So how bad is it? (Frame rot) (1 Viewer)

[CHSFJ40]

Hi Guys,

Long time lurker and y'alls forum has been amazing. Through it, I've been able to fix/repair a number of items on my '74 fj40. (I am defineitley a noob to auto repair, but gradually learning.) An earnest thank you to you all.

The reason for my first post is for your expierenced opinions. Recently, I took the 40 in for a tire alignment. I've been having some wander and never had it aligned since it came into my posession. Figured was an easy 1st step before tackling the steering system. The auto shop put it up on the racks and quickly lowered it...they were concerned with state of the frame and rust/rot. I crawled under and took some pics. Pics attached and what do you all think? Can this be patched or on scale of 1-10 am I screwed?

Thanks and have fingers crossed that is not that bad (though looks rough)

 

[brian]

yes, it can be repaired.
but if you can't do it yourself, it's going to be expensive.

i would rate that as "not good". not the end of the world, ok for around town use. but i'd be looking to get something lined up for it.

 

[snaggletto]

That is rough. I would not try to repair, but rather look for a donor frame.

 

[luvdamud]

The only way to repair this would be to remove everything from the frame first. That'll be the only way you can fully assess the damage and get decent visibility and angles to weld from. So, based on this thought plus the above comment from @snaggletto means you have a frame-off restoration/repair in your future.

 

[bikersmurf]

That's much worse than what I scraped and replaced with a newer frame. To repair you'd likely need to pull the body. I'd track down a better frame... A swap would be easier & cheaper.

 

[racemaniac]

thats not good, if holes rusted through, the rest is very thin, youll need allot of fresh steel to fix this. it can be done but itll cost some.

maybe a donor frame is a good idea.....i cant believe this passes your local road-test, do you not have an annual vehicle check?

 

[78fj40mg]

I've seen worse than yours, so no I don't think you're screwed. However, I agree with the general consensuses that it will cost $$ to fix but it is rebuildable.

Welcome to MUD!!

How about some pics of your overall rig?

 

[Varty Yo]

Im sure there is alot more thin spots in the frame then pictured!

Move on and find a donor frame. They can be found pretty cheap

 

[sadam_husain]

anything's repairable but I wouldn't even consider repairing that frame, if there was absolutely no chance of finding a replacement then yeah but otherwise as already said find a donor replacement

 

[78fj40mg]

Aftermarket frame sections are available simply cut out the bad and weld in new.

 

[MOTOV8R]

Aftermarket frame sections are available simply cut out the bad and weld in new.

Do they sell the section that runs from the front bumper horns to the rear cross member?

 

[Jetlander]

Do they sell the section that runs from the front bumper horns to the rear cross member?

Ha!

 

[White Stripe]

That frame has lasted 40 years-you got your money out of it. Aqualu makes new frames.

 

[CHSFJ40]

Thanks all. I really appreciate it. Was hoping you all would say "that's no problem", but I knew better.

Should like a donor frame would be best and long term fix. That's definitely outside my limited skill set, but will look locally around Charleston, SC for a shop who's handled this before.

Just so I can brace myself (and the wife) what do you think I'm looking at for $$. Know there is a lot to but wondering if anyones gone through this and can speak from expierence. Am I over $10K to get this done?

RACEMANIAC- I'm in SC and we don't have vehicle inspections.

Will upload some pics of what's left of the rig this morning.

 

[shawnfj40]

I would say that yes your in the 10,000 dollar range to pay someone to do all of the work. Any repair to that is going to be money wasted. Donor frames are to plentiful to even attempt it IMHO.

 

[White Stripe]

Thanks all. I really appreciate it. Was hoping you all would say "that's no problem", but I knew better.

Should like a donor frame would be best and long term fix. That's definitely outside my limited skill set, but will look locally around Charleston, SC for a shop who's handled this before.

Just so I can brace myself (and the wife) what do you think I'm looking at for $$. Know there is a lot to but wondering if anyones gone through this and can speak from expierence. Am I over $10K to get this done?

RACEMANIAC- I'm in SC and we don't have vehicle inspections.

Will upload some pics of what's left of the rig this morning.

I think a new aqualu frame is about 3k. Labor probably 5-7k. You can find used frames too for less than 1k.

 

[DougM]

Not Charlston, but looks like a nice donor in SC.
1973 FJ40 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER CHASSIS/TUB/T-CASE/TRANNY/HARDTOP/REBUILT LOCKERS | eBay

 

[shawnfj40]

^ if you could get it for the right price, you could sell what you don't need and recoup some of the cost.

 

[erics]

frame for sale for $500 AL in this thread

For Sale: - fj40 driveway parts sale aquala, roof rack, hard top

if you go this route I would be aware/smart about your state DMV requirements relative to VIN's on frames and VIN tags

 

[snaggletto]

I'm not sure about the condition of the body and engine. I'm assuming that the body is mostly toast also if the frame looks like that. I'm thinking abandon ship and put your money into a better condition rig.