Opinions on rust / frame condition

[tyrenta]

Just so I don’t look completely nuts I showed the worst of it above — this truck rusted in a strange pattern. Maybe because it sat idle for most of the time idk, but the usual problem spot — rear lca bracket I can bang with a hammer

Rocker area seems OK, I need to remove the trim to be sure:

transfer case fwd not as bad:

Two worst panel spots are right rear door, drives side foot

 

[Kanoe]

That rust looks pretty dry. What was your undercoating schedule and with what product?

 

[brillo_76]

That's not super rotted for the salt belt. I can so you alot worse then that from PO neglect. Would be good to clean it all seal it with something. Then get into a rust inhibitor plan.

Eventhough the frame is still intact and fairly strong it will have thin spots in it as they mostly rot from the inside out around here. So super cleaning and coating the inside of the frame will extend frame life..

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[brillo_76]

You also want to get s few something in your rockers so they dont rot out as well. Mostly go in the back inside and out and the front a few inches in on the outer rocker. You see those tar patches on the inside rocker. Pull those off and get the rust inhibitor of your choice in there then just snap a solid grommet in the hole its resealed up.

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[tyrenta]

That's not super rotted for the salt belt. I can so you alot worse then that from PO neglect. Would be good to clean it all seal it with something. Then get into a rust inhibitor plan.

Eventhough the frame is still intact and fairly strong it will have thin spots in it as they mostly rot from the inside out around here. So super cleaning and coating the inside of the frame will extend frame life..

I'm going your method -- I have some eastwood internal coating so will spray that but I'm going to blast anything internal with FF also

 

[Sarki]

Your rig isn’t that much worse than mine. I’m in the Hudson Valley only 15 minutes from CT so similar road conditions.
I’ve paid close attention to Brillo’s thread on rust repair and some others on the forum who have been very encouraging.
Have spent endless hours with a wire wheel on my angle grinder and a compact needle scaler ($30 Harbor Freight). In the past few days I just completed stages 1 & 2 (degreaser & metal prep) using POR-15 products and am now ready to apply the chassis paint.
After removing all the flaking rust I was pleasantly surprised to find zero perforation, soft spots or areas of further concern.
Get yourself a compressor and needle scaler and go to town. It’s messy work but you’ll learn as you go and it’s good for the soul.
BTW......I think [MENTION=28842]Brillo[/MENTION] 76 needs a new handle....Rust Doctor!
Keep the faith [MENTION=164664]brillo_76[/MENTION] you do good work and your contributions are very helpful!

 

[tyrenta]

Your rig isn’t that much worse than mine. I’m in the Hudson Valley only 15 minutes from CT so similar road conditions.
I’ve paid close attention to Brillo’s thread on rust repair and some others on the forum who have been very encouraging.
Have spent endless hours with a wire wheel on my angle grinder and a compact needle scaler ($30 Harbor Freight). In the past few days I just completed stages 1 & 2 (degreaser & metal prep) using POR-15 products and am now ready to apply the chassis paint.
After removing all the flaking rust I was pleasantly surprised to find zero perforation, soft spots or areas of further concern.
Get yourself a compressor and needle scaler and go to town. It’s messy work but you’ll learn as you go and it’s good for the soul.
BTW......I think [MENTION=28842]Brillo[/MENTION] 76 needs a new handle....Rust Doctor!
Keep the faith [MENTION=164664]brillo_76[/MENTION] you do good work and your contributions are very helpful!

Haha my needle scaler arrived today, my larger compressor will be here next week, wire wheel is coming out this weekend, and Brillo is the man! I'll document as I go....everyone loves pics

 

[T4R2014]

What were you doing the past 5 years? You had a lot more to work with 5 years ago. Totally honest but those control arm brackets look ready to snap off now. Had you just sprayed the hell out of it with used motor oil it would look very different. My opinion but the body mount and floor looks poor too. That will require a lot of patching.

 

[TheShowtime]

So you decided to keep it from 5 years ago? That’s good that it lasted 5 more years. Mines not even a quarter as bad, gives me hope mine will last a long time.

 

[Thebeastlives]

I would have sold that thing and invested in something that requires less effort

 

[tyrenta]

I would have sold that thing and invested in something that requires less effort

Yeah well my DD gets 11mpg with 700hp and 12psi of boost and I own 6 boats so I’m not one to make practical decisions on ‘investments’

 

[brillo_76]

I'm going your method -- I have some eastwood internal coating so will spray that but I'm going to blast anything internal with FF also

It will slow down and basically stop the rust. Just keep an close eye on things for a while. Hammer rot test is always a good method to find rotted areas..


Just the Eastwood internal coating or the rust inhibiting coating Eastwood coating. As it will work the best if super clean the inside frame out then use the rust inhibitor first then the internal frame coating. As if just the black spray paint you may with to save your time.


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[dongkeykong]

Sometimes life happens and some things get passed onto the back burner. I for one am glad to see you didn't give up after 5 years and decided to tackle it yourself.

 

[Thebeastlives]

Yeah well my DD gets 11mpg with 700hp and 12psi of boost and I own 6 boats so I’m not one to make practical decisions on ‘investments’

Lmaoooo I here you. If you look at the number of threads where members dump tons of money and time the 3rd gen is the section where people make the most impractical investment decisions on our old ass 4 runners. Most of us are not immune and that includes me as well. I've got 5 vehicles between my wife and I. I don't need 5 vehicles all modified...lol

 

[Crowcifier6]

I spent most of last summer grinding rust with a wire wheel on my 98. It was in better shape than that, but that is workable. I coated with POR-15 and Fluid Film after the paint cured.

Grinding rust is a tedious and filthy job, especially if you want to be rid of ALL of it. I got lazy toward the end of grinding and left some of the tight spots. I feel like if you coat well after rust busting, it will keep the rust you missed (crevices, hard to reach spots) in check.

 

[tyrenta]

It rained and was miserable all day so didn't do much. I blasted the gas skid bolts with Kroil, coming off tomorrow one way or another. Tranny skid came off and is taking a swim in the tank just so I felt like I did something.

Skids are off And I’m working on a larger electrolysis tank that they can fit into. A wheel would work also but electricity, graphite rods and water is more fun. Then some welding work on the front skid for practice.

I can't really do much until I settle on a spray on converter that won't get sticky on good paint like the Eastwood does, Corroseal/Ospho/PickleX20/Other?? and also get some excapsulator/paint. I'm leaning towards the new Eastwood Platinum Encapsulator which looks like their POR15 answer, but less prep, then satin chassis paint. FF is going internal on everything.



Also need to wait on a 1" RB lift kit so I can get a bit more access to the frame.



Once I have those I'm debating dropping the tank when I do the rear axle swap and using that opportunity to cover the entire frame and body from the xfer case back.....I don't have a lift and part of the reason its taken 5 years is because I had a master plan to upgrade my garage, get a 2 post lift, etc etc but....3 kids......so no lift it will be uncomfortable.



In the mean time,



Question: the two removable frame cross members, one that supports the tranny/xfer case, can those be removed to refinish without any structural issues? How do you support the tranny with that particular one out / do you need to?

 

[brillo_76]

It rained and was miserable all day so didn't do much. I blasted the gas skid bolts with Kroil, coming off tomorrow one way or another. Tranny skid came off and is taking a swim in the tank just so I felt like I did something.

Skids are off And I’m working on a larger electrolysis tank that they can fit into. A wheel would work also but electricity, graphite rods and water is more fun. Then some welding work on the front skid for practice.

I can't really do much until I settle on a spray on converter that won't get sticky on good paint like the Eastwood does, Corroseal/Ospho/PickleX20/Other?? and also get some excapsulator/paint. I'm leaning towards the new Eastwood Platinum Encapsulator which looks like their POR15 answer, but less prep, then satin chassis paint. FF is going internal on everything.



Also need to wait on a 1" RB lift kit so I can get a bit more access to the frame.



Once I have those I'm debating dropping the tank when I do the rear axle swap and using that opportunity to cover the entire frame and body from the xfer case back.....I don't have a lift and part of the reason its taken 5 years is because I had a master plan to upgrade my garage, get a 2 post lift, etc etc but....3 kids......so no lift it will be uncomfortable.



In the mean time,



Question: the two removable frame cross members, one that supports the tranny/xfer case, can those be removed to refinish without any structural issues? How do you support the tranny with that particular one out / do you need to?

A wood board on a Jack or a non harbor freight jack stand. You can but I would just put a good jack or Jack stand under the transfer case to keep the pressure of your engine mounts.

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[tyrenta]

The good news for today:



The battery clamps returned my tranny skid to an unrusted condition:

And the gas skid came off, albeit with a bit of a fight -- rear bolt by the tire snapped off with the dewalt impact, and the outside center bolt by the running board rounded off and needed 20 painful minutes with the dremel, and I still have to deal with the stud. Anyone need a 3rd gen gas skid??

The bad news -- a major set-back to the plans that I had missed. My hammer testing had led me to think the issues were contained mainly to the rear axel housing back. However, the usual spot by the muffler does indeed have a problem -- this will require a major patch and means I overestimated how many years I can get out of this frame, which right now has dropped to zero.

One step forward two steps back. I may now have a parter on my hands, which is a shame with 154k on the clock.....

As she sits

 

[tyrenta]

I have two questions on frame repair that I can't find an answer to, both are related to structural integrity, especially when under the truck:

1) When cutting out bad portions of the frame to rebuild them, how much can you cut out before you run the risk of a failure? Or at least enough bend so that you are welding a repair into a now bent/stressed frame? Or is that not an issue?

2) Is there a proper method to do these repairs? i.e. have jack stands supporting the frame on either side you are cutting out?

Just thinking things through.....I know rookie questions for doing welding but I'm trying to learn how it works.

 

[brillo_76]

I have two questions on frame repair that I can't find an answer to, both are related to structural integrity, especially when under the truck:

1) When cutting out bad portions of the frame to rebuild them, how much can you cut out before you run the risk of a failure? Or at least enough bend so that you are welding a repair into a now bent/stressed frame? Or is that not an issue?

I try to leave 50% of the frame. I mostly cut the bottom out when I can then cut the welding windows in to weld the plates on the inside. You can also cut out the inside of the frame and accomplish the same thing. If you look closely. Our frames are thinker C Channels with a thinner inside plate welded in on factory. So you really have to look at how is rotted to make sure you weaken it to bend point. So basically 25% to 50% max. Try to never touch the top frame well if possible and leave as much as you can until you get it beefed up.

2) Is there a proper method to do these repairs? i.e. have jack stands supporting the frame on either side you are cutting out?

I never completely cut the frame out unless i have no choice. Like a section is completely gone...

Get the Rig as high as you safely can and verify no smell of gas etc. Most of the time. I remove the gas tank for safety. Especially if working on that side of the frame well. Using oversized good jack stands. For example my 5 speed is setting on 12 ton jack stands while a repair its frame.

What I did was put the stands under the rear axle and front A frame to give me as much height as possible

Just thinking things through.....I know rookie questions for doing welding but I'm trying to learn how it works.

Its how we all learn. Also you cant really weld with gas outside. Good thing your is flux core..

With what you have as a welder, you going to have to work to get the plates welded properly as the 110 welders sometimes have a harder time with 1/8 plate. You have to slow the welding wire speed down and make sure the area is super clean with a pass or 3 to get it welded..