My 2004 Toyota Tacoma DBL CAB Prerunner 2wd

Greetings from sunny New Mexico!

Purchased this 2004 Tacoma truck back in Oct 2021 from an old man in Colorado. It has the 3.4L v6 engine & is a 2wd and has a leather interior. No rips at all!

Since then, I've had valve cover gaskets replaced, replaced front wheel rotors, and replaced struts/shocks with Bilstein 4600, though I kept the coilovers. It now sits a little higher than before and my ride now is SMOOTH! I've also replaced the battery with an INTERSTATE battery, fixed the ash tray, & replaced the instrument cluster with white LED lights. WOW! what an improvement! Never liked the orange lighting. I've also purchased some 2nd gen rims that I'm cleaning up & looking to transfer in the near future.

So, some questions I have to the group:
1) Should I apply undercoat for the frame & under carriage areas myself or have a shop do this work? (I know I should have checked this before I purchased, but I saw it & wanted it! LOL!)
**** Any opinions &/or suggestions on the frame rust, etc. is GREATLY APPRECIATED!
2) Where can I purchase the front corner lamps pig-tales & wiring? Lamps don't work because pig-tales are old & wires have been cut. Don't know how or why, but I found this out about 2 months after I brought the truck home.
3) Should I change the BALL JOINTS-see photos (upper & lower)? Do they look bad? I don't notice any issues while driving, but I figure this should probably be changed out.
4) What other things should I do? (thinking of having brake fluid replaced)

Appreciate it!

 

Rust doesn't look too bad. I'd take a small hammer to the worst areas. If it feels solid then I wouldn't worry too much about it. Maybe replace the muffler and the easy to replace items that are rusty.

Front corner lamps/pigtails I would check Ebay. Might be able to just buy the pigtails. If not, sometimes they will sell used lamps including pigtails.

Ball joints. YES! At least the lowers. Just Google tacoma ball joint failure. Do them first things first if they look even remotely worn. OEM or 555 brand lower ball joints.

Timing belt/water pump should be done every 75k miles or 7-10 years. If you don't know when it was last done, you must replace them.

 

Thanks! Will do!

 

I'd probably just put some rust remover on rags and affix them to the problem areas. Something like evaporust would work well, a rust converter wouldn't be a bad idea either instead of just a rust dissolver. Make sure to clean everything with a wire brush and vinegar/rubbing alcohol before applying any coatings. The vinegar will help remove surface rust so you can see any potential trouble spots and the rubbing alcohol would prep the area for a good adhesion of an enamel spray.

Any soft areas that might be getting too brittle can be repaired with some mesh wire and JB weld high heat or extreme heat.

Getting the whole thing coated professionally would probably be more money than it's worth. Applying a rust converter/dissolver then a rustoleum enamel spray would suffice and you could probably do everything I listed for about $250 on the high side.

 

Air freshener tree on the mirror. Is there one? Walk away.

 

Have you tried Ozium? Shit is incredible, my cousin's dumbass friend lit a cigarette in my car I was trading in and 2 of those things got the smell out almost immediately.

 

New Car Smell spray. Gotta wait five minutes afterwards before entering.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!
1st thing to do will be new upper & lower ball joints & then I think I'll do look to apply a rust converter/dissolver & then a rustoleum enamel spray.
Thanks guys!