Well I knew it was rusty under there but I didn't know quite how bad.

I was changing shocks and the one sides upper shock mount disintegrated and the rear leaf spring mounting bracket is about toast too.


Anyone know where I can get these parts?


I just hope there's enough metal left in the frame to weld to.
Pretty sad a 9 year old truck rusting out this bad, had two 22 year
old jeeps with very little rust.

Any info appreciated.

Well, you could go to the dealer to see if they have a replacement bucket that you could have welded on. Don't know if that's the best way to go or not but it's a suggestion.

LA DMAX

birddog1968 (http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/member.php?u=95089) what did you end up doing with your brackets,:confused:, i just looked under mine with plans on replacing the shocks and noticed the rear spring leaf bracket is almost rotted threw along with a roted out cab mount/bushing

I had someone make me shock brackets and weld them on, I haven't fixed the leaf spring perches yet, Im putting in a whole new rear sub frame with rear leaf spring mounts this spring, to heck with crap GM metal I am gonna use ship channel and good steel to make up all the brackets.

Im actually surprised your frame is that bad. Ive worked on tons of New England (ie, crappy winter roads, horrible salt, etc) 10-year-old GM trucks/SUV's and they really werent rusty at all.

Any pictures of it? Im just curious where exactly it rotted out.

ill take a few shots of mine and try to have them on here tonight for ya. i have a 94 k2500 so its a bit over the ten year olds you might be used to seeing. ..

My brother in law just had one of his rear leaf spring shackles rust in half last week on his '98 Dodge CTD. He thought someone had shot at his truck when it broke. Luckily he was in his driveway. Seems the more expensive things get, the lower the quality from OEM. :cool: Guess that's why there are aftermarket parts that have some great engineering, OEM should be using, but never will! Chris

everything rear of the back tires is toast. Its basicly everything on that last 4 ft frame section, the big rear crossmember, just toast. The brake lines were all replaced recently as they were in the same shape. I had one shackle pull apart too, thank goodness for airbags. The rockers are gone too as it had running boards on it and thats exactly where the cab is rusted, only where the boards were. The frame rails in the back are too the point Im not comfortable towing off my rear receiver till I fix it.

I'll take a picture or two tomorrow.


Ps. only paid 6700 for the truck 3 years ago, runs and drives perfect, its paid for itself and be nice once i get that subframe all new.
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s2/can3621/01GMC2500.jpg

Sounds like it has seen a lot of boat ramps in it's first tour of duty

the truck is clean, most ten year old trucks up here look like the cab corners and rockers are optional equipment. i just spent 580 at ziebart for "rust proofing" and undercoating and its $50 every year there after. its well worth it to me, even though i know its not rust proof it should retard the rust long enough so that by the time it does rust out its paid for.

im thinking i may tacky it up and bedliner up to the body line at the bottom of the doors and box.

snow is fun, salt is gay.

Its a new paint job that was put on it before i bought it.....They tried to hide alot, I called em on most of it and think i got a fair price.....That picture is from the people i bought it from in Boston. Ive put 50,000 miles on it with two , two month midwest trips pulling the TT......It's got alot of life in it, especially if i fix it.

The Driver side rocker (and putty) that was there disintigrated between maryland and Nebraska this fall, cab corners are bubbling. Going to take the bed off to do the frame and may if money allows knock out at least the cab corners.

Love the Dmax, Allison, and ride, hate GM metal.......

We got salt air down here on the Eastern Shore, but that salt up there must be horrendous, I'd i agree its probably been backed in the water quite a few times. New Rear Brakes stem to stern this week coming. Thinking about doing rear bearings and seals just for giggles.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s2/can3621/PierreSD001.jpg

While u got the bed off rebuilding frame, maybe swing air suspension, perhaps 4 link?? Be stoked to see that

Its got airbags.....I think next thing i do is going to be the merchant motor mounts. And heck its an 01 its gonna need injectors again right? ;)

caugh 100 over caugh caugh

I was expecting to see a rotted out piece of shit, but surprisingly that's not the case.

I've seen this a few times before. Some people are anal about rinsing down the body, but never pay attention to the frame.

I'm usually the first one to say its time to let go of a vehicle if the frame is that rotten, but you're in a different situation with a body like that. Have you ever considered a frame swap?

knaffie, its not the whole frame, its just the subframe in the back, from the weld rearward.....if it was the whole frame it'd be a different story.

It just dawned on me I was wondering what a boat ramp had to do with anything. Ur not on the great lakes. Ocean---> duh. I could park mine in lake O for a month n all I'd I have to do is press. wash the algae off

stuff rusts in the plain air down here TC, but yea if its been backed down a ramp and allowed to touch the water it's gonna rust....personally it looks more like it had salt and slush packed up behind each wheel that probably stayed there all winter.

U want salty slush drive north of syracuse and come party with us dumb bastards.

Truck came from Boston area.....

Yep, ocean.

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/7102/img20111211154615.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/img20111211154615.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

only the driver rear side is rusted out.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7176/img20111211154602.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/23/img20111211154602.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/8461/b6mwwcwkkgrhqyokiieytzn.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/20/b6mwwcwkkgrhqyokiieytzn.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

That's what a plow truck is supposed to look like

No Plow ever on this one.....Pictures ain't real great.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s2/can3621/P1000488.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s2/can3621/P1000485.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s2/can3621/P1000484.jpg

Yeah dude, If u said u bought an 01 from around here id describe you that frame. Christ. Thank god for Ziebart

Funny cause i got 2 25 year old jeeps with little to no rust and frame rails polished by rocks. :rolleyes: You'd think in all the years of jokes GM would of put better steel in their vehicles.

I wouldn't have even considered buying it if the rust didn't stop promptly at the rear axle. Only other things really rusted out are the rockers....everything else is reasonable.