2006 Tundra limited frame

I was changing my oil yesterday and noticed a spot of rust breaking. After pressing it there was a pile of flakes and metal chips coming out. Should I be selling it before it gets worse? Is it drivable? I went in for an estimate and the guy said north of 600. Not sure what to do.

 

Would you disclose what you've found to a buyer?

 

I’m not sure. I would assume they would check the frame if they’re interested. Wouldn’t feel good if I didn’t tell them about it. Not sure how much the value would come down.

 

Looks pretty bad. www.autorust.com makes replacement sections you can weld over it to provide it strength but I'm not sure looking at it how much "meat" to the frame you have in that area to weld upon.

You can always take a flash pic inside the rail to see how bad it's rusting from the inside (i.e. partially at the bottom of the rail or all the way up). If it's all the way up, it might not be salvageable without replacing the frame.

I've got a similar situation with mine, but it's not as bad as yours. $600 or more isn't so bad (unless you need the other side done). I was quoted $1200 for both sides.

 

Unless you're prepared to fix that yourself, I would move on. But honestly, that frame is done. You can sell it, but I wouldn't consider that frame very safe.

 

If I brought it in to a professional and it cost around 1,000 would it be worth it?

 

When I brought it in, the guy said the other side wasn’t far behind

 

Based on your comment after this, I would say probably not.

How many miles are on the truck?

What other maintenance have you done and what is needed?

What is the condition of the truck aside from the frame?

 

OP,

I have an '02...I am the original owner. Every year I get underneath it and take a ball-peen hammer and pound on everything I can see looking for excessive rust. After 20+ years I feel like I should find something, but I never have. Fortunate, I suppose. If I ever found something as severe as what I am seeing on your frame I would take to the "Boneyard" and see what I could get for it.

 

I have 214,000
I just bought it a few months back and I’ve only done oil and I put in an after market stereo. It leaks some oil but I can get it fixed for 300 at the dealer.

 

Yeah, it's too new to be eligible for the frame rot recall.

Yeah, it's too far gone to drive safely.

Yeah, I'd recommend to read THIS THREAD before you buy another 1st gen.

No, please DO NOT be an asshole and sell this to others, undisclosed. In many states you're potentially liable for any death/injury that happens selling this vehicle to someone else, even if you disclose the damage, because it's that bad ... And you just made a public disclosure of knowledge on the internet at an enthusiast site.

We've seen so many people come on this forum having bought trucks like yours with the frame in shambles, because they just didn't know to look. It sucks. Sorry for your luck.

There's no way this happened in 2 months, if I were you, I'd be finding the person that sold it to me and taking action. They knew goddamn well what they were selling, just as you know exactly what you'd be selling.

Don't play hot potato on this one, seriously.

 

How would I address the guy that I bought it from and how would I make a case out of it?

 

If it's a legit fix, I would do it. I'm guessing you'd lose much more than that selling it.

I'd make sure that truly fixes the frame though. Have the shop do a thorough inspection, especially above the spare tire.

 

Depends who sold it and where you live.

If you bought it at a dealership, most states have a Consumer Protection Division type of organization you can contact to file a complaint. You may want to approach the dealership first before going all-in on that. You can also file civil suit against them on this to collect damages (see more below).

If it's a private individual you bought it from and they didn't disclose this, you could start by trying to contact them first about it, see if they'll do anything, and if not, file a civil suit to recover damages, because they totally sold you an undriveable vehicle.

If you need info on how to file a civil suit, Google for: How to file a civil suit <your-state>

The reality is, anyone can potentially do the same to you if you sell it. Hell, I've seen service professionals who don't get paid put liens on people's property so they can't sell without paying them. There's a lot of legal instruments out there you can potentially leverage based on your state.

Need help? https://www.LegalShield.com offers free legal advice, no hourly charge, no retainer. Some companies also provide legal services as an employee benefit. If you have an HR/benefits person, ask them.

 

Found a guy that can install a cap on it for around 900 and they guarantee it will be good. Think I’ll get both sides replaced so I don’t have to deal with it in the future. Thanks for the help

 

I’d still look inside the boxed section of the frame if possible to see what isn’t seen yet on the surface. Rust in that area is both external and internal. Might give you an indication if its worse than it looks. My entire frame is protected externally and all my rust is internal.

 

"Excuse me, sir, I'd like to introduce you to my lawyer..."

 

In all seriousness, if you get the caps installed like I did with mine, if it's done well, it should last as long as you need it to.

3 years ago, I cleaned the frame, repaired the rust areas and now every 6 months or so, I get under there, check everything and treat the frame with Fluid Film (my go to product)...

 

Safe-t-cap is made for exactly the problem you're having. Just be sure to use a certified installer from the autorust.com website.

 

It is a certified installer and they have done dozens on tundras and 4 runners. I would rather get it fixed for a few grand than sell it and try to find another one that will eventually have the same problem.

 

Not to mention, the areas OP is showing aren't even the "typically worst", I'd hate to see what things look like above the spare tire, and where it intersects with the frame, and at the rear-of-cab frame stiffeners.

True, assuming two things:

1. The rot isn't so deep in the metal they can't get a good bead into it, which with the degree I'm seeing, it looks like it's rotten to the core in some places.
2. This is the worst of it; typically it's not, sometimes I feel like you got lucky with yours.

 

@Gus19 , I would probably do more inspecting under the truck before paying even more money for something that may not be salvageable. I would drop the spare and inspect everything. Post more pictures of the frame in other places if you want.

 

Yup, drop the spare tire, and break out the ball peen hammer ... liberally, tapping everywhere. You want to hear good pings that carry a tone through the full length.

 

That looks surprisingly good! Even the rear diff isn't bad and that's an area that gets lots of scaling.

The shop doing the weld should be able to let you know what they think, but I'd say go for the repair.

 

That's because it's been coated. I can't tell if it's just rattle-can over rusty metal, an actual undercoat, or woolwax/simila wax retardant.

Actually, the overspray on the underside of the bed suggests it's a rattle-can of undercoating. So who knows what the actual frame looks like?

 

She's dead, Jim

 

I’m really torn in this one based on photos alone. Front is bad. Like park it bad. Back looks better, but there are many warning signs. The undercoat is suspect. The shocks look like were first used on the mayflower before being transferred over to your truck. The brake lines are new. The exhaust is new. The rear diff is working on its perforation game. Rear shackles are barnacled up. Really needs to have a non-biased inspection by someone with knowledge of these frames before sinking more money into it. I suspect fixing the front will give you more serviceable years and be worth the money, but everything else needs a good wire wheeling and treatment, not just a coating. Those rear shocks gotta be factory and in need of replacement. What is it with people and shocks? They are not forever parts. Shocks and tires are the two biggest factors on the vehicle that affect ride. Difference between an older vehicle feeling clapped out and “driving like new”. Good luck OP

 

This isn't really surprising to me since the rust attacks from within the inside channel of the front rail and externally, so up front is going to be much worse than the back. The rear of the frame is salvageable IMO; it's up front that needs more of a thorough examination. It appears some of the area in front where it just looks like external rust, it's most likely wafer thin metal just waiting to poke through. Safe-T-Caps up front is probably the best way to go in order to make it salvageable.