96 frame rust

[69LC]

Just visiting from the 40 and 80 stuff I normally do, but I thought I'd post up about my daughters rusty 96.

My wife bought it while I was away on a work service trip. When I finally got to look at its condition I found a lot of bad frame and underbody rust. This one should have been scrapped or had the frame taken care of under warranty a long time ago.

With all of that I still need the truck, so I'm bandaging the frame with chunks of fj62 frame that I had laying around.

(Last winter my kid did a 180 off the road into a ditch and field, breaking the rusty right lower control arm frame mount.)

My goal is to bridge the rusted area with the 62 frame chunk and build a new solid control arm bracket.

 

[N22]

Should work.
I've bought rusted out plow trucks, swept the metal scraps out from under the bench and welded the frame up.
That 62 fame looks like its just the right piece for that.

 

[Living in the Past]

I admire the skill in repairing rust. But here in AZ I need a frame would just head to an wrecking yard and buy a rust free one. Not sure if you have a Tacoma or 4Runner? Bought a 99 4Runner a few years and Located plenty of rust free 3rd generation 4Runners in wrecking yards.

 

[69LC]

I would love to have a rust free frame for both the 4Runner and my 40. Salt and rust suck.

 

[N22]

Maybe I should head down there and pick up a spare frame for my truck......

 

[69LC]

Waiting for @jacamp003 to pick me up from work, used the plasma and silica blaster I cut this down a bit and clean it up. I'll do some more shaping and fitting when I get home.

 

[KLF]

BTDT. You will be chasing rust holes from now on, until you run out of stuff to weld to. Pretty soon the body mounts will start to fall off.

 

[N22]

Just weld the plates together and then start plating the body mounts.

 

[Living in the Past]

I would love to have a rust free frame for both the 4Runner and my 40. Salt and rust suck.

40 frames are harder to find then 3rd generation 4Runners. But I do have a 1969 FJ40 frame I've stored away in a garage since 1995.

 

[69LC]

It’s been a bit since I’ve worked on the truck, but I anticipate needing to cut the bolt from the lower link frame bracket.

Do any of you know of a factory part number for the bolt and nut?

 

[69LC]

I've made a bit of progress recently. I had a local Cruiser friend help me trailer the 4Runner to my work to make the fab work much easier.

Today I was able to weld up the pivot bracket and tack on the frame bridge. Tomorrow my goal is to get it finished. I also have to wrap up a 3fe I'm passing along to another member in FL, and I just got my LS 6.0 for my 40. Things are moving again in my truck world.

So I'm obviously not a TIG genius, but it will hold...

 

[69LC]

Last night I picked my daughter up at home after work to go right back and weld up the frame patch and link bracket. I had cut too much from the bracket and had to use the shop TIG for tacking and the MIG for burning things in. I hadn’t MIGed in about two years and had to practice with some steel scrap. It’s not pretty, but should hold until we can find a more solid 4Runner and sell this one off to someone who doesn’t look underneath (like my wife)...

Pics of booger welds later.

 

[galandcruiser97]

Oh my. I would honestly buy a wrecked rig from an auction and just take the frame off of that and part out the rest. Keep the title with you and it will be legal since you own both vehicles.