i have an 86 F150 4x4 w/ 351w.

i was trying to sell it in january and one of the guy's who was looking to buy it noticed that the drivers side front frame rail was cracked.

sure enough there is a good 3 1/2" crack at the top and a 2" crack on the bottem.

it is right behind the shock mounting plate. i can see the frame move when i wiggle the steering.


I was told that this was a common problem with these years of trucks. anyone else hear this?

is there a safe way to fix it? i was thinking of welding the cracks then welding a plate over it. but i do not know how well this would work.

 

i forgot to ask if a similiar year van or full size bronco's frame would work as a replacement?

heck i might as well find a stripped bronco and swap as much of my stuff over as possible. since i am having other issues as well.

 

I Believe that a good solution for that prob.
Ask you local welding company if you have such companys in your area. They should be able to answer your question as good as possible.
Do you have any pics of that cracks available for us?

Jens

 

unfortunantly i just moved from new mexico to oregon and my digital camera is in storage.

the crack is pretty burly. where the frame rail makes a sidways U
it is cracked on both the top and bottem. there is only about 3" of metal that is holding it together.

if that makes any sense.

i do have acess to an arc and mig welder. i might grind out the crack a little. so it makes a V then weld the crack then put a thick piece of steel over it and weld that down.

i might even try to do it on the inside of the frame so it would not be visible.

i am honestly glad i did not sell my truck because of the crack and the fact the motor blew a couple weeks later when i was towing my mustang to oregon.

it blew 60 miles into my trip.