Bent Frame?

It also looks like the previous owner rotated the tires before selling it: the back two tires have no tread (smooth, bald) on the inner sides, and the outer sides have lots of tread. The front tires are even across (visually)

ugh
 
I can't tell about the fenders because I'd need to see the bolts that hold the fender on. It does look like you are missing some inner liners. If you look at the bolts holding the fender are they scratched at all. That means it was taken off. When I look at the pics of your hood it looks like the gaps are off. One side is too narrow while the other is slightly wider. It could just be the angle of the pictures that's doing it but to me the gaps are wrong. How do the gaps on the doors look?
 
Ugh more bad news...

I parked the truck on the street for a few hours and when I walked towards the front I noticed something looked a bit funny

There is a >1" gap on the drivers side between the bumper and the grill, and its tight on the passenger side. Something is definitely bent...

Charging my phone at the moment, but I will grab some more pictures
 
Original paint shouldn't degrade like that. I have a 1997 Limited that has been parked out in the sun most of its life with no degradation.
 
stever1000 said:
I am mechanically inclined so I will check the ball joints and tie rod ends.
I hope it is either of those because the lower control bushings sound like a pain.
It has 181,000 miles so it's definitely getting up there

If I do lower ball joints, should I also do upper?

Upset that I went to an incompetent shop trying to save myself time...
Click to expand...

Did you look at this rig, drive it, car fax, etc. the normal things before buying a used rig? Some of this stuff is glaringly out of place/obvious by your description and photos.
 
reelamin said:
Did you look at this rig, drive it, car fax, etc. the normal things before buying a used rig? Some of this stuff is glaringly out of place/obvious by your description and photos.
Click to expand...

Yes, he suggested an alignment so I thought these issues were related to misalignment (which at first made sense). The shudder in the steering wheel only happens over bumps and I didn't hit any bumps on the test drive.

I didn't notice the grill until today, and the clear coat I have seen peel on other cars.

The carfax showed no accident, which is why I think it must have been fixed privately?
 
Here are some more pics
(yes I know the two bezels are missing under the lights)

20170312_174135.jpg~original


20170312_174142.jpg~original


20170312_174147.jpg~original


20170312_174210.jpg~original


20170312_174158.jpg~original
 
stever1000 said:
Here are some more pics
Click to expand...

Yikes. I'm no body man but that aint right. Something happened on the passenger side and looks like someone just bolted stuff back on without realigning mounts, supports etc. I'll bet the front bumper is a replacement. Probably from a used truck of the same color.
 
JRZEE2000TR4LTD said:
Yikes. I'm no body man but that aint right. Something happened on the passenger side and looks like someone just bolted stuff back on without realigning mounts, supports etc. I'll bet the front bumper is a replacement. Probably from a used truck of the same color.
Click to expand...

Yeah the more I look at it the more I notice how skewed it is
:eek:
 
I hope you didn't pay much for this because from what I can tell it's been in accident and it wasn't repaired right at all. I remember when I first was looking for a 4Runner and I went to a local Chevy dealership to check one out. They said clean Carfax and it had low miles and the pics looked good. I got there, told a salesman I'd meet him out at the vehicle. I pulled up next to it and saw none of the body lines matched up, the bumper was misaligned like yours, and rust was visible on the body(wasn't in the pics). I drove off before the sales rep showed up.
 
Sorry friend, your 4Runner has seen an accident. The passenger's side is all out of whack.

Is it fixable? Possibly. Post up pics of the mounts and such and people who have experience with body work can help.
 
Ugh I feel sick to the stomach. Hard lesson learnt...I never even thought about looking at the body lines closely.

This definitely explains why my steering wheel shudders over bumps and swerves a bit

Those with body experience, what mounts should I look at/take pictures of first?
 
Last edited:
stever1000 said:
Ugh I feel sick to the stomach. Hard lesson learnt...I never even thought about looking at the body lines closely.

This definitely explains why my steering wheel shudders over bumps and swerves a bit

Those with body experience, what mounts should I look at/take pictures of first?
Click to expand...

Check for wrinkles around the hood mount on the passenger side. See if the core support is bent in the front passenger corner. Take the bumper off and look at the frame endcaps. Take the inner fenders out and see if anything looks wrinkled or pushed back underneath.
 
After I bought my 97, my friend felt bit jealous and got a 01. He talked about it a lot because it is newer than mine. That's all he care. One day I saw it and opened the hood.... the radiator support is replaced and all the other parts around. The truck won't stay in lane. I told him, sorry, you bought a lemon with a clear title!
 
MN4runnerman said:
Check for wrinkles around the hood mount on the passenger side. See if the core support is bent in the front passenger corner. Take the bumper off and look at the frame endcaps. Take the inner fenders out and see if anything looks wrinkled or pushed back underneath.
Click to expand...

Good info I will do that tomorrow. The inner fenders/splash guards are already missing so that will be easy to check too
 
nissanh said:
After I bought my 97, my friend felt bit jealous and got a 01. He talked about it a lot because it is newer than mine. That's all he care. One day I saw it and opened the hood.... the radiator support is replaced and all the other parts around. The truck won't stay in lane. I told him, sorry, you bought a lemon with a clear title!
Click to expand...

Probably had a rebuilt title.
 
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