Question about frame/rust

Hi everyone,
Just come on here to try and get some help. I’m looking into buying a 1st gen tundra. I’ve been browsing the forums and I know that the frame is the biggest issue however I live in the northeast so my options are a bit limited. I’ve found a 2003 ac that all around looks pretty clean the only issue is the listing says the frame has been patched. I know this is going to be an immediate no from a lot of you but I just thought I’d upload the pictures he sent me of the patch here and get any input I can. any and all thoughts/comments are appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

Skip that shit dude. That's a common place we see frames snap, just below the booster/MC. If it's snapping there, and it was bad enough to patch the other side which we rarely see any problems with, you're going to be chasing broken frame all over the place in the months/years to come.

If you want a clean frame, book a flight to the Carolinas, or GA. Book a hotel for a couple nights. Buy a truck down here with a clean frame. They're everywhere down here. And you'll probably pay about the same.

 

Yeahhhhh I know it’s not worth it. This truck has the factory supercharger on it which is pretty rare from what I have seen, so I really just wanted to hear you guys confirm it so I can give up on this one.

 

Yeah, they're hard to come by. However, I did post one that was clean down in Florida panhandle some months back. We've had a few pop up in TX and AZ over the last year too. They're out there!

Look, even if the frame was solid, you're going to be wrestling with fasteners with every maintenance thing you do. And maybe you're used to that, but I see our fellow members here in the rust belt rounding off bolts, snapping bolts, going thru hell, and their frames look way better.

I couldn't do it myself. But maybe your threshold for pain is higher, and it's worth it.

 

How much are they asking? If it’s under $3k and you seriously want that SC, then buy it and transplant it into the next Tundra when that frame snaps in half.

Just trying to be optimistic.

Seriously though, don’t invest in someone else’s headache. It’s not worth it.

 

AYE YO
Whats the price and where's it at?
Its got the TRD Supercharger????

 

Yeah unfortunately not asking under $3k. the truck itself looks really clean so if you didn’t know to check the frame I could see someone paying the $6.5k asking price.

 

Yup it’s got the TRD Supercharger & it’s in central NYS.

 

frame is fudged
The patches, dont cover the rusted out hole, and the bubblegum weld is less than stellar in performance. I wouldnt trust the frame no farther than i could jump it. As stated, if the truck was uber cheap, and the engine and trans were relatively low mileage, it might be a great donor for another truck. If the owners are asking high price, i would walk away. You wont fix that frame without some extensive work and pulling the cab off and spending a ton of time and TLC on it. Even with the time, TLC, cab off, you cant be guaranteed that the patches / fixes will ever give the frame its original strength. There is going to be so much delamination inside the frame tubes that even welding patches to the outside, yields minimal longevity. The original frame being 4.5mm thick, with the delamination and flaking, means the ACTUAL frame left in places may only be 1mm thick, basically paper thin sheet metal. As you can see in one of those upper frame horns, the metal rusted completely thru and you can see down into the frame rail. In places like this you would need a U shaped cap to cap the top of the frame and weld to the sides of the frame and hope there is some meat to weld to, otherwise you are going to rip the metal off the frame rail around the weld when the frame gives out.
A fudged up frame is hard to fix especially when its like that one is.

Notice in the drivers side, they put a panel patch over the side of the frame rail
Notice on the passengers side they did not put a panel patch over the side of the frame rail and you can see that funny looking spot in the upper left hand corner. That is the frame delaminating from rust, the outer layer flaked off, the inner frame rail is likely flaking / flaked off, you can likely take a pin punch and a hammer and punch right thru that indented spot and bust the rust straight thru. Those frame rails are very thin, the patches and coat of pain are bandaids over a gaping wound. I wouldnt be caught driving it, its going to fail its just a matter of how much longer it makes it until it fails.