Frame Repair Coming Up

I will be taking my 2006 DC for frame repair and rust remediation. I imagine some parts will require full cutting and patching. This truck is in pristine body and mechanical condition and I'm willing to spend some money to improve the health of the frame and have it last for a few years.

Can this frame be saved/repaired? Or is it beyond repair and in need of a full frame?

 

Need pics.

 

Just added them to the original post. I used to copy and paste into the browser. Now I need to upload to Media folder and then add from there. Thanks Shifty. Calling KNabores for his analysis.

 

How deep are your pockets?

I would be looking at replacement from a JY donor. You're going to be chasing rot for eternity. IMO.

 

What is a "JY donor"??

 

Junk Yard.

 

Oh...christ, well thanks, I feel like an idiot. This would probably be the best option as you can really clean and protect the frame before and get to all the suspension parts that would be absolute whore bags when under the truck.

 

More photos with good lighting and including all the typical problem areas. Are in the rust belt? If yes, I don't see any Fluid Film. You've got to go whole hog with that stuff, essentially sealing the frame from corrosion. You'll never be able to grind away and paint all that rust. Zero chance

 

You may want to use a higher resolution camera for those frame pics. The first one concerns me most. Capture a pic from the inside of the frame at that same spot.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpqqjU7u5Yc&pp=0gcJCfwAo7VqN5tD​

 

That's too funny! As soon as I wrote that, this song started in my head. And, I guess that question could be relevant as well.

 

My budget is open for this but I’d prefer to keep it at no more than 5K. I’ve seen frames in worse conditions repaired by professional shops.

I’m not looking to win any awards here. Just have a decent enough truck to go to Home Depot once a week and take the bikes on the trail 2 or 3 times per week. I’d like to get at least 5 years out of it since all else is in excellent condition.

 

It's not just the frame. You want to make sure that all your fasteners throughout the truck are in decent shape. If you want to keep it for 5 years, you WILL be wrenching on it. Corroded fasteners (think LCAs for alignment, other suspension parts, exhaust fasteners, O2 sensors, brake stuff etc) can make a basic job hard and a cheap job expensive. So do check those out too. Basically anything you might touch in the next 5 years or more.

 

Contact rustbuster.com & autorust.com and see if they can list any repair places in your state that use their parts. If you live near RI, autorust.com can give you an estimate and do the repair for you.

That’s what I’d recommend. A good repair shop would keep photos of their work if they’re proud of the work they do. Kind of like a dentist.

 

Rust is a cancer, after all the pain and money spent and you think you got it beat.... Nope, it comes back. Best is a full frame replacement with all new nuts, bolts, suspension and various other parts under the truck. Spray the underside of body before putting it back on the frame. But if you go through all that, truck will continue going well beyond 5 years.

Other option, find a truck from the south without rust and maybe a blown engine or in another state of disrepair, use your truck as a donor. Do a cost vs cost before you dive into the frame repair

 

@Fragman, I already did the usual repairs when I first bought the truck in 2024 (exhaust fasteners, O2 sensors, brake stuff, etc). I realize now I should have done the frame first but I’ll get to it now.

@McCarthy, I found an authorized AutoRust shop in Staten Island with plenty of photos and good reviews. Not that many frame repair shops near NYC.

Thanks Hooptytrix, I’d love to find a frame replacement but the work of finding it and transporting it to New York may add significant complications. I will consider it though. Thanks again for that idea.

 

I'm in North Jersey and my BIL thought about using this place in Saddle Brook NJ. Good reviews

https://maps.app.goo.gl/GRpBvJSc3uctAzrcA.

Edit: He ended up using a welding shop in Midland Park and was pleased with the price and quality of the work on his Lexus GX. If you are interested, I could dig up details.

 

Let me ask the obvious question: Are there shops that can help me procure a frame and also install it? Should this be a body shop or a mechanic?

I'm in New York and wouldn't mind driving 300 miles. I’ve noticed in my travels that Pennsylvania and Virginia have greater percentages of pickup trucks.

 

Frame repairs you may be looking at a couple grand. Full frame swap, you're probably looking at 2x-3x as much, and that's potentially on the conservative side. Even people that get their frames swapped by Toyota under the recall usually end up having to fork out a couple thousand for collateral parts that aren't covered.

 

This would be the ultimate case of, "while you're in there"....I would be replacing any/all components that are potentially worn/corroded/suspicious with the unprecedented levels of access you would have.

 

I understand the concept of "while you're in there" and would like to do that.

I wrote to one YouTuber (Waldo’s World) to see if he’d like to take it as a project, fix all possible things and get content for his channel out of it. I will cover all expenses. I’d like someone capable and patient but -- unable to find one shop to do this -- I will have to do it using separate shops, which is more work for me and possibly more $.

Waldo hasn’t responded in over a month.

 

It’s going to be expensive unless you’re able to do the work or parts of it. $5k may do it, but it also could just be good start. My experience with things of this complexity is to double estimate budgets, if still feasible, do it , if under budget yay, but realistically it’s rare. Run on of the month contender

 

Buy one of those fancy laser blaster rust exploders I’ve seen on YouTube and Star Trek all that rust away yourself. Then get what needs patching patched.

 

Are you convinced that a frame replacement is necessary or just preferred? Why not look into frame repair which is significantly cheaper?

 

Any good fabrication shop can correct what you have there, the best practices are for frame body separation. That’s expensive, then the frame repair, then reassembly. Also anything else that will come up. Totally worth it in my opinion, if you’re able to. Also no truck while all this happens to your rig, time be a feckless one.

 

G Unit, I’m proceeding with Frame Repair with an autorust authorized shop in Staten Island. https://www.instagram.com/plp_frameworks_restoration?igsh=MXF0eGtvNTU4OGRjMg==


I will have it evaluated by them and follow their suggestion. I’m doing it in mid August when someone in my family is going on vacation and leaving me their car to look after, that way I could leave the Tundra at that shop for as long as needed.

 

I dream of restomods by icon4x4. Impressive company. Check them out https://www.instagram.com/icon4x4/

I used to tinker with Mazda Miatas back in the late 90s, when I got my first "good job". I used to take it to an independent mechanic who also did upgrades and modifications. I remember the owner -- Seth -- telling me about a new project he was doing for a client with an "open budget". I had never heard of such a thing: open budget. The Miata itself was less than 15K but this owner was willing to spend 30 or 40K to make it his dream car. That thought stayed with me. Will I ever be so financially solid that I could tell a shop, fix my ride, open budget. Anyway, the Tundra gives me that feeling because it's such a comfortable and enough truck that I'd like to make it last for a while. We'll see where these repairs take me. Sometimes you start with an idea and end up elsewhere.

 

It’s going to be great, try to plan and incorporate any downstream upgrades or improvements while it’s all apart. Can’t wait to see what you come up with. Keep us updated. Good on ya

 

https://www.woolwaxusa.com/

edit: for after the repairs

 

That sounds like a good plan and it looks like a good shop. They have Woolwax prominently displayed on their site. After the frame repair, try to do the Fluid Film/Woolwax in August while it's still hot. The heat helps this stuff migrate into all of the areas you cannot reach. I used 8 quarts over 2 sessions of spraying my double cab while lying on my back in the driveway. Not fun but it does feel good once done to effectively stop the rust.