Am I hosed? (pictures)

[davyjones]

Rusted out inside view of lower control arm bracket:

Outside of rusted bracket:

Rusted segment of frame:

As you can see, my lower control arm bracket is disturbingly rusted on the inside. A couple feet of the frame section it's connected to are also rusted through. I've been reading as many rust threads as I can find, and I know some people have success welding plates over the rusted frame areas.

Can the control arm bracket also be repaired?

Anyone know of a shop around Fort Collins, Colorado that might be able to handle it? The rest of the frame is in decent condition given its age, so I'd like to repair it if I can.

Thanks

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Brother I feel for you but that is a lot o frame rust. I would definitely have a shop help you out but don't be surprised at the cost. It's going to be steep....really steep.

I would recommend a frame swap honestly. Fixing it might just be paying a jail bond on a escape artist.

 

[KidVermicious]

A mechanic will charge a lot because he knows your alternative is to junk the truck, but plating a frame and building new control arm brackets is not a tough thing to do and should not be expensive. Four wheelers modding their trucks move brackets and plate frame sections all the time, it's pretty basic fab as such things go. You can even get laser cut brackets from fifty or so different 4wd vendors on the internet for cheap.

Check out the rest of the frame thoroughly, make sure that's all there is, or at least that you know where it's all at, and you can get to all of it to repair it without removing the body. Then hit up somebody on the board here that's local to you or find where your local four wheelers post, and ask for help with the welding. It'll be more than a 12 pack job, you'll need to pay a bit. But you'll pay a lot less than you'd pay a shop to do that work for sure.

No, you're not hosed, and you probably don't need to go to the effort of a body swap. If the pics you posted are the worst of it, that frame is completely saveable. If you do decide to go to a shop, go to Addicted Offroad.

 

[davyjones]

Thanks for the replies. I'll have to wait for daylight for a more thorough inspection, but I didn't see any other holes or bad areas, and nothing that looked like it couldn't be stopped with a wire brush and appropriate coatings.

I'm a little more hopeful now than when I spotted that mess this evening.

Anyone know someone in the Fort Collins area who might be up for this kind of work?

 

[Kryptoroxx]

There's a regional section of the forums where you will find local members. There are tons of members in colorado though.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Wow. The carnige when that rear LCA bracket lets go is going to be so knarly. Like driveshaft and entire rear Axel snapping off (at least partially) kind of knarly.

There was this guy named 4RipCord. It was his upper that failed but I image the end result would be equally crappy if it is the lower that fails.

 

[SilverRidgeRunner1]

I guess the task at hand would be sand blasted that area until u get to pure metal and go from there. I think I would seek a welders help and see if he could piece together some steal and weld that back up.

 

[Jon]

That portion of the frame would gather the highest concentration of build up from whatever the front tires are slinging up. Whatever you do to the passenger side, follow through on the driver's side.

Everyone reading: please for your safety and safety of others on the roads, even if you don't take it to a shop, follow through with your own vehicle inspections. Keep the mechanical pieces in clean working order and when you see rust, at least hit it with a wire brush and a rattle can. This vehicle should not be on the road.

Davyjones: Welcome to the forum. This is a great place to learn more about your 4Runner and how to keep it going. Hope I'm not coming off as an a$$hole but that vehicle is your responsibility and it is in desperate need of repair. From a safety standpoint, the next time it sees pavement should be on a trailer heading to a shop that can remedy what's left of that frame. It is on the verge of failure. KidVermicious has the best course of action, other than a frame swap which is probably out of the question. Get the frame sandblasted down to bare metal and if possible, box it with new lower links.

Good luck to you and remember, it's better to fix it than scrap it.

 

[Twan]

I just want to know, where in the hell did that thing come from? That has to be an east coast transplant, at best.

 

[Tsfc]

Damn bro. I feel for ya, that is rough....if the rest of the truck is good or buult and you intend to keep, go to a few shops and wheel and deal...just remember in this case you will get what you pay for...it will be costly!

 

[MStudt]

It's bad, but nothing that can't be fixed. I was in the same situation (minus the control arm mount) last summer, and I still have a little more to fix. I cut out a 2" tall section from the cross member back to the mount and had a local shop cut me a piece of 1/8" hot rolled sheet that was 2" x 25". I cut the new piece down to fit length wise and welded it back in place. There are plenty of people in the Colorado area that I'm sure would be able to help you out.

 

[wc11]

Yikes!
Well it's about $2700 for a new frame but I can't imagine the labor cost of flipping everything over and/or having to replace parts that break along the way while doing it. You could probably get a more healthy replacement runner for the same type of money.

Now I'm really glad I get mine sprayed twice a year.

 

[eplanajr]

"Am I hosed?" LOL, is that a serious question..

That didn't just happen. Rust doesn't just happen.

Looks like that's a new-ish muffler... Surprised there wasn't a mention about the frame when they replaced the likely rusted through muffler.

That mount can certainly be repaired... However your frame is FBAR'ed...

Good luck man.

My advice: Part the truck out. Buy a new-to-you rig. Keep a closer eye on it.

 

[MStudt]

My advice: Part the truck out. Buy a new-to-you rig. Keep a closer eye on it.

You can fix the frame for about $500, and that would include buying a welder to do it yourself. I luckily had my own welder, and spend $15 in new metal for it. If you have already a welder or know someone who does. A $15 repair is hardly worth parting out, and would be the last thing on my list.

 

[davyjones]

To clarify, this is the first time I'd been under it, since I just got the vehicle in a trade from an older out-of-state family member who was not physically able to crawl under it. Based on the newish muffler and how well everything else was maintained and regularly serviced I too am surprised the previous owner's shop either never noticed or mentioned it.

The rust you see is on the passenger's side, and it's the only bad spot on the frame - the driver's side is fine (not perfect, but manageable--no holes or excessive flaking that I've been able to find so far). The body is in great condition overall, and everything else seems mechanically sound, though I'm going over it all with a fine-toothed comb after this surprise.

I don't have much money in it, so I don't mind spending a bit to get this cleared up. I may have to push back the mods I was going to do, but it's worth it if I can get it roadworthy.

Next step is to try to get in touch with some people out here with some welding and fabbing skills, since I'm an apartment dweller at the moment. If you're in the area and have the skills and equipment I'd love to talk to you, and I'm certainly willing to pay for your services!