Newbie yota owner here......I just got an 85 SR5 ext cab EFI 4x4 for next to nothing, but there is some fairly serious frame rust in a couple spots on the inside of the frame rail in the rear, near the shock mount. Just wondering what can be done about this. I know some people just cut off the frame behind the cab and rebuild the whole rear frame, but thats not really an option for me, since I don't have a welder, or much welding exp. I really would like to get it fixed, as opposed to getting rid of the truck, as the rest of the truck is in pretty good condition, and its a fairly rare truck with the EFi and all. Anyway the rust "hole" is about 3 inches long behind the shock mount and has pretty much eaten away the inside beam of the frame rail (screwdriver can go through in places). See pic below. The other 3 sides of the frame rail seem pretty solid (no screwdriver poking through, but surface rust) There is also another, smaller 2 inch spot farther forward about a foot or so thats also fairly bad, but not as bad as the big hole. THe front frame is in good condition, but the rear has a lot of surface rust besides the two holes. I just wanted to get some input from you guys as I'm new to the yotas. Please help me come up with some options for a fix, if there are some......The truck is mostly going to be used off road, but also as my spare vehicle, so maybe 2000 miles on road per year. Thanks in advance.....

 

well the only way your going to be able to fix it is by plating it but that would take a welder and some1 who knows how to use it, or the other option just use it, and keep an eye on it, and see if you can clean it up with a grinder and paint it to maybe help stop it from rusting more

 

this is what i would do, you say there is lots of surface rust under the bed so i would take the bed off and wire wheel the frame and clean it all up then get someone who has a welder and knows what they are doing to fix the rust for you. then buy some primer and some black spray paint form an auto parts store and put about 3 coats of the primer on and maybe 2-3 coats of the black and your frame will last for a long long time, then put the bed back on and your set to go. i did this on my truck and it worked great.

 

Thanks for the help. This was what I was leaning towards anyway. THe bed is going to be comming off anyways, as its some janky homebrew and just looks pretty bad. But I dolike the idea of wire wheeling the frame. That at least will let me see exactly what needs fixing. Now I just need to find someone with a welder.