What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

More Frame Woes

Rugby_7

Rugby_7

1/2 ton status
GMOTM Winner
Joined
Oct 22, 2013
Posts
799
Reaction score
758
Location
Glenwood Springs, CO
It's going to sound stupid on my part but, with being in a rush to get my body on the frame before we move I didn't look it over as close as I should. It looks as though the PO might have hit something with the passenger rail, cause a couple cracks in the front, and welded it. At first I thought it was just a iron welded to the frame for some reason, but after closer inspection it was a repair job.
The past few days I have been reading about frame repairs and fish plates. I've been finding a lot of mixed reviews all over and haven't found any where they put the plates on the top of the frame. What are your opinions on doing fish plates over the fixed weld spots.
The other thing I was contemplating is would the A-Bomb bumper from Diy4x add enough support to the frame to protect those repaired areas? I was already planning on replacing the engine crossmember and looking at the welds on it, its probably a good idea. I was planning on going with the TNA engine crossmember because it replaces the whole unit.

Anyways here are some pictures of the repairs

0813152132a.jpg

0813152133a.jpg

0813152135.jpg

0813152132.jpg

0813152136a.jpg
 
Rugby_7 said:
Here is a pic with the welds highlighted
Click to expand...

in that pic it sure does look twisted.

the A- bomb won't help with the damage and I'd be worried that those two frame horns would line up correctly.

I'm sure it's fixable but may not be worth the time, I would find another frame.
 
In person both sides look comparable but I guess I can't know for sure without measuring. This is what I found online, wish it gave more for the front.

0814151029c.jpg

0814151029b.jpg

0814151029.jpg
 
I can see visually that it was not repaired right, look at the top of the passenger rail. The angle iron too :doah:

Find a professional to repair it or find another frame.
 
Ill have to call around and get some estimates, never had frame work done before so don't know what to expect in cost. I went and did some measurements with a tape measure. Measured from middle to middle of rivets in the frame. They are all about dead on cross measurements except the purple and orange ones are 1/2" off.
Hopefully they show up well

front frame measurements.jpg
 
When I built my Blazer, the original frame had taken a hard lick on the passenger side. The entire frame was "racked" and the passenger side rail was sitting about 3/4" back from the driver side, and was bowed pretty bad in front of the transmission crossmember. The previous owner had egged out the mounting holes for the front bumper so it would mount fairly straight.

I took the frame to a frame shop, thinking they could pull it back in line pretty easily. Guy walks around it about three times studying the damage before he recommends getting another frame. Says once he starts pulling on it, it's going to buckle in other places and he'll have to work it from one end to the other. Quotes $1200!!

I picked up another frame for $400 bucks, scrapped the old one and brackets / bumpers / fuel tank from the new one for $100. It was a good $300 investment.
 
Wow! I was worried it was going to be a crazy price. What sucks is it took me a while to find this frame.
 
Frame straightening when I looked at it was prohibitively expensive. Even for them to just measure it.

These frames were NEVER "straight", they always had bumps and lumps in them from the forming process, but obviously yours has had work done to it, and it's going to make it hard to figure out what is caused by the damage and what is "normal", other than comparing to the other rail.

I could tell mine was bent by just laying it on concrete with nothing else bolted to it...should have done that before I did all the work on it. :(

If you didn't have to fight to line the spring bolts up, you might be ok.
 
TBH it was the easiest spring replacement that I have ever done (aside from a few stubborn rusted bolts). Everything lined up really well and easy. I did have the frame flipped upside down and it didn't rock on the pavement. :dunno:

With the body on the frame I can put it on the car trailer for when we move so there isn't as much of a rush to get it together. I can explore more options and keep and eye out for a frame in the meantime. Funny thing is Somebody contacted me wanting this frame because they seen it in the background on one of my craigslist ads. Probably part of the reason they are hard to find here, must be a demand for them.
 
Rugby_7 said:
That is a good deal but I think only 73-77 will fit my body.
Click to expand...

Might want to double check that.

I know with the trucks you can mix and match the 73-79 body with the 80+ frame and vice versa. However the body mounts need to match the frame.

The farm fresh frame on the side of my house was purchased for $100.
 
After messing with my 1 ton frame, I know why frame straightening is expensive. Lots of man hours. My frame didn't have repairs like that, but previous owners had taken huge notches out of both frame rails, to clear headers is my guess. It looked like they used a turbo powered air chisel capable of 1/4" material...then just left the giant snaggle tooth pieces hanging there, like huge burs. There were cracks in both sides of my frame, just in front of the rear shackle hanger.

Since the thing wasn't the same from side to side, I was having a hard time finding a good place to pull measurements from. Settled on the factory bolt holes for the sway bar. Of all the funky crap going on with the frame, those seemed the most reliable and accurate places to measure from.

In your pictures, the cracks inside the frame rails, on the crossmember etc, are typical, a clean frame with no cracks would be a-typical. The other old repairs are simple enough to fix up and make look right. I had to repair my frame in the same places. On the passenger side, where the crack was on the top of the frame rail, and a bit down the side, I welded a big piece of 2x4x1/4 angle iron, inside the frame rails, with the sorter flange on the top, and trimmed to fit inside the 'c' without hanging out. Then I plated that entire section with 1/4 plate.

uJGsXuBh.jpg


In your case, based on what I see, I dont think a new frame is needed. Just fix the hack job repairs, get a new beefy mount/crossmember in there, with the normal frame brace stuff from ORD etc... and peel out. :haha:
 
:waytogo: I like this, it gives me a lot more confidence. I needed that, I was starting to get down in the dumps with all the time/money wasted with the frame.

With a little time and patience maybe I can get this fix looking a little less janky
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom