Yikes, I can't say I expected the words "parts car" to come out of this conversation. I guess without at least having someone local look at it it's hard to know what's worthwhile, but my biggest concern at this point is at what point is the car actually unsafe? I'm trying to figure out how we can best determine what we can still get out of it, and how much might be worth putting into it. If it's already past the point of reasonable repair, how much longer is feasible for it to be drivable? I was just about to do a 180k service on it, but maybe I should hold off on even that until we get a better sense of the rust issue.
Undercarriage Rust on T4R
- Thread starter mikeikedc
- Start date
MikeinNH67
Senior Member
Here in NH, that would have failed inspection last year. Really hard to tell by pictures if safe or not. Best bet is to have someone look at it who does rust repair. The plus side is these frames are robust unlike some frames. Keep us posted.
Buckaroo
Member
I battled frame rust on my 3rd gen for 6-7 years before I sold it for salvage - welded on it three times. Mike is right that eventually your frame will succumb and that it is not inexpensive but depending on the location and severity of the rust, you could still get a number of years out of it. You really need to get under there with a welding hammer and/or screwdriver and knock that loose rust away to see the scale of the problem. Then check out those SafeTCaps and see if the available options would address your frame rust locations and go to a qualified local welder to see if they would take on the job. You could also check out that SafeTCap website list of installers - there might be one in your area. Alternatively, you could go to a frame shop and have them give you an estimate. Although most of these are classic car focused (and expensive), look for one that is more focused on collision work and, if possible, experience with T4R/Tacoma frames.
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Thanks guys, appreciate the advice. There are several shops on the STC site that aren't too far from me. One shows some pretty nice welding work (to my amateur eye) installing this stuff on a Tacoma frame. I'll start there and report back what I find out.
Again, much appreciated.
Again, much appreciated.
MikeinNH67
Senior Member
I've been on that site a few times and never noticed they had recommended shops on their. That good to know.
Update - I got a quote from a shop in northern-ish Virginia that does a lot of 4x4 builds, including a bunch of similar rust remediation work on Jeeps, Toyotas, etc. They are one of the shops listed on the STC site as an approved installer. So with all that and having visited the shop I feel pretty good that these guys run a decent operation. They advised putting the STC on both sides of the rear bumper area, including around the corners and into the sides of the frame. So 4 total STC pieces. There are also two smaller holes, including the one pictured above next to the cats and an even smaller one on the other side of the car, that they feel can be cut out and patched effectively. They'd then wire brush and POR-15 the entire frame (they'd do this for the new pieces regardless, having the whole thing done is an additional $650). They estimate 16 hours of labor, for a grand total of $3300.
Overall they felt like the rest of the frame was in pretty good shape - just surface rust and nothing at imminent risk of collapse or anything. So with the knowledge that I also need to do strut and possibly control arm replacements in the not-too-distant future, I'm probably looking at around $6k to have the non-driveline stuff in decent shape. Given that I believe the driveline is in a pretty good spot, I'm thinking it's probably worthwhile getting the work done. We almost certainly couldn't buy a better replacement for what we'd get for our 4runner as-is plus an additional $6k, and if we get another few years out of it before having to make another decision, I think we'd be happy with that.
Overall they felt like the rest of the frame was in pretty good shape - just surface rust and nothing at imminent risk of collapse or anything. So with the knowledge that I also need to do strut and possibly control arm replacements in the not-too-distant future, I'm probably looking at around $6k to have the non-driveline stuff in decent shape. Given that I believe the driveline is in a pretty good spot, I'm thinking it's probably worthwhile getting the work done. We almost certainly couldn't buy a better replacement for what we'd get for our 4runner as-is plus an additional $6k, and if we get another few years out of it before having to make another decision, I think we'd be happy with that.
MikeinNH67
Senior Member
Thanks for the update. Please share pics and you experience once it's done. These cars are solid except for a few flaws like this one.
Has anyone found success with Epoxy coatings for preventing rust. I think it would be good but I'm worried about the cost. I would try the rubberized Rust oleum coatings but I am also worried about rocks and dirt getting caught in the coating and chipping it off. Any thoughts?
jrb.eleven
New member
im just posting bc im a new user
