Frame Question

Hey everyone!

I am new here and have found a ton of great info from this website already, so thank you to everyone who is active on this community - this is a great resource. I know this is a repetitive question, as there are many posts on frame rust, but any input would be awesome.

I've been on the lookout for a 1st gen Tundra for a few months now now and finally found what I think is a good option - a 2004 DC Tundra with ~125,000 miles on it. On Tuesday, I got a thorough pre purchase inspection on the vehicle and things looked really solid. The frame is in good condition overall besides one small area around the drivers rear shock tower (picture attached). The shock tower area is not rusted through fully, but may require some welding in the nearish future.

I plan to move forward with this purchase based on the discussion with my mechanic but wanted to also post here for feedback.

Thanks again!

 

Pass

 

I would not buy that truck.

If something as mundane as the shock tower is that FUBAR'd, I guarantee you there's worse in places you haven't closely inspected at this point.

Furthermore, it's quite clear someone sprayed the frame with black paint, which is usually what you see when people are hiding shit.

125k is pretty low mileage for a truck of this age. There's a whole host of nightmares that come along with that too.

More info on those points is over here, but ... it's your money. Do what you want. We've just seen too many sob stories on here after-the-fact from ppl showing similar.

 

I’d be leary of that considering the frame appears to have an undercoat that could hide worse damage. At the very least you’ll either need to repair or replace that crossmember.

 

Everything visible in the entire image including what's not on the rear shock tower is not in good shape or solid. Rust here means rust on everything everywhere. Every nut and bolt on this truck will fight you for every repair. Not to mention the 2004 Double cab is the odd cousin in the family picture of Tundras. Parts and design were in between the 2000-2003 early Tundras and the later 2005-2006 Tundras.

 

I would run from that. Even if that is the only bad spot, you may find it extremely hard to find someone that will fix it. I had a 2005 Tacoma that had a hole rusted in the frame. It should have had a frame replacement, but it had passed inspection the year before so Toyota refused to fix it. They told me to find a body shop that would weld a plate over that part of the frame. I talked to 4 different body shops, they all told me they would not touch it and refused to weld on the frame. They all said that as soon as they welded on the frame, it can change the heat treatment of it and weaken the frame and leave them liable if it failed in a crash. Others may be willing to fix it, but I had 4 separate shops tell me they would not weld on a frame like that.

 

That's the rear frame cross brace that holds the spare tire -- which is one of the spots singled out in the recall of the earlier truck. I'm pretty sure that would qualify it for a frame replacement if it was a '00-'03. It looks like the brace is completely rusted out on the right, and has cracked on the left of that hole.

 

According to the recall, it should only be if the rear crossmember cannot be replaced IIRC. They may just replace the frame anyway, unless of course it was sprayed on the underside by Toyota.

 

Thank you all, this is super helpful! I think I'm going to pass on this one based on the comments here. I appreciate it!

 

A picture is worth a thousand words. You basically don't want to end up being this guy. That's the most recent victim to frame shenanigans.

Frame looked good enough from a distance...

 

O man! That is rough - thanks for sharing.

I did bring the truck in to the local Toyota dealership to get a pre purchase inspection done and there was surface rust and a few other areas that the tech told me had been previously welded, but no current structural rust besides the pic i shared (they also confirmed that there was an oil based undercoat applied as well - not paint. I made sure to check since the last one I brought in had a completely painted frame but rust everywhere under it haha). They safety inspector also took a look and said it would pass safety inspection no problem as well as it is, but I do get worried about repairing this rusted portion and future rust issues...

 

I'd be a little worried too if the frame has been welded on. Someone's already been in there repairing stuff, it would suggest. Not a lot of aftermarket parts for frames on these trucks.

 

Moot point. Recall only applies to '00 -'03 vehicles.

 

Yikes.

SPP

 

Thanks again everyone - I'm going to pass for sure haha

There's a seller about 2.5 hours away from me that has a 2005 with ~160k miles. The seller sent me these pics of the underbody/frame - what do we think about this one based on the pictures (I know there are parts of the frame not included in these)? If I were to purchase it I would definitely look at it in person and get a pre-purchase inspection but since it's a couple hours away, wanted to get some input here first. Thanks again!

 

After zooming in on pic 3 and 4, I would not drive 2.5 min much less 2.5 hrs to see more of that truck.
Hopefully you can temper your wants and keep looking even if it takes a few more months.

Inner dungeon of your 4th pic….

 

Looks like it's had a coating applied, for sure. I can't really tell what condition it's in, but at first glance looks a lot better than the 1st.

Clearly the 2nd truck has been in a salty area. 5100s (rear Bilstein shocks) only rust like that if they've been driven in areas with lots of road salt.

I don't see anything glaring, but I'd highly recommend if you get the 2nd one, be sure to scuff the rust off the rear axle, w/shocks off, rust convert, paint, let cure, treat.

 

You dodged a bullet big time. Run away and don't look back.

 

Pass - can’t weld rusty metal.

 

Thats just a support channel for the bed. This one isn't all that bad in my opinion. But, hey, I've only purchased 1 rusty framed Tundra and rebuilt it. What do I know???

 

I’m willing to bet it’s rusted through the bed from the bottom in certain places.

 

That’s not just rust; that’s delaminating steel. Which means there are probably many other spots nuts like that in places that aren’t entirely visible. We purchased a jeep wrangler with a similar “small” area and I ended up welding numerous patch kits as I got deeper into it. Will never do that again……

 

As I like to say at work, the easiest way to clean up a mess is to not make one. Don’t buy a mess thinking it will be easy to clean up.

 

Wasn’t aware anyone was questioning what you know

I’ve seen the work you did on a rust bucket and applaud you for your skills and the end product.

However, unless @DJC94 possesses the skills my opinion is he can find a much prettier pig with less lip stick !

 

Thank you to all! I really appreciate it. Saved me from making a mistake on purchasing that first one and I'm starting to learn what to look for on the underbody. Great community here!

 

Rust Bucket?!?!?!?!



Why I oughtta!!!!

 

Agreed. Mine was rusted through around the 2 of the mounting holes, but there was surface rust where the bed sits on those channels.