Steering Box Destruction - now for the repair......

[combatmatt]

Coming back to camp from elk hunting last week and the steering started to get a little bit sloppy. I figured i could make it the quarter mile back and tighten everythin back up there. 20 yards from camp and "Pop, Pow", cracked the frame at the bottom ear of the steering box and broke the bolt at the top. After packing up and strapping the box to the frame with some nylon webbing I was able to limp out 6 miles to about a mile from the trail head when the rest of the bolts sheared off, one of the ears on the steering box snapped off, and the frame quit . 2 hours and a short tow to my buddys driveway later I got it all apart and found my next project.

Next on the purchase list is ORDs weld on frame repair kit (I was already running the steering box brace) and a new steering box.

What im wondering is if i need to go to the pick and pull to hack out a corresponding piece of old frame to repair my frame hole or if i can just weld a suitable thickness piece of metal into the hole, drill a new bolt hole, then run the ORD patch panel over the repair?

On to the pics....................

Good bye brand new steering box........

Hello speed hole and snapped bolts............

Searched and came up with alot of cracked frame repairs but not one dealing with tearing the crap out of it. Comments and fixes are appreciated.

 

[Z71paramedic]

holy crap That's a bit crazy.

 

[big pappa b]

You must have been on some worse trails for hunting than we were. Did you at least get an elk? I didn't but I didn't break my truck either

 

[combatmatt]

Was up in NW 511 north of divide. No dice on the Elk, tons of fresh sign but the moon was killing any chances.

 

[big pappa b]

I was farther north of Kremmling 27/181. Only got to hunt the first 3 days and saw NOTHING

 

[blazinzuk]

I have cut a whole section out of a frame at a junkyard and replaced holes like that.

Have also just completely rebuilt the area with much thicker metal, used small tubing on the bolt holes to make the steering box clear the flat frame.

Do it right and do it once. I always am telling people how they are going crazy overkill on certain things, on this particular repair its time to go crazy overkill

 

[owenst7]

The frame is just mild steel, I'd just do whatever is easier for you with your tooling availability, I don't think it will be a big difference in strength either way, especially if you're going to plate it over.

Are you running hydro assist? I did about the same thing as you trying to run 17" wide 40"s in the rocks without it. I snapped clean through 3/4 of the frame rail right behind where the ORD brace bolts in. I terminated the cracks, welded them, welded in the plating kit, and said hydro assist was the #1 priority lol.

 

[combatmatt]

The frame is just mild steel, I'd just do whatever is easier for you with your tooling availability, I don't think it will be a big difference in strength either way, especially if you're going to plate it over.

Are you running hydro assist? I did about the same thing as you trying to run 17" wide 40"s in the rocks without it. I snapped clean through 3/4 of the frame rail right behind where the ORD brace bolts in. I terminated the cracks, welded them, welded in the plating kit, and said hydro assist was the #1 priority lol.

Not running hydro assist but it's definitely next on the list. Itll be the first thing I do when the "Tax Return Fairy" visits this spring.

 

[Bowtie85]

Some nice carnage

 

[combatmatt]

As it sits the plan is to patch the hole with 3/16" plate and install the ORD weld on kit. Hopefully this will bring the frame flush to the steering box. Looking at the hole it seems to be torn out at the top of the raised portion of the frame (any pointers?).

I remember a post somewhere where someone plated the inside of the frame rail in addition to running the ORD patch on the outside. Any one remember where that thread/post is? I figure with the nice gaping hole i created, an inside the frame brace is some overkill I need.

Also going to upgrade the Steering box brace hardware from 3" to 3 1/2" and the "stock" bolt locations from 1 1/2" to 2" grade 8. One bolted through the gearbox I'll cap them with nylock nuts and use a gob of locktite (again). Hopefully this will prevent the bolts from loosening up again.


What a PITA, should have put on the weld on kit when I put the brace in. Nothing like learning through experience though.