welding new frame pieces

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sanscruiser

sanscruiser

10 Year
Joined
Mar 3, 2013
Threads
33
Messages
225
Location
Greenville, South Carolina, USA
I found a shop in a rust-belt state that fabricates frame pieces to replace rusted frames..they sand blast and then weld them on for Toyotas, Fords, etc. Going to send them some pics of the rear of my 100 series where rust is an issue. If anyone has done this before, I'd appreciate any tips or maybe other shops that do this sort of thing..trying to save the Hundo..TIA
 
Saf-T-Cap (autorust.com) in Rhode Island sells what you may need... or just order the rear cross member from Toyota... Once you drop the spare wheel assembly, you will have a better visual of what you may need. Post up some pictures and I may be able to give a more detailed reply. I reconditioned a very many Toyota/Lexus frames... from cutting and sectioning to full frame drops and re-builds...

Be very careful of what someone may fabricate... Welding angle iron together to repair a frame is not the correct method...
 
delz05 said:
Saf-T-Cap (autorust.com) in Rhode Island sells what you may need... or just order the rear cross member from Toyota... Once you drop the spare wheel assembly, you will have a better visual of what you may need. Post up some pictures and I may be able to give a more detailed reply. I reconditioned a very many Toyota/Lexus frames... from cutting and sectioning to full frame drops and re-builds...

Be very careful of what someone may fabricate... Welding angle iron together to repair a frame is not the correct method...
Click to expand...
Safetcap is who I was referring to. I will post good pictures tomorrow when I get it on a lift. Thank you!
 
I have an extra frame (cut into 3pcs for shipping) that I intended to strip for brackets and cross members but now an leaning to a frame swap as we get deeper into things. Lmk if that might be helpful...
 
Any sources for this that you trust, or general pricing? Dry Ice blasting is $1500 for a total undercarriage and engine bay..taking off the tires, skid plates, some kind of cover for the transmission that is going to get replaced etc. I am sure that a new frame costs more than that, but might be worth it.
 
I would reach out to people parting out rigs on marketplace and find one willing to ship.

Swapping a frame is a big job, but not complicated.
 
Here are some rear area pics showing the frame where the trailer hitch would be attached. My buddy said there was no thread to grab onto and would not work...I hope these are helpful.

Passenger side rear
5542.webp


5540.webp
5541.webp


Below: Drivers Side rear

5538.webp

5539.webp
 
sanscruiser said:
Any sources for this that you trust, or general pricing? Dry Ice blasting is $1500 for a total undercarriage and engine bay..taking off the tires, skid plates, some kind of cover for the transmission that is going to get replaced etc. I am sure that a new frame costs more than that, but might be worth it.
Click to expand...
Frames on eBay go for <$2000 plus shipping
 
That frame does not look too bad in the pictures.

So the goal is to mount a trailer hitch but you don’t have the captured nuts?

Have seen this thread?

slider35

Thread 'Tow Hitch Bolt Holes'

So my 2002 LX470 didn't come with tow hitch installed and I needed to move my trailer around so I crawled underneath to prepare to install one I had removed from my 2000 LC and look what I find.

I've never seen this before on any of my other rigs and never had an issue with bolting things up. I didn't have my dremel tool handy and as a result couldn't get this hitch installed.

Anyone else ever see this on one of their 100s?

photo.webp


photo1.webp
 
Nothing there that a needle gun and some labor time would not fix... no need for replacement from what I can see. Pull the rear bumper cover and drop the spare wheel to make sure. When you do that, you will see the opening to access those welded nuts to mount the hitch. Clean out all the debris you can get to, starting from the front of the truck. You will probably find a mouse house or three... Great time to coat the internal frame with some type of treatment, I use and spray Woolwax.
As for the hitch nuts...I have used a piece of flat iron cut to fit, weld nuts to the flat iron and slide it into the frame opening. Then weld the flat iron to the sides and base of the inner frame.
 
Frame doesn't look bad at all, would definitely start coating it for winters ongoing. For the hitch, you could find/fab something like this:

1779027505581.webp


Slide it in the frame rail, weld it in place. I just used a stick welder when one of the captive nuts on mine broke free. Not super easy welding up a box channel, but only needs a couple small beads.
 
Fortunately, I don't live in an area where rust grows like it does in other parts of the country. GOing to blast it with the dry ice and see where any other trouble spots may be and then do a coating. Fluid Film is what the detail shop recommended. They are the ones with the dry ice blaster.
 
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Buy a spray can of fluid film before you coat the entire frame... make sure you can tolerate the smell.... Woolwax has no odor and stays on the frame longer...
 
Also, if anyone can point me in a good direction for parts I intend to replace after the dry ice blast, I'd be grateful. The front skid plate is going to be replaced, as well as some type of cover for the transmission, that appears to be breaking apart..not sure if it's coated metal or some type of carbon fiber, but it is toast. TIA
 
I did the afromentioned flat-strap-with-nuts welded into the back frame on my GX470, when the captive nuts broke off. It's been fine now for 5 years and tens of thousands of miles of towing.

That repair (which I did in my driveway with a $200 harbor freight welder), a good power wash, and inside/outside Woolwax application will do wonders to that frame.
 
77pantera said:
That frame is absolutely mint!
Some of you southern/out west guys need to stop in the rust belt now and then.
Click to expand...
Hopefully the blasting will remove the surface stuff..this was a West Virginia vehicle for its first 18 years and those snowy mountain roads definitely had an impact.
 
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