Cost of replacing 2001 Tacoma rusted frame (out of pocket)

Good morning. I am wondering if anyone knows the approximate cost of replacing the rusted frame on a 2001 Tacoma? Also interested in what type of shop would be best to take it to 0 Dealership or body shop or??? For whatever reason, the rust wasn't covered in the recall. The person I'm buying it from (a long time friend), is the single owner and has all paper work and has taken it in for every recall inspection. It only has 140K miles on it and it runs great. I really want to buy the truck but need some idea of what the cost will be and where to get the replacement done? Thanks so much for the help!!!

 

$10,000 minimum at a Dealer......

 

I see you are a new poster. There is a search feature at the top right corner of the page. There are countless threads on the subject, many showing dealer costs from their warranty frame replacements.

However, if you want to show pics, a lot of people, like me, have repaired ours either ourselves or had a welding shop do it. We could give you advice. There are replacement sections from places like: https://www.autorust.com/product-category/toyota/

If, you are lucky, it's just the rear half of the frame and the bed can be removed and new sections installed.

If you are sure the whole frame needs replacing, from what I have seen posted on here, if you can still buy a new frame it's gonna be around $18-2500(just the part itself). You'll end up replacing a lot of other rusted parts during the swap. Folks on here selling used frames <$1000 sometimes, but getting them to your location is always costly.

 

Ouch, thanks. Do you have any thoughts on having it repaired somewhere else and what type of place that would be?

 

Thanks so much! I did a search and couldn't come up with the answer in the threads it provided. Is this number : "$18-2500"
$18,000-25,000 or $1800-2500?

 

Sorry, that was price I had seen for my older 95. Just looked at 2001 on Camelback: https://tinyurl.com/y5rne4z6





[ 1 ] BODY HARDWARE / FRAME / FRAME & COMPONENTS / Frame assy
Part Number: 5100104310

frame assy 4WD, 2.7 liter, extended cab, auto trans
MSRP Core ? Online Price
$5,542.95 $0.00 $4,065.5

 

You mean you haven’t bought it yet?

Good, don’t. It’s not worth it. You’re looking at $10,000+ in labor to have someone like Toyota replace the entire frame.

Let me reiterate, if you haven’t bought the truck do not buy it. Find a rust free one.

 

@Empty_Lord Any idea what a frame replacement would cost, out of pocket?

 

Upwards of 7-9k is my guess

 

? sure we know how bad it is yet without pics?, if it is beyond repair treatment and totally shot and needs complete new one, or can get some appropriate patches/welds and sealed up good

are there any links from these forums you have seen or know of that you can direct me (or others interested) for further research on EXACTLY what needs to be done in detail to thoroughly clean, treat, preserve as best as possible a frame that has mild surface corrosion underneath. I just want to feel educated when I find a local place that will help my truck out and tell them this is what I need done for my peace of mind if nothing else.

fwiw, I had mine inspected at the dealer in 2o11 and they said it passed the hammer nothing to worry about, just mild surface wear, its very common
I asked a different dealer mechanic/service advisor recently and they said it looks 0k, nothing to worry about, the only problem was with early 00s not my model year.
Another mechanic just shrugged like they could care less
and the most recent, a long-time (~15yr) independent Toyota certified mechanic said it doesn't look bad at all (perhaps the undercoating I had done before I drove it home is peeling) and that he actually had a tacoma (not sure what model year) split in half on him while raising it on the lift in his early days on the job. Needless to say that has gotten me a bit worried, along with reading all these posts on here.

just trying to be proActive, I don't have 40+g for a newest model and probably would not want one that is so big now lol
and if I am going to be spending probably at least a grand on this I need to make sure it done kosher and no longer need to worry
If I cannot find a place locally that I trust then maybe have to go out-of-state?

 

Last I checked even though Frames might Show up in Catalog searches .

None Where being sold to the public to all the warranty claims are done.

I keep trying to buy one

If any are even going to be made for the older trucks.

Be nice to know where the OP lives it would help with figuring a price.

If your doing this Find someone that breathes Toyota Trucks

 

Frame replacements simply are not economical if you're going to pay someone out of pocket to do it. I'm willing to bet that even when you have a frame replaced for free (the warranty), there's still a few grand worth of stuff that ends up being replaced along with it that isn't covered by the warranty.

So, how bad is the rust? A lot of the time it can be repaired (not by Toyota, though) using frame reinforcement plates, etc...

If the rust is really bad enough to need a replacement, hopefully you haven't bought it yet. DON'T!! Keep looking.

That said, if you want a project, this could certainly be it. There are many people who have taken it upon themselves to replace the frame in their driveways/garages. You can source a used frame (obviously a rust free one) from a junkyard. Ideally, you'd get it form a dry climate state like CA or AZ.

 

I managed to get one.. but there’s a long Story to that

 

Living near Gary it most likely fell off a truck!!

 

I had my frame replaced by Toyota. They had to replace other parts as well, including struts, and many other rusted parts. I paid an extra $600.00 to have front shocks and some other parts replaced. The total, including, my $600.00 was just shy of $14,000.

If you can't have it done professionally, I wouldn't do it. Find one with a good frame, you'll pay more, of course, but better than a pieced together frame!

 

Lol if only

 

By that he means, if only it had fallen off a truck, three homicides would have been unecessary! I mean, it was only three, probably didn't even make the local news in Gary. Unless the story was how easy it is to get a frame...

 

Do a google maps search for frame shops. I don’t know where you are, but if the truck is from a place that has rust, chances are good you have frame shops near you. Find one and let them inspect the frame and give an estimate for correction or replacement. There are options for repair kits on the market depending on how bad it is and how handy you are. Google search Tacoma frame kits. Don’t buy it until you have it inspected and get a price. Many are worth saving, many low mileage ones have gone to the grave because they were too far gone.

 

^^^

Check this out. Toyota dealer and look at what they want for one WITH A RUSTED FRAME!

https://www.uebelhortoyota.com/auto/used-2002-toyota-tacoma-base-v6-jasper-in/34094904/

 

It's nearly $15k. I looked at my bill when I picked my truck up