Yes a rusty frame

Hi everybody, I’m in the Raleigh , NC area and bought a 2002 TRD 4 door and have had it a year . I have almost completed everything there is to do with respect to putting the reliability back into a truck with 260k miles on it. The frame is rusty and had one section already cut out and replaced. There are some other areas that will need “Skin grafts “ as well. I did some sanding and sprayed lanolin all over and in and around but I would really like to do as much as possible without taking the bed off etc. I guess I’m asking , what is the most one can do short of removing the bed? Thanks in advance for the advice .

 

No one can answer you without pictures; picture will say more than your post ever will.

If you can cut/weld/etc., I'd venture to say removing the bed is an easy feat so why not do it?

 

I see what you are saying. There is a 4x4 shop that I have been going to and they do good work but based on his $10,000.00 quote to paint the truck I know I can’t afford to have them do the complete frame work.

 

I can’t cut/weld/etc.

 

Oof! Somebody else was quoted 10k for pro frame work besides me. . Fna
My BP is already seriously high

 

If I was handed a $10,000 estimate I would buy a welder all the metal working equipment I needed, either teach my self or take a class how to weld, buy the supplies, build a new/repair the frame and figure out what to spend the $8,000 I avoided spending on.

I have a $500 welder and learned how to weld with the help of friends, but this is my hypothetical scenario for the OP.

 

Removing the bed is not a difficult job. You can get everything ready and just have a few friends come by to help lift it off.

I've removed several, and they were on rusty trucks. Worst case, the cross members under the bed are rotten and the weld nuts twist off. You can still get the bed off after that. All you need are some basic metric sockets and wrenches, and a few friends to lift it off. For an inexperienced person, it is still less than 4 hours work. Fuel inlet, bed bolts(6), and tail light wire harness are all that have to be removed.

Take it off and show us how bad it is and we can give you better advice. If that is not an option, at least lay under there and give us come glamour shots.

 

To do the best repair, you'll have to remove the bed, especially welding on the top side of a patch. If you're working on the fuel tank side, then you'll need to remove that too and it's probably easiest when the best is off.

 

To piggy back on this, the gas tank is super easy to drop on these trucks, and really you just need to move it off the side enough so you can get the grinder and the stinger in there.

 

My advice learn ! Find some Toyota friends that can.

I just quoted a job at around $ 4000.00 they are always opened ended to a degree .

It is possible to work around the bed being on depending how involved things are a few minor areas or a total refurbish each one is different

If your using a full time business most for insurance reasons need to remove the fuel tank.Lots of fuel tanks can be removed for the increase in premiums .

The $10,000.00 price was body work and paint for me painting the truck means deciding between a roller or brush