1st Gen Tundra Frame/Rust Advice

Hi, I am a new member and am looking at buying my first Tundra. I read the 1st gen buying guide discussion here, and found it very informative. The truck I'm looking at is a 2000 v6 4WD access cab but I am concerned that the undercarriage/frame may have been coated over existing rust. It is out of state so I have not been able to see it in person yet but have attached two images from the ad and can request more from the seller. I would appreciate any advice or thoughts on this, thanks in advance.

 

That frame is absolutely coated with something. To the point it's difficult to say, and not having pictures of the common problem spots makes it tougher. But the fact it's been coated would leave me second-guessing.

Is the truck living in/being bought from a rust belt state?

 

That's what it looks like to me. You really need to look at in person to know for sure. Take a flashlight and look inside the box portion of the frame, and everywhere else. My frame looks perfect from the outside but I can see rust inside when I shine a light in there. Pictures will never tell the full story.

 

It is located in the Pacific North West and has likely spent most of its life in damp conditions. Is there a way to tell if is a recent coating to hide rust?

 

I agree that looking at it in person is the best choice but it is a long enough trip (~1000 mi) I don't want to go unless I am fairly confident. Do you think that better pictures could help determine its condition, or it is enough of a red flag that you would pass on it and continue the search?

 

Ask them to send more and we can take a look. I wouldn't travel that far based on pictures alone though. Can you not find one closer to where you live?

 

More and better pictures will absolutely help. So far I’m not disturbed by what we’ve seen. But the problem areas are not shown in these pictures. Need the frame rails inside and out. Need the rear cross member by the spare tire with the frame overlap areas well demonstrated. Front frame rails near the upward turn to the front suspension and the power steering, sway bar and body mounts. That will get us 70% of the way there. The last 30 has to be done in person. Have to tap around on the problem areas to check for heavy scaling, delamination and perforation. Looking inside the frame rails is helpful to see if it’s eating itself inside out as well.

 

Would be helpful to have pics of:

• Long shots of the framerails
• Leaf spring mounts on both sides
• Where the "X" shaped crossmember meets the framerails on either side of the spare tire
• Cab mounts
• Where the frame upturns for the front suspension
• The inside of the framerails where Toyota doubled up on the steel for stiffening, there's usually one up under the cab on the inside of the framerail

 

I am trying to find a 4WD 5 speed manual but this is the first one I have seen since I started looking in August.

 

stay the course. They exist. But they are many moons old and not as many V6 4wd manuals were made. Gonna be few and far between with questionable condition

 

Thank you for the information, I will ask for more detailed pictures of these areas and will post them here once I have them.

 

A lot of times a quick peek in the engine bay will show you what you can expect. A lot of those little clamps that hold hoses and lines in place or together are prone to rusting. If those are rusted high up in the engine bay, or really if you see any rust on anything in the engine bay, it's probably a bad sign for things down below.

 

Much of the PNW does not use road salts so you MAY be okay. My brother's 2004 has been outside every day since it was brand new, it has never had the frame coated or even cleaned really, and it is damn near spotless. That being said, all the advice these guys are giving you is still good and all that coating makes it look like something is being covered up. What part of the PNW is the truck in? There are members all over if you want a second opinion someone might be able to do it fairly easily in-person with the truck.

 

You can look up the VIN on these older trucks (2000-2003) and figure out if they have had the frame coated previously by Toyota or if they are still eligible for frame replacement. Make an account and put your VIN in at Toyota.com/owners and look at the recalls.

 

Everything has been painted. Cam bolts, differential and all the hardware, he is hiding a lot intentionally. Walk away unless he has a solid explanation or offer him thousands under if you know what you are up against. People are sickeningly dishonest.

 

I mean, you say that, but Fluid Film does have a product that'ss dyed black and looks a little chunky when applied, even on smooth surfaces: https://www.tundras.com/threads/needle-scale-wire-brush-and-fluid-film.130839/#post-3330392

Seeing this for the first time the other day is the only reason why I'm on the fence and not super-sure. It's totally possible the current owner has been proactively treating the frame. It definitely looks like it's coated, but is it that Fluid Film, some Ziebart-like coating, or if it's just rattlecan over rust.

 

You’re not going to know until you hit it with a small hammer to find out if the questionable areas where the corrosion was coated over are sound or not.

On the plus side, the rear axle doesn't appear bad, so it may be okay.