So, I just got some 36.5 x 14 x r15 tires. My truck is completely stock and I was going to mount them and trim my fenders and tub out the wheel wells until I got it on the car lift and noticed this-

The front of my leaf spring mounting bracket on the passenger side is just hanging there due to that part of the frame being completely rotted off... Is this worth fixing or is my frame toast? The hole is about 6 inches but rust goes a few inches past in every direction, can this be patched? the rest of the frame seems decent, (I just went along with a hammer and it doesn't feel soft anywhere else.)

 

Here is a better pic of the damage.

 

It could be fixed but gonna take a ton of work, start with dropping the tank and pull the bed to get access..

Truck must have rode like crap...that is kind of a hard thing to miss

 

I heard a "snap" when I lifted up the truck on the lift. I think it broke off when the wieght of the rear was hanging by the brackets when the tires came off the ground. It must have been somewhat still attached until then. Probably why I never noticed it because it felt fine...

 

I'm going to be the one to say it because I care haha I'm sorry about your rust problem, I personally wouldn't feel comfortable "patching" my frame of all things but it can be done. Just want to clarify though, with your completely stock truck you don't plan on just slapping 36.5" x 14" tires without any sort of regear or power mods of any sort do you?

You're lucky that snapped on the lift and not on the road by the way. I'm glad you weren't hurt, that could have been bad on the freeway.

 

I dont plan on regearing, I have a LS-1 (5.7 liter V-8) I was going to drop in it. But now I don't know if the frame can even handle that much... That engine tweaked my Z-28 frame pretty bad when I punched it so idk what would happen to my weak yota frame... probably snap it in half...lol. I guess I'll take the bed off in the morning, sand blast the whole thing, repair any spots I find, and reinforce the whole frame.

 

Find a new frame. The part that broke is only a symtom. She has cancer.
Terminal.

 

LS-1, wow! haha when you said my truck is completely stock I was worried, now that I know that I'll shush. . . Good luck figuring this out, swapping that into a new truck is probably getting old . . .

 

Ya, you'd be patching and reinforcing till the cows came home. Not to mention the whole frame has probably lost an 1/16'' of thickness everywhere by now. So,, ever try welding reinforcements to steel thats nearly rusted through? Not fun. Id find a new frame. Other than that, sounds like a cool build in the making.