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Frame crack question

R

ratlover

1/2 ton status
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On the 85 K5 I have noticed the frame developing a crack on the driver side frame rail right behind the front cross member. Steering box area/in front of the crossmember looks fine. Its near the shock mounts(truck has dual shocks)

didn't know this was a common area? Do I have something else going on here or that I need to check? It not huge and heavily separated. Just the start on the top of the frame rail moving down the side an inch or 2. Be easy enough to weld up. Just making sure I dont have something else wonky going on?

Will be installing an ORD brace regardless.

thanks!
 
ratlover said:
On the 85 K5 I have noticed the frame developing a crack on the driver side frame rail right behind the front cross member. Steering box area/in front of the crossmember looks fine. Its near the shock mounts(truck has dual shocks)

didn't know this was a common area? Do I have something else going on here or that I need to check? It not huge and heavily separated. Just the start on the top of the frame rail moving down the side an inch or 2. Be easy enough to weld up. Just making sure I dont have something else wonky going on?

Will be installing an ORD brace regardless.

thanks!
Click to expand...
Post up some pictures! Be easier for everyone to give you some thoughts if they can see what you see
 
Will get some pictures, you are right. Dropped the ball on that one.

thanks for mentioning. Will drill the end and do some gouging of the crack. Not sure if that came out right :rotfl:
 
upload_2020-5-10_17-13-37.jpeg
this truck has dual shocks and the front shock bracket is in the bottom of the pic.

weld it and not worry or is there something else possibly going on?
 
Yum. That’s broke and has been for awhile.

So is the break in the frame directly over the center of where the shocks mount?
 
I’m not a structural engineer, but the location seems awfully suspect. Like maybe the shocks bottomed out on downward travel, cantilevered the frame and caused the stress?

Either way, some work is needed to repair that
 
Does the crack continue down the frame? Are the bump stops in the truck and in good condition? My guess is that the shock bottomed out on a g-out. If that side of the axle was up during a hard hit compared to the other side, that may have caused it. Saw one other one like that with a locked up shock. Went in to replace the shock, and saw cracks not quite that bad.

Those have been there a while.
 
Hmmm maybe had a froze shock. Makes sense.

This truck has stock suspension and no evidence of being wheeled hard. Bump stops and all the rubber look surprisingly good. Maybe a son borrowed Dads truck at some point in its life and tried some dukes of hazard stuff like I have pulled in my youth?:haha:

On my Chevelle I had frame cracks in the rear where they installed air shocks to jack the rear. But pretty sure no one ever did that stupid stuff on square bodies in the day? But a frozen shock makes alot of sense
 
ratlover said:
Hmmm maybe had a froze shock. Makes sense.

This truck has stock suspension and no evidence of being wheeled hard. Bump stops and all the rubber look surprisingly good. Maybe a son borrowed Dads truck at some point in its life and tried some dukes of hazard stuff like I have pulled in my youth?:haha:
Click to expand...

That has never happened ever.

The floor in my rust free Jimmy was broke through and the top of the high back buckets were touching each other. The brothers I bought it from were over 6'6" tall and big boys. For some reason, there was a rod hanging out of the block.
 
the pic is a bit close.. if you could back the cam back a foot or so to give some perspective as to wear the crack is would help...
 
The hole in shiny section of clean metal is what I drilled before it was ground and welded.

1C57CD35-EA95-4CA9-B84E-EDA4153F3459.jpeg
 
Right in front of the front shock mount. I thought it was a strange place too so it has me thinking I missed something. Truck was originally from California and cali has to have better roads than IL. Had some very light body/collision repair to the passenger side(door, fender and rocker) to straighten and repaint. But truck doesn’t appear to be wrecked otherwise.
 
We have horrible roads, here in Cali.
Every time a politician wants to save money they stop fixing the roads. I seen some city streets in the greater Los Angeles area that make some trails look well groomed.

Compton California

pothole-compton-1.jpg

Welder up maybe a box plate in that area. Loose the dual shocks, get some Bilstein
 
:eek1: That is nuts! I stand corrected, maybe the PO was headed to church driving well under the speed limit.

Yes, these shocks got to go
 
Wes Harden said:
We have horrible roads, here in Cali.
Every time a politician wants to save money they stop fixing the roads. I seen some city streets in the greater Los Angeles area that make some trails look well groomed.

Compton California

View attachment 340370

Welder up maybe a box plate in that area. Loose the dual shocks, get some Bilstein
Click to expand...
Yeah people think California must have great roads, well if you take pictures the next day after they pave, maybe.
A few days later they are full of pot holes.
We even had an interstate redevelop potholes 48 hours after a resurfacing job.
 
ratlover said:
:eek1: That is nuts! I stand corrected, maybe the PO was headed to church driving well under the speed limit.

Yes, these shocks got to go
Click to expand...
Yeah I also took out the second shock and mount and went with a single shock application.
 
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