2005 4.7L V8 AC 4wd - Frame rust assessment help please!

Hi everyone,

Writing to you all from Northern Canada. I've been hunting for a vehicle for the last few months, but with such a small market up here, I've been looking in Southern Canada, and have recently had my eye on an '05 access cab 4.7L V8 4wd Sr5 tundra.

I've read shifty's awesome "so you just bought a 1st gen tundra..." thread and a ton of other Tundra literature, and, of course, the one thing that always comes up is RUST.

I have a few photos of the frame from the seller (and have asked for more), but am hoping to ask you experts whether this level of rust is basically tundra suicide? I'm not a well-versed car/truck guy (yet), so am thankful for your help.

Here's some extra info:

- 177k miles
- Timbren SES kit installed, comes with canopy + boat rack + bed liner + mat.
- Timing belt was done at 90k, so am factoring replacing belt, water pump, etc (OEM) as an immediate need (quoted $1.5k from shop).
- New battery 2025, Ball joints + rear drums done last in 2024, rear struts in 2022, brake lines in 2019.
- Two owners. Second owner has had it six years and has had service every 4k miles.
-Seized park brake cable, no air conditions, O2 sensors triggering engine light, slow power steering leak.
- 1 year old studded winters and all seasons (both 10-ply).
- Body is rust free with the exception of the rear bumper.
- Price is CAD $5.5k. Timing belt kit and install is another $1.5k. So functionally 7k.

Overall, I love the truck, and really want to purchase it. I just don't know if the frame rust should be a deal breaker or not. Depending on the feedback I get here, I'll either get an inspection done as a next step, or walk away.

I should also note that I would have to drive the truck 15 hours north to get it to my city. The truck is currently in a city that DOES use salt, however, if I do buy it and drive it home, it will be living in a city that does NOT use salt.

I will add more pics as I receive them.

Let me know what you think! Good deal? Fair deal? Bad deal? I really do want the truck, but I don't want to purchase something that is on it's way to the grave. I'm sure you all understand, considering this is the Tundra forum!

Thanks in advance,
Qball

 

• Look for rust where the X-shaped crossmember over the spare tire meets the long framerails. Check shock and leaf spring mounts. Check inside both framerails under the cab, where Toyota riveted in extra frame stiffeners, make sure they're not warped/flaking.

• Another red flag: Rust on bolts/clamps in the engine bay. It's common to see on trucks from road-salted areas.

• Check all four cab mounts for rust.

Unfortunately, there's not really much in these pics to go off off. See if Mr/Mrs Seller will send pics of the problem areas listed above and then you might have a better view of what you're looking at since you're not local to them.

 

As @The Black Mamba said, more pictures are needed in the areas mentioned. The biggest hurdle right now you need to temper down is falling in love on any you run across. These best gens can cost many $$$'s to fix/maintain, especially if one can not do the work themselves. A 15 hr trip is not for the faint of heart if this tundra is not inspected totally.

 

You really want to look inside the frame rails on the boxed section under the front doors to see what you’re dealing with and how long this puppy is going to last because I’m sure as shit you’ll have problems with rust through from the inside out after 8-10 years if it’s already begun.

 

Note that we've seen an increasing number of trucks whose frames are cracked up under the blue splash apron here, but on the drivers side (this looks like the passenger side).

The apron itself, outlined in blue, covers the top half of the framerail, hiding the damage. Sometimes the crack is only visible from the inside of the framerail, through the engine bay and may not be painfully obvious. There are pictures of one or two examples in the megathread you read, if you need a reference point.

​

 

@QBall and anyone else who may come across this later, these are the problem areas outlined in the MEGA THREAD. These are the places you are going to want to look at and pay the closest attention to.

For reference, this is the original frame of 25 year-old “southern” truck that has never been treated or painted.

Left front frame rail


Inside the front box of the left front frame rail


Right front frame rail


Inside the box of the right front frame rail


The four points where the X-shaped crossmember over the spare tire meets the long framerails


Rear leaf spring hangers


Other cross members


Fuel tank straps


Rear shock mounts


Where body mounts meet the frame


These are the areas that most sellers will not disclose or even think about posting pictures of but they are the most important for you to consider when looking for a FGT.

 

What's with the zip cord?

 

That’s how @The Black Mamba holds his stash.

 

Speaker wire?

 

I think if I lived in Canada or the rust belt of the US, I would fly to the southern US and buy one. Drive it home.

 

Looks it. I have the same wire at home.

 

Thank you for the help, everyone. @The Black Mamba those photos are a great resource. The truck ended up going to someone locally and I never got to see the rest of the frame. Oh well - everything happens for a reason. The hunt continues.

Cheers,
QBall

 

Those are for the "mocked up" puddle lights. One of those temporary things that may or may not be there for a while.