frame swap help

[daprotege5]

so need a little help on this frame rust issue i have. so i found this frame for $700 locally, but not sure if the impact it took can be repaired. wanted to swap this frame over to replace my rusty frame.

they looked at my truck and said that if i wanted they could cut the sections out that were rusted and replaced them with the good parts from this frame. Said they would sandblast the entire truck, put anti-corrision, and paint it so it would look good as new. total with the frame and the repairs would be around $1500.

what you guys think??

 

[Runnin on E]

So let's see some pics of your rusted frame, like the worst spots.

 

[Too Stroked]

A few thoughts here in no particular order of importance.

1) That frame you're looking at took one hell of a hit. I'd want to take some serious measurements to determine how extensive the damage is before buying it. The undamaged parts of the frame look pretty good though.

2) As for cutting out the damaged section(s) of the new frame and welding in portions from your existing frame, that depends on how bad your current frame is. Cutting and welding on a frame can be very tricky. Done incorrectly, you can end up with one hell of a safety issue.

3) You say the total for the frame ($700) and the repairs would be $1500. If that total number is indeed correct, that's a hard pass for me because it's way too cheap. To do all of the work you mentioned correctly would be way more. For reference, a Tacoma frame swap costs a Toyota dealership just north of $10,000 including the new frame.

 

[rdruss]

$1500 for what you describe is wild! I paid $1000 for two frame patches that were less than 1 square foot in area! so make sure these guys know what they are doing and are getting themselves (and you) into.

 

[daprotege5]

My frame is pretty bad, holes in various places. Hense why I took some pictures to get some opinions of this one. Rest of the frame looks pretty good besides the part where it took a hit from, that was my big concern, needs to be straightened or repaired not sure how that works.

As far as the cut and replace sections, I didn’t like that idea cause no telling what kind of condition inside of frame is like.

Having difficulty finding v8 frames near me, first one I found in weeks. Florida.

 

[Too Stroked]

My frame is pretty bad, holes in various places. Hense why I took some pictures to get some opinions of this one. Rest of the frame looks pretty good besides the part where it took a hit from, that was my big concern, needs to be straightened or repaired not sure how that works.

I don't think that amount of damage can be pulled back straight. If it can, I'd seriously doubt its strength in the event of another crash.

 

[AuSeeker]

My frame is pretty bad, holes in various places. Hense why I took some pictures to get some opinions of this one. Rest of the frame looks pretty good besides the part where it took a hit from, that was my big concern, needs to be straightened or repaired not sure how that works.

As far as the cut and replace sections, I didn’t like that idea cause no telling what kind of condition inside of frame is like.

Having difficulty finding v8 frames near me, first one I found in weeks. Florida.

What year model is your 4runner, 2wd or 4wd?

 

[daprotege5]

05 V8 4x4

 

[Colorado buff]

4-Runner 1996-2002 3rd Gen Archives - autorust.com


What about getting some frame kits like the link above?

 

[daprotege5]

ive seen them but prefer a more permanent solution and just find a frame to swap.

 

[Syr4RinNC]

Yea thats tough. I'd be really nervous about that frame pictured in another crash.

Again, pictures may help us see what we think is fixable.

If youre looking at spending a few thousand to repair though, you may want to keep an eye out of local V8s and sell yours

 

[aemravan]

decent frame rust wise, impact was pretty severe... I believe it could be salvaged, but not for 1000 bucks to do what you're saying they will.

 

[daprotege5]

decent frame rust wise, impact was pretty severe... I believe it could be salvaged, but not for 1000 bucks to do what you're saying they will.

ya rust wise was pretty clean, the impact part was my only concern if a shop can fix that or not?? how can i find out locally if its fixable?? i've had zero luck finding a v8 chassis here in Florida. this was the first one i found.

So his quote of $1400 was, $700 for the frame since it had to be chopped up, and the rest was towards fixing the rusted frame, sandblast, anti-corrosion, and paint it black so it all matches.

my preference would be to find a frame to do a frame swap but the out of state frames i've found all have front impact damage similar to this one.

 

[daprotege5]

i looked up parts#'s for frames
v6 frame 51001-3M510
v8 frame 51001-3M460

does anybody know if the frames are swappable???

 

[Keros]

I'm sure every US State has it's own practices.

Speaking to some mechanics about frame repairs for safety inspections in Canada, it appears to be at the individual's discretion.

The exact quote was "if the frame repair appears to be professional and thorough, I'd likely pass it". That's something to consider if you believe you may be in the situation to require the truck to be safety inspected for some reason or another in the future.

While there may or may not be a law that prohibits a frame being a hodge podge collection of pieces welded together from various frames. Is all that cutting/welding/grinding going to be better than just having found a good frame?

If you need your truck back and this is as good as it gets, you have to do what you have to do.

 

[Bluesky 07]

i looked up parts#'s for frames
v6 frame 51001-3M510
v8 frame 51001-3M460

does anybody know if the frames are swappable???

Best guess is no based on different p/ns. Also, and this is anecdotal only, but I just had a conversation in the forum with someone who was also installing RCI's t-case skid plate. My truck is a V6 and theirs is a V8, and the plates are different lengths. Since they bolt to the frame, that suggests the frames are dissimilar.

 

[V8Man]

[MENTION=647144]daprotege5[/MENTION]

As far as I know the frames between a V6 & V8 are different only at the engine motor mounts welded to the frame.The transmission cross piece is different but they are bolted on.
The first picture is a V6. Second V8.

 

[AuSeeker]

i looked up parts#'s for frames
v6 frame 51001-3M510
v8 frame 51001-3M460

does anybody know if the frames are swappable???

There is also another part number for a 4TH gen frame...it says it's for the V8 if you scroll down to "Part Fitment"......51001-3M520

51001-3M520 Genuine Toyota Frame Sub-Assembly

I don't know what the difference is in the 2 different part numbers for the V8 frames is, if any, it's possible that there's differnce in a 2WD and a 4wd, but that info isn't on any dealer's website that I saw.

I don't know for sure what the difference is between a V8 and a V6 frame but as V8 Man said where the motor mount to the frame are for sure different.

 

[daprotege5]

found this frame about 2 hours away, i called and not much detail on it, asked her if it was in a collison says she believes it only lit on fire. would this work for a frame swap??

 

[V8Man]

LKQ in Oklahoma City has two 4th Generations in their you-pull-it yard. One is a 2004 V6 the other is a 2008 V8.