when bolting structual parts of a frame you want to use grade 5 SAE bolts
the bolts need to be softer than the frame steel,if not and they move it will wear the bolt and not egg the frame hole

 

Recently working on a 00 cummins that scored a #5 Cylinder, inorder to remove the piston (just going to clean up the bore and replace the piston) We jacked the front of the engine up with the engine mounts unbolted. We were able to remove the oil pan. I know they are different , but just an idea.

 

The problem with plugging the pan with bolts or screws covered in JB is that two of the holes are very difficult to get to. If it was just one or two i think thats a good idea. But this thing i falling apart right under me. I wish the jerk who had the truck before me would have prevented this. Anyways, it would compromise the entire pan with 4 big bolts sticking in it. If i could even get em in 2 of the spots. I tried JB and it worked for a while -- about 6 months but theres not stopping hot oil and good ole gravity! Im brining it down to my welder tomorrow and hes gonna take a look. He may even do it right then. I got lucky and found the pan at the local stealership (only $45 more then autozone and 2 weeks quicker) I will keep you guys updated. Im gonna print out this thread and show him - especially the screws/bolts in epoxy part. Thats very interesting and sounds like a solid alternative. Thanks again everyone

 

There's not enough room to do that with a PSD.

I personally wouldn't cut the cross member. That pan is tough to get off when its on an engine stand let alone while the engine is still in the truck ,the factory sealant is serious stuff. Don't forget your going to have a 1,000 lbs. plus hanging over your head when you cut that cross-member make sure you've got a hoist that will handle the weight. There some jobs that you just should not shortcut on be-careful, I hope your welder is a good one.

 

cut it out and reinforce the cuts with some plate and you will be fine. I straighten frames for a living, doing this isnt gonna sacrifice the strength the of your truck as long as your welder can weld and he reinforces the cuts somewhat. Ive actually had to straighten these crossmembers from hard collisions where they got twisted.... Not fun.

 

Heres a semi important Q - When i cut the cross member the engine isnt gonna drop is it?! The guy who is the "expert" on this said it barely moved, if anything. Confused

 

5 grade and not 8 grade? 5 seems so weak to me, but now we are talking about something I don't know enough about.
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From my point of view, this is simply another reason NOT to do anything other than bite the bullet and pull the engine.

 

I have done quite a bit of frame work on bigger trucks and been around frame shops,doing everything from shortening and lenghtening and re-enforcing to adding and rebolting cross members and all that is ever used is grade 5 or 6 bolts which are the same strenght as the origonal rivets
what makes the rivets so strong is they are expanded into the bores and it's almost impossibe to get a bolt to fit that tight

 

The motor mounts sit pretty high up on the crossmember, so it really shouldnt move to much if you dont cut too high up. However I would still support it somehow, I would probly run two porta-powers up to the motor on each side to hold the wieght if I was doing it.

 

So what happened with this did you cut the rivets or crossmember or pull it? If you cut the rivets or crossmember how is it holding up?

 

7 year old thread, and he has not logged on in over three years..