Frame Repair

[magik235]

My frame was rusted by the driver's side rear spring mount. I cut out the rust and built a brace for the rusted area. All the bolts on the vertical section of the frame use existing holes that were in solid frame sections. Are there any advantages to welding the brace to the frame in addition to the bolts?

 

[sweetk30]

i thunk mine was bad . . . . link below stubby j.r.

 

[munepit]

Man, I feel sorry for you guys that have rust.

 

[ktmoutfront]

I have hauled frames much better than that to the recycler. I could never live in the rust belt.

 

[Deuling]

Just a flesh wound

 

[79rustyk10]

Wow. None of my junk has ever been anywhere near that bad. All were lifelong mn trucks.

 

[rebelgregory]

To continue the string of unhelpful posts......Dayum! that's ugly.

The bolts look pretty sufficient, but it's hard to tell the integrity of the frame from pics. If it's bolted to solid metal, then it may be ok. It's also hard to say weld it, because you might just blow right through and be patching again. I'd say use your judgement. Weld if you must, but clean it up beforehand and put your welder on a conservative setting.

I do recommend ditching the stack of washers. They work temporarily, but they always seem to loosen up unless u loc-tite or tack the nut to the bolt. But considering what you started with, it's still an improvement. I'd have cried real tears and then put that thing out of it's misery.

 

[Deuling]

To continue the string of unhelpful posts......Dayum! that's ugly.

The bolts look pretty sufficient, but it's hard to tell the integrity of the frame from pics. If it's bolted to solid metal, then it may be ok. It's also hard to say weld it, because you might just blow right through and be patching again. I'd say use your judgement. Weld if you must, but clean it up beforehand and put your welder on a conservative setting.

I do recommend ditching the stack of washers. They work temporarily, but they always seem to loosen up unless u loc-tite or tack the nut to the bolt. But considering what you started with, it's still an improvement. I'd have cried real tears and then put that thing out of it's misery.

I don't think he drives it on the road anyways.. So I wouldn't worry much about it other than it literally falling apart. That rust he bolted through looks pretty thick coming from a rust professional..

 

[Bowtie85]

That's worse than my k20 from the looks, I just fish plated it. Buzzed er up and bolted it all together.

Yer fix looks like it should work alright

 

[Deuling]

That's worse than my k20 from the looks, I just fish plated it. Buzzed er up and bolted it all together.

Yer fix looks like it should work alright

Id jump it

 

[magik235]

i thunk mine was bad . . . . link below stubby j.r.

That's worse than my k20 from the looks, I just fish plated it. Buzzed er up and bolted it all together.

I follow both of your builds so I saw your repairs.

I have made frame repairs that lasted for years and are still going strong. I will fix this one right in the future. I still drive Jiminy on the road.

The rusted section of the frame was cut out until solid metal. Repair sections were fabricated using a 4.5" cutoff grinder. Notice my CJ5 grill workbench.

The repair sections being fitted. The repair section height was increased 1.5 inches at the back edge to improve drainage and the shackle mounts were moved to the bottom of the repair section to increase ride height.

Driver's side repair section welded in place. The frame section was sanded then coated with West Marine's Rust-Lock before priming with 2 coats of Pettit's Rustlock Steel Primer. Finally the section was top coated with two coats of Interlux Brightside polyurethane enamel.

 

[y5mgisi]

Gnarly. I couldnt imagine.

 

[Deuling]

Gnarly. I couldnt imagine.

Now you know why I hate fender trimming and people scrapping out vehicles that have "rust" (which really turns out to be about 1/100th of what rust is here)

 

[magik235]

Now you know why I hate people scrapping out vehicles that have "rust" (which really turns out to be about 1/100th of what rust is here)

 

[diesel4me]

X3 !...I get bummed when I go to scrapyards and see trucks in better shape than mine being squashed...usually the only thing "wrong" with most of them is "no title"..

Most guys here like me who need to cob a rotted frame back together for a yard plow truck either go get sections cut from a good junkyard frame thats hit and weld it back together with the patches--(otherwise they may balk at cutting one up because resale here is common for used frames)..or they'll use as long a length of channel iron that will bridge the rotten area ,and both bolt and weld it in..I've seen a few trucks with a 8+ foot long peice bolted from behind the cab.all the way to the rear shackle area ,run straight across the arched area near the tires!..crude,but the trucks are still being driven..

 

[Bowtie85]

Yeah it seems to be getting way worse up here for rust. You can here that calcium Cloride eating metal it seems

Heck there's vehicles way newer than these old square bodies that seem to rust pretty bad these days.....must be the recycled soup cans everything'a made of

 

[Bowtie85]

Id jump it

Hold my beer and watch this

 

[diesel4me]

Yeah it seems to be getting way worse up here for rust. You can here that calcium Cloride eating metal it seems

Heck there's vehicles way newer than these old square bodies that seem to rust pretty bad these days.....must be the recycled soup cans everything'a made of

Thats exactly right,and its not really funny...I see many 2000 and newer trucks as badly rotted or worse than my '82 is here,and in less than 10 years things like the frames,brake,fuel and tranny lines,and backing plates,& body panels are rotted to death,and its not only due to the calciuim cloride used to salt the streets,its the crappy recycled steel they made the trucks from to begin with...sadly,GM's seem to rust the fastest and worst out of all the different brands here too..

One brand that seems to hold up against rust pretty well here is the Jeep Cherokees....most every one I looked under still looks nice,very little rot or rust,and they seem to hold up well as far as the drivetrains too,provided they have the inline six...the CJ's are almost always rotted badly,frames are crumbling on those here in 10 years ,the bodies rot fast on them too..

Dodge and Ford trucks frames seem to hold up OK here,the shackles rot off all the Fords quickly though,and sometimes the frame where they bolt to it too,otherwise they dont usually rot too quickly..Toyotas rot the frames out fast here,a lot had to have new ones installed under the recall..anything with a boxed frame rots quickly here..

The proof OLD steel was much better quality and made of "virgin" material lies in the local junkyards,where some still have old Packards and Buicks ,and various trucks of 40's to 70's vintage that still have paint on the frames,and zero rust or rot..they make them to rot away fast today on purpose if you ask me,to increase sales of new trucks sooner..

 

[sponsoredbydad]

Maybe a piece on the inside and sandwich the rusty frame would be a wee bit stronger. But Good Lord I guess we are lucky here in Cali (At least as far as rust goes)

 

[sweetk30]

Toyotas rot the frames out fast here,a lot had to have new ones installed under the recall..anything with a boxed frame rots quickly here..

..

ever look why they rust out from the inside out ? ? ?

NO DRAIN HOLES to let water drain out the bottom of the frames