owen
1/2 ton status
I need to see some pics of how closely your frame brace fits before I weld mine in place. It is pretty close, but I am thinking about taking it to a frame machine anyway. Any stories/advice?
CK5
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Show me your frame brace
- Thread starter owen
- Start date
for the steering box??? or????
84_Chevy_K10
Banned
Just so you know, the weld patch fits like crap. If it doesn't fit, it's probably not your frame...it's the weld patch.
owen
1/2 ton status
thanks for the info- the one I got doesn't even seem close. I am sure they all come from the same manafacturer.
camiswelding
1/2 ton status
some fit better than others ... I have found you put it on ...do your best to line up the holes... you may have to drill them... bolt it down... use a hammer to massage the rest in place.... then weld per specs....
Desert Rat
Fetch the comfy chair
That's what I did with mine too. I put the four bolts in and bolted it tight. Then I used a C-clamp to snug the ends up before welding. I've done two and the one from ORD fit pretty well. I had another one that came in a box of stuff with one of the Blazers I bought and the fit was very poor. The ORD brace looked like they actually molded it to the contour of the frame. The el cheapo was just slightly curved in the right spots.
86chevybanshee
1/2 ton status
i bolted mine to the frame and beat the bag out of it with a hammer 
84_Chevy_K10
Banned
owen said:
You're right...it isn't close. I wish I never used it. I should have just fixed my frame and put on the bolt in brace.
As far as I know, you're correct. They all do come from the same manufacturer.
red77blazer
Registered Member
before i knew much about welding
i got this one and it was pretty close, although i didn't know about my welders 10%duty cycle,
i got this one and it was pretty close, although i didn't know about my welders 10%duty cycle,
mr_clean
1/2 ton status
Mine said not to weld all around it.
I think they are worried about you warping your frame from the heat.
I think they are worried about you warping your frame from the heat.
red77blazer
Registered Member
the brace is made to reinforce the frame correct?
mine was supposed to be welded al around and on the bottom. some may not be, ive only heard of welding the whole thing, mine used to creak moan and flex, now it doesn't and its been 3 years of heavy off road- minus the past year, but if the frame is already cracked i would definitaly.
If your worried about warpage use a hot welder and a heat sink. DO NOT PUT WATER ON THE WELD OR FRAME AFTER WELDING. AND DON'T GET THE FRAME TOO HOT-JUST HOT ENOUGH FOR PENETRATION, (IF ITS DRIPPING METAL OR THE WELD IS WIDENING GO COOLER, AND ONLY DO A LITTLE AT A TIME IN EACH AREA OF THE PLATE, DO A 1/4 TO A 1/2 INCH AT THE TOP, THEN BOTTOM THEN RIGHT THEN LEFT, THEN TOP AGAIN UNTIL ITS ALL THE WAY AROUND.
In frame repairs the brace is usally designed to replace/reinforce the section of damaged frame, if its already cracked drill just past each end of the crack, then weld the crack from both sides with lots of penetration, then grind the weld so you can get the brace as flush as possible, then bolt the brace to the frame without the box and clamp the ends of it, then weld it on making sure to get lots of penetration(heating the area up with a torch first helps but not too much because you dont wand to warp any thing, and keep it clean, then paint it to keep it from rusting. Do not gring down the final welds to make it look pretty, this does nothing but weaken the weld if done too much. put the box back on and do not make the holes any bigger than they are!!! Put some locktite on them and go drive over a rock. If your steering box falls off then re weld and get stronger bolts
mine was supposed to be welded al around and on the bottom. some may not be, ive only heard of welding the whole thing, mine used to creak moan and flex, now it doesn't and its been 3 years of heavy off road- minus the past year, but if the frame is already cracked i would definitaly.
If your worried about warpage use a hot welder and a heat sink. DO NOT PUT WATER ON THE WELD OR FRAME AFTER WELDING. AND DON'T GET THE FRAME TOO HOT-JUST HOT ENOUGH FOR PENETRATION, (IF ITS DRIPPING METAL OR THE WELD IS WIDENING GO COOLER, AND ONLY DO A LITTLE AT A TIME IN EACH AREA OF THE PLATE, DO A 1/4 TO A 1/2 INCH AT THE TOP, THEN BOTTOM THEN RIGHT THEN LEFT, THEN TOP AGAIN UNTIL ITS ALL THE WAY AROUND.
In frame repairs the brace is usally designed to replace/reinforce the section of damaged frame, if its already cracked drill just past each end of the crack, then weld the crack from both sides with lots of penetration, then grind the weld so you can get the brace as flush as possible, then bolt the brace to the frame without the box and clamp the ends of it, then weld it on making sure to get lots of penetration(heating the area up with a torch first helps but not too much because you dont wand to warp any thing, and keep it clean, then paint it to keep it from rusting. Do not gring down the final welds to make it look pretty, this does nothing but weaken the weld if done too much. put the box back on and do not make the holes any bigger than they are!!! Put some locktite on them and go drive over a rock. If your steering box falls off then re weld and get stronger bolts
84_Chevy_K10
Banned
That frame brace really does little to reinforce the frame. The bolt in brace is the only solution in my opinion to assure no issues, especially if you have crossover.
Make your own or buy it, but either way, that force needs to be transferred into the frame via some type of device that bolts to the crossmember. The framerail is not strong enough to take these forces.
Make your own or buy it, but either way, that force needs to be transferred into the frame via some type of device that bolts to the crossmember. The framerail is not strong enough to take these forces.
red77blazer
Registered Member
QUOTE MYSELF- "In frame repairs the brace is usally designed to replace/reinforce the section of damaged frame"
I Meant - Strengthening The Frame- Reinforcing The Cracked Area(the Effect)- TIM IS RIGHT-After The Repair, The Other Kit Should Be Installed To Take Care Of The Cause. But if the frame is already damaged you have to reinforce it first to give it that section the integrity it had before damage before adding another arm to the crosmember or frame or any other upgrade. (would you agree tim? [Not meant in a sarcastic way])
I Meant - Strengthening The Frame- Reinforcing The Cracked Area(the Effect)- TIM IS RIGHT-After The Repair, The Other Kit Should Be Installed To Take Care Of The Cause. But if the frame is already damaged you have to reinforce it first to give it that section the integrity it had before damage before adding another arm to the crosmember or frame or any other upgrade. (would you agree tim? [Not meant in a sarcastic way])
84_Chevy_K10
Banned
I disagree. If the frame is cracked, in my opinion, it should be repaired and the bolt in brace used. The manufacturer of the bolt in brace agrees with me as well.
The weld patch fits horribly and does little to reinforce the frame. The bolt in patch is the solution.
I wish I never used the weld patch on my cracked frame. I should have fixed the frame rail and used the bolt in brace only.
The weld patch fits horribly and does little to reinforce the frame. The bolt in patch is the solution.
I wish I never used the weld patch on my cracked frame. I should have fixed the frame rail and used the bolt in brace only.
red77blazer
Registered Member
opinions are fine- i have seen and fixed quite a few of these and other frames, i have used combination bolt and weld ones, not just bolt ones though. Bolting is a repair alone may be fine but i would go for strenght and do both, either bolting or welding done wrong can weaken the fram rail. A good weld job makes all the difference in the world though, with not enough penetration there is definately going to be problems, With a proper weld it could be a repair that never has to have attention again. Sometimes the cracks can extend beyond the brace or drilling to many holes in a fram can weaken it, it depends on the design, i have seen some custom made braces that had bolts going through the frame but the crack is already beyond the bolts all that does then is space the box off the frame and bolt a plate of metal to the frame, bolting the plate is a good idea, if the crack is on the corner of the frame and the brace you get doesn't wrap around that corner and hold the two "pieces" of the frame together the crack may get bigger. If someone shortens a frame they usually dont just rely on a plate with bolts in each piece of the frame, it is often welded and bolted. I could see using a bolt type only, but the crack in the frame should definitaly be repaired before with a weld and cease holes drilled on either end of the crack, otherwise it will probly spread. (seen it the whole box came loose because the frame rail cracked under the brace and allowed the bolts to move a bit then they loosened and cracked)
I learned of frame repairs from semi-truck repairs and before i was a technician, and at school in UTI. I was taught to use both. In this application i figured you have four bolts holding the plate firmly in place and two bolts holding the bottom plate in place, but the two plates in the kit should be welded together and to the frame. (does your kit have 2 plates) If the plates are not welded together there will be a vulnerable section between the two on the corner of the frame which is where mine was cracked with a 5 1/2 inch crack. Every situation is different and calls for different repairs, the only way to be happy with it is probly to trust your own judgement after considering others advice.
I learned of frame repairs from semi-truck repairs and before i was a technician, and at school in UTI. I was taught to use both. In this application i figured you have four bolts holding the plate firmly in place and two bolts holding the bottom plate in place, but the two plates in the kit should be welded together and to the frame. (does your kit have 2 plates) If the plates are not welded together there will be a vulnerable section between the two on the corner of the frame which is where mine was cracked with a 5 1/2 inch crack. Every situation is different and calls for different repairs, the only way to be happy with it is probly to trust your own judgement after considering others advice.
84_Chevy_K10
Banned
It's not the welding I'm against. I wish I'd fixed my frame rail by welding it up and fixing the cracks and just used the bolt in brace. The weld on brace that they sell in my opinion is garbage. I used it, it's on my truck, so it's staying there, but that doesn't make me proud of it.
red77blazer
Registered Member
gotcha-
86chevybanshee
1/2 ton status
im with tim on this one
i think the weld on kit is useless, it fits like crap, and i dont even see how it does anything, it just makes my frame look like crap
waste of 60 bucks or whatever
i think the weld on kit is useless, it fits like crap, and i dont even see how it does anything, it just makes my frame look like crap
waste of 60 bucks or whatever
Desert Rat
Fetch the comfy chair
I'm not sure what basis you use to say that they are all the same manufacturer. I've welded in two of them and they were obviously totally different. One conformed very closely to the frame (The ORD purchased one) and hugged the bulges where the bolts go through. The other one was only slightly curved. Clearly both were from a different company.
