R Gale

So while I was greasing the joints yesterday, I noticed the crack on the frame in the attached.

This is on the drivers side near the cat. converter. It looks like the factory weld cracked and the crack has propogated the entire length of the weld and continued onto the beam.

Any suggestions?....Has anyone ran into this problem? Any ideas for a fix?
I'm guessing that it looks like the member will need to be cut in 2, preped and welded back up. That is beyond my abilities...if that's how to fix it, any idea on costs?

leebee

take it to your closest frame shop and have them inspect it and give you an estimate. do the same at your dealer or trusted mech. there are a few folks on here from so cal, they might be able to help out.

lee

R Gale

Thanks Lee

Anyone know of a good frame shop or trusted Toyota mechnic around Irvine, CA? I'm relatively new to So Cal...

PCE91V64x4

Your insurance agent can probably recommend some shops in the area they use for repairs.

That is quite a crack. Have you had the truck for a long time? Do you know how long it took to propogate to this size?

R Gale

I've had the truck since '98....unfortunately, no I do not know how long the crack has been there or how long it's taken to propogate. However, I've been in CA for about 3 yrs now and since then my driving has been very mellow on virtually no off road. (So I'm assuming it's been there for a while)
Before living in CA I was in UT and MT and did alot of off road driving on washboardy roads. I've never had a heavy impact so my guess is high speeds on washboardy roads did this with vibration.
I have been looking to do a 3.4 swap with this truck, but this has got me rethinking that. I might just buy a Tacoma with a 3.4 already in it. A bummer though, because I preffer my current body style and I also think that Tacoma doesn't handle as well on dirt roads. Not sure of the specs, but I think Toyota changed the wheel base slightly and went to the 16" rims on the Tacoma which in my opinion was a change for the worse w.r.t. washboardy dirt roads. I'm comparing to my dad's 2000 Tacoma TRD that feels much more out of control in the dirt.

T4Rfun

Call Ken at Hanlon Foreign Car. If he isn't able do the repair/weld job, he can direct you to someone who can. They are an auto-mechanic shop and not a frame/body shop, but I trust his advice and the quality of his work. He is off Lake Forest in Laguna Hills.

(949) 768-9319

stepside trd

If I am looking at the pict. right, the crack looks like it is located right around the torsion bar adjustment area. If so, that would raise the level of concern for me being that, that is where the energy created from your front susp. on that side of the truck is channeled to. That in itself would add more stress to the surrounding area (crack included). I would take the advice of having it inspected thoroughly (inside and out) before making any kind of decision. It could be more corroded on the inside than on the outside. Normally I would just rec. cleaning the area thoroughly with a wire wheel (to bare metal) and then mig welding it or tig weld it w/ filler rod and then re-enforce it with welding a fish plate. But the crack appears in a corner area where a fish plate might not work, so you might have to use a gusset. Again though, seek the advice of a prof. auto body shop, preferably one that has a frame table or jig. That is usually a good indication that the shop has a capable frame guy or specializes in frame work. I'm sorry to say, but I doubt Earl Scheibs or Macco maybe of much help there. Whatever you decide though, please don't try to cut any corners on this to save a buck. Your chassis is the skeletal structure of your vehicle and you wouldn't want a fashion designer treating your compound fractured arm, would you?

R Gale

I agree about not cutting corners here. You're spot on with the location.

When I first saw it I first voiced a few explative statements and thought that the real way to fix this would be to pull the body off and cut out the crack by cutting the member in 1/2 at the crack, do a full penetration weld and then do some sort of NDE testing to ensure the repair was done right. I don't have experience in truck frame repair, but due to the location and severity it's obvious that there are no cutting corners here.

I'll get a professional opinion, but I'm considering parting this rig out and replacing it. That's my last resort, because this has been a great truck and I'd hate to give 'er up.

From the look of it, it seems like a Toyota factory flaw. Like a deffective weld that had a small crack in the filler to begin with that has since propogated into an issue.

jsn_stockard

I wouldn't go as far as parting it out, it's a Toyota and it still has a long life left in it. I would find a donor frame if I couldn't get it fixed.

T4Rfun

My two cents... grind it, weld it, reinforce the area inside and out if at all possible, and it will be stronger then the surrounding frame. Then take it and wheel it until it cracks somewhere else or breaks...if it ever does. Off-roading and welding go hand-in-hand. If all else is good with the frame and this is all you find, you should be fine. Having said that, it's time to do a thorough pressure wash and go over all areas of the frame for any additional problems. If this is the only thing you find, your good. I've done a lot of CJ wheeling in the past, and I'm in the process now of a new CJ7 project build. CJ's are tough, but hard wheeling takes it's toll. I've welded and reinforced more then a few CJ's in the past.

R Gale

Thanks, I just called Ken and will stop by and see him either tonight or tomorrow.....

Junkers88

My suggestion would be to grind it clean, weld it up and plate the area that you welded. I had some friends that ran Scouts and those tough old boxed framed rigs would crack from time to time, after a good weld and some plating they'd be fine. I'm sure that a Toyota, which is IMHO tougher than an IH, would do just as well with the same fix.

mt_goat

I remember seeing another guy with a similar crack a long time ago but I don't know what he ending up doing. I think I'd weld it up and reinforce it stronger in that area, maybe with the aid of a frame rack if you can afford it, just to make sure its straight.

idanity

i am a novice here, but i would :
drill the end of the crack to stop its growth
try to fit a solid piece of steel inside the frame (so its not hallow)
weld it back up, and
add another cross member bar in the area...just for sh#+s and giggles

especially since youve owned this truck for 10+ years, and its only in one spot....
who knows though if toyota would fix it too...i never heard of it before, but i would not part out a truck like this for a weld...(have you not seen the toughest truck in the world video ?_BBC's Top Gear did a special)
starts out tame, but i think the crack you have is the break in the frame at the end of the 3rd video..

version 1 here
version 2 here
version 3 is here (where the body is holding the truck together...can see the frame broken, but not apart.)

enjoy...
happy trails

Junkers88

Don't you dare........


Oh God, you did......

corax

I was hoping someone would bring this up. Wherever you take it, ask how they plan on fixing it - anyone who's done this type of work before will start by drilling the ends of the crack.

Drill a 1/8" - 1/4" hole at both end of the crack, even if you fill the holes with weld later, they will stop the crack. grind the crack itself down into a "channel" to where the metal is only as thick as the wleder can penetrate and then fill it and grind smooth/level (to prevent creating a stress riser) <- that's how I was always told to do it

Just about every dealership in existence will avoid this type of work like the plague, it's not in their best interest and even if they know how to do it properly they will be afraid of the liability factor

86Toyrunna

as previously mentioned, drill the ends of the cracks, grind out the crack so you can run a real good bead in it, weld up, grind down smooth and possibly make a diamond shaped piece of steel, make sure its a good grade steel, then weld it down to keep it from ever opening back up. no need to think about laying this yote to rest over a small crack.

R Gale

Thanks for all of the input everyone. I just got back from the shop and they feel confident they can do the repair. Basically they've proposed to drill the crack ends, clean up the crack (blast and grind), run a new weld bead, then stitch weld on a reinforcement. The welder showed me his rig where he has done 3 different frame repairs and/or mods, with no issues.

T4Rfun

Good to hear. Was that Hanlon? I know there a couple of off-roaders in there. Like I said in my previous post, Ken is a rare breed in mechanics these days...honest and always quality work.

R Gale

Yeah that was Hanlon, thanks for the recommend.
I'll post some pics after the repair. I plan to pressure wash the frame before I take it in so they can get a good look and see if there are any other trouble spots. The guys at Hanlon pointed out that it looks like the crack has been there for some time. If my guess is right it's likely 3+ years old....crazy.