1997 Tacoma Frame rehab

[Dan B.]

This vehicle is neither fast or fancy, certainly does not fall under "Performance" but it is foreign.

Over the weekend I was given a 1997 Tacoma. It was from a retired friend that was dealt a poor hand with his health. I'd helped him a number of times and he was ready to get rid of the truck. He decided to pass it along to me since I like working on vehicles in need of repair. It's a SX (does that mean slow in Toyotese??), 2.7L, 4wd, 5 speed, 47k miles. This truck was missed in the frame recall....the original owner did not take it in. So, as expected the frame is toast.






Yesterday I started the frame rehab project. The bed is pulled, we hammered all over the frame to knock the scale loose and find the soft spots. Bed removal took about 45 minutes. None of the bolts fought me. Had this been a Ranger, ALL of them would have been broken off. Maybe this Toyota thing isn't so bad.





Oh....wait.....maybe this Toyota thing isn't so great.





Free Tacoma parts!!

[Dan B.]

I attacked it with the 3800psi pressure washer last evening. Had the throttle dialed up and the fine tip on the gun...that really peeled the scale and cleaned the frame off.

Are these called "speed holes"?

[sutyak]

Wow, that's some serious rust!

[Dan B.]

Wow, that's some serious rust!

I know. Other than the drivers door pushed in the body is in very good condition. The interior is spotless. AND it runs fantastic!! The door got hit when the second owner was leaving his house (uphill driveway) and the rear brake line failed. He coasted back into something. There is no rust on the doors so I'm going to push it out the best I can and deal with it. I'd rather do that than put a rusty door on it that may be straight. It seals tight and closes fine as is.

[Martin0660]

When you say it missed the recall, does that mean they closed it down? I know a guy that had his truck replaced under that, but it was indeed a long time ago.

[Dan B.]

The 1997's were only bought back at 1.5x KBB value. July 2014 is when that offer expired on this truck.

[travj31]

Wow...with how clean the top side is it’s crazy how rough the frame is. I had a buddy that took advantage of the buy back program with one of these around 2010 or so and he made out like a bandit.

[wick]

That’s a nice truck. Are the frame pieces available or do you need to fab up patches?

[yeahloh95]

looks like a fun project

[Dan B.]

That’s a nice truck. Are the frame pieces available or do you need to fab up patches?

They are available but there is no good metal to tie into for the pieces that can be bought. After a little investigation last evening I think the entire back half is going to go away. I hope to spend some time soon measuring all the attachment points....springs, bed mounts, etc and making a plan to tube frame the back end.

[PaxtonShelby]

Because RACETRUCK!!!!

[wick]

They are available but there is no good metal to tie into for the pieces that can be bought. After a little investigation last evening I think the entire back half is going to go away. I hope to spend some time soon measuring all the attachment points....springs, bed mounts, etc and making a plan to tube frame the back end.

Thats not a bad idea. Probably easier in the long run anyways.

[Dan B.]

Trailering it to a local fab shop tomorrow. Going to have them look at bending me new frame rails that will slide inside the existing rails under the cab. I can handle it from there.

[Tom]

frame looks fine to me, just needs some plastidip

also Ellis Juan Swap!

[Ares]

Nothing some JB weld can't fix.

[Dan B.]

My new frame pieces showed up from Nevada.

Just tilt your head......

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[Dan B.]

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[07v6vista]

Looks like a big job but the rest of the truck is in such good shape I would be doing the same thing!

[Dan B.]

Looks like a big job but the rest of the truck is in such good shape I would be doing the same thing!

So far I am into it for $444. $300 for the frame/shipping and $144 for title transfer. I'll end up over $1k when I'm done...new shocks, gas tank (optional), brake lines and other misc items that are either needed or optional since I have it apart. But even if it were $2k, where do you get a 47k mile 4wd truck for that price? It'll be a fun project.

[Dan B.]

Time for some updates.

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