Undercarnage

[4ShoreRunner]

I beat up my skids pretty good on my last outing (Blue Trails at Rausch Creek). I ended up nicking part of a head of a bolt off my front skid plate where the oil change access panel is. I'm sure the toyota techs will be real happy with me since it looks like they will now have to remove the entire front skid to change my oil. Hopefully, they just destroy the bolt to remove it and replace it.

The reason I'm posting is that I hit my cross member and whatever the thing circled in yellow is. They are already showing signs of rust and the tube in yellow is bent.

I'm thinking I need to sand and paint the affected areas ASAP, but what should I do about the tube connecting the frame to the cross member? Replace it? Hope the new radioactive part is stronger?

 

[OUTRNNR]

Sanding and re-painting may not be a bad idea.

I wouldn't worry about the tube, I think that member is only there to increase the stiffness and reinforce the link between the crossmember and the frame. If its not broken, it's still doing its job. Unless of course you bent it and its causing stress to the crossmember or frame, but it doesn't look like it in that picture!!

It's a Trail Edition!! if it's exposed it's supposed to get bent :beer:

 

[iDRiVaT4R]

Tacoma's don't even come with those round support bars so I wouldn't stress about that. Between the Tacoma and the 4Runner I would imagine those supports would be more beneficial to the Tacoma since around that area is where the boxed frame rails stop and turn into Reinforced C-Channels. The 4Runner is boxed front to rear.

I've always just touched up bashed-in areas with spray paint.

 

[homeyclaus]

Clean with wire brush. Paint with rust-oleum on a brush. No overspray, and a brush works it in better. When dry it is hard enough to survive months of getting stepped on on the back of delivery truck bumpers.

Oddly enough, that's exactly where I whacked the bottom of my 4Runner on Saturday too.

 

[REXTOO]

wipe some grease on it and be done with it. faster, no overspray and you can then drink beer...

 

[Hawkdog21]

I have whole bunch of those spots under mine, and I have one that is almost identical to yours in that location. You can paint it it you want, but its not a big deal. It is surface rust and those supports are fairly silly. It would take a seriously long time for surface rust like that to be a problem.

 

[tlflow]

I have whole bunch of those spots under mine, and I have one that is almost identical to yours in that location. You can paint it it you want, but its not a big deal. It is surface rust and those supports are fairly silly. It would take a seriously long time for surface rust like that to be a problem.

It's time to buy a lift

 

[Antman]

There are products out on the market that chemically transform rust into a black solid surface that can be painted or left as is. It's not paint, but a milky coating that can't be rubbed off. This stuff works really well. I have used it on boat trailers, and for restoring older cars. Rustoleum makes a version. Simply wire brush, or sand the rusted area lightly, brush it on (sometimes takes two coats) and the rust is gone. Works like magic, is cheap, and you can get it at Home Depot or Auto stores.

 

[Hawkdog21]

It's time to buy a lift

ugh, its been lifted for about a year... and 33s...

 

[rickwol]

There are products out on the market that chemically transform rust into a black solid surface that can be painted or left as is. It's not paint, but a milky coating that can't be rubbed off. This stuff works really well. I have used it on boat trailers, and for restoring older cars. Rustoleum makes a version. Simply wire brush, or sand the rusted area lightly, brush it on (sometimes takes two coats) and the rust is gone. Works like magic, is cheap, and you can get it at Home Depot or Auto stores.

I know what you are referring to. I used a product called SEM Rust-Seal and yes it chemically turns rust into a paintable surface. When I had my 2nd gen runner I had so much rust on the undercarraige that I went through quite a bit of that milky formula. But that stuff is really designed for serious rust that is beyond repair. I think in 4Shorerunner's case a better approach would be to try and clean that rust via some sanding and then brush apply some rustoleum primer followed by some rustoleum black paint, or he could leave those damaged areas alone and simply be proud of the "battle scars".