Just picked up my 4Runner from the frame and alignment shop and the guys did a great job welding everything back together. Total cost was around $600. I've included some "before and after" pictures.

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Rust damage

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After pic

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Great to see this one get fixed! Did they fab the plates or purchase? What kit?

We couldn't find any kits available so everything was fabricated in shop.

I lost my first runner, 2002, to the same issue, but worse, along with the control arm , I had a long crack along the rail and my shock towers were in bad shape,. One welder said it could be fixed, one said no way and with the rest of the frame not looking great, I sold it to a person with full disclosure who is basically using as a farm truck.

Not to be dismayed, I set my search out and saw a few with that issue that were described as "frame in great shape".

Finally found one with a pretty clean frame, lived half its live in AZ, but I could see that down the line I might have that same issue, just on the passenger side, the rest of the frame was in very good condition.

After speaking with a welder, I decide to be preemptive and did basically the same thing you have there, They made the plates as well. My weld was not nearly as extensive as yours, a re enforcement is a better way to put it

I had the rest of the frame inspected, no issues, threw some under coating on it . Worth it to me as it's a great condition Desert Dune that runs perfectly, but I'm in the NE, so it something we just live with.

Glad you were able to save yours.

Did ya cut the rusty section out and put new metal or sleeve it with new metal?

I'm a certified structural welder and I can tell you those welds are trash. I hope that repair holds up but I don't have much faith in it.

AvE has a saying :



Glad that you go the truck back and I hope that it's safe for you and everyone else around you on the road. Those are some sketchy looking welds though.

They may not be safe for bridge or pipeline construction, but they look adequate for holding a 2 pound piece of metal on the frame of an old rusty truck.

I am curious why you say this? I have heard to never weld vertically on the frame as these welds will fail as the frame flexes. Could you please elaborate. In the one pic it looks like they just welded rust back together...

But are you a CWI?

In the pictures the welds are all over the place and there appears to be poor penetration. Yes i'm certified by an AWS instructor. No I am not an instructor.

Between the Atlantic ocean and the road salt frames take a beating here. I patch these commonly and those plates will be fine for normal driving for years if you prevent the rust from spreading further. My old employee booger welded the sway bar link mount back to the lower spring seat on a buddy of mine's Grand Cherokee and it lasted for almost 2 years of normal driving. Those patches are great compared to the some of the terrible frame repairs that I see come into my shop. If you were using this vehicle for moderate to serious off-roading I would want to see more of the old frame cut out and some 1/8" angle steel welded in. These rust out bad enough here that I frequently have to patch inside, outside and bottom, usually on both sides and sometimes all the way to the gas tank cross-member.

It's hard to draw any conclusions on the quality of the weld based on a couple pictures. On face value, the welds look ok. Are they the best I've ever seen? Nope, not even close.

Are they the worst I've ever seen? Nope, not even close.

It will probably hold up just fine although I do agree the penetration does appear to be a little light (again, just based on 2 pix)

PS. A CWI is a Certified Welding Inspector, not instructor (although many instructors are also CWI's).