Sooooo bad....

[afg10000]

thats a easy fix , i had the same problem in the same spot , they all rot in the same spot . plenty of threads on this issue just do a search on rusty frames .
i cut all the rust out with a grinder with a cutting wheel , then i boxed the frame with 1/8 '' plate [inside, outside and bottom] , went past the rust a few inches and welded it . took about 6 hours total , hardest part was dropping the fuel tank to weld new plates on the inside of the frame .

My one question is how strong is the frame after cutting the bad stuff out and welding new plate. More so can I wheel it or should it stay limited to normal driving and light trails. I did a lot of research today and also got some eyeballs on it from trusted friends who have been in the auto industry for a long time. Their consensus was it will be fine for normal highway driving for the immediate future. We're going to patch it as per your fix Woodro. There was another thread I saw from a fella who patched his and it was worse than mine. I know it's probably only buying time but even if it only gets me a few more years it's worth it for me. At that point I'll keep my eye out for another one from a different state and swap stuff out. I don't think the cost of a frame swap is worth it personally. Not for how much these Runners are worth -

 

[rjaudi]

I saw Woodro's patch job and if it is done to that degree I believe the frame will be stronger than the original in that location. I caught mine when it had a minor perforation about 4 inches long and had some plate welded onto the frame. I also coated the entire frame in paint and sprayed the inside as well. The other mod was to move the truck from Maryland to Southeast North Carolina where it never snows. The problem the 4runners have is a design flaw in that area to where the rust is building up inside the frame there and the frame is boxed, but fairly thin steel is used.

 

[afg10000]

I saw Woodro's patch job and if it is done to that degree I believe the frame will be stronger than the original in that location. I caught mine when it had a minor perforation about 4 inches long and had some plate welded onto the frame. I also coated the entire frame in paint and sprayed the inside as well. The other mod was to move the truck from Maryland to Southeast North Carolina where it never snows. The problem the 4runners have is a design flaw in that area to where the rust is building up inside the frame there and the frame is boxed, but fairly thin steel is used.

Excellent. That's what i like to hear. If I can't go have fun with this thing once in while, I'd rather buy one that I can and not worry about it (other than normal risk). In fact, I just found a black '97 Limited with 124k on it here in town. Might go check it out tomorrow. I was checking out craigslist in Denver. Good god, they're asking a lot more for the same trucks than down here-

 

[SkidPalace]

I have similar rust issues on my frame and I was wondering what a plate weld repair like the ones discussed here should cost. I can't really see the frame beside my tank, but it doesn't look nearly as bad as the passenger side.

 

[afg10000]

I have similar rust issues on my frame and I was wondering what a plate weld repair like the ones discussed here should cost. I can't really see the frame beside my tank, but it doesn't look nearly as bad as the passenger side.

Well, I was able to find a fella here that does frame restoration. He's been doing it for 43 yrs. He checked mine out. He's gotta go from the control weld mount all the way to the crossmember on the passenger side. Also wants to add long gussets to the front of the control arm mounts. Wants to drop the gas tank and address that side as well while we're doing all this. I, too don't know the state of the frame by the gas tank. We both agreed that the passenger side has only surface rust but will eventually deteriorate. It's difficult to find anyone who will touch the frame at all. He quoted me $1500 for doing both sides. The guy certainly knows what he's doing. Sounds like Woodro got the best deal. Probably just depends on how bad the rot is and who you can find to do it correctly -

 

[woodro]

i wouldnt worry about crawling under your truck , i cut all of my frame out and the truck didnt even flex , the body is very strong and will hold it together .

1500 is a little on the high side , you could buy a very good mig welder for under $1000 and $100 bucks in steel and with a little practice your frame would be brand new .

i wouldnt hesitate to drive that truck as is , would keep it off the trails and take it easy on the road until you get it fixed .

 

[afg10000]

i wouldnt worry about crawling under your truck , i cut all of my frame out and the truck didnt even flex , the body is very strong and will hold it together .

1500 is a little on the high side , you could buy a very good mig welder for under $1000 and $100 bucks in steel and with a little practice your frame would be brand new .

i wouldnt hesitate to drive that truck as is , would keep it off the trails and take it easy on the road until you get it fixed .

That's exactly the opinion of everyone I've had inspect it. Normal driving will be fine, just don't beat on it and get it fixed before another winter.
I understand what you're saying on buying a welder but my frame is not the place I want to learn. Nor do I have a place to do it. I've decided I don't mind dumping some cash if it's buying me a lot of life on my Runner. Not to mention a frame that's stronger than it's original state. I'll definitely get some feedback from my welding friends, but in the end they just don't have the time to do this project to the extent that this fella offers -

 

[cfranck1]

Welcome to the Rust club!!
Check out my sig for the thread on my patch job!!
Maybe give you some ideas on how I fixed it.

but non the less, still a sucky thing to deal with!!

 

[SkidPalace]

Welcome to the Rust club!!
Check out my sig for the thread on my patch job!!
Maybe give you some ideas on how I fixed it.

but non the less, still a sucky thing to deal with!!

Damn Toyota for hanging us out to dry on this issue. This is clearly an inherent defect in the frame treatment or design. It just lasted longer than the Tacoma and Tundra frames which they had to eat.

 

[afg10000]

Welcome to the Rust club!!
Check out my sig for the thread on my patch job!!
Maybe give you some ideas on how I fixed it.

but non the less, still a sucky thing to deal with!!

Trust me, I found your thread. Looks good. We're going to go to town on both sides and do it nice. After that, I'm gonna start the rest of the frame cleaning process and POR -

 

[woodro]

Don't forget to coat the inside of the frame to stop the rust from coming back , Eastwood makes a ok product .

 

[afg10000]

Thanks, Woodro. The frame restoration guy was already on that. I did have a chance to discuss everything with my trusted welding friends. They agreed on this path. I offered my friend here in town the money to do it but the one thing he cannot sell is his time. If we were just slapping some plate on there, he could do it, but not to the extent the frame guy is gonna do. Thanks for the help and advice -

 

[blueblur1984]

Be sure to go safety first and get jack stands under there before you do anything. I would chip of the worst of it, use some c channel to box the frame and get to welding. For the love of god use some por-15 when you finish! Prevention is much easier than repair.