F250 Frame rust concerns
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F250 Frame rust concerns
Hey Folks. I recently bought a 2002 F250 long box crew cab 4x4. the box has been replaced with a brand new 2014 box before I bought it. up in the salt belt it's tough to find a decent rust free truck.
I ripped the bed off and started to wire wheel and sand the frame down to repaint it and I noticed the frame rail right by the gas tank is heavily rusted. according to my research the frame should be 1/4 inch thick.(.250) which looks right. but I took my 22oz. claw hammer and chipped away alot of steel at bottom of the C'channel and took some rough measurements and it seems I've lost about 1/4 of the frame thickness. before I can start seeing the shiny Steel show through again.
my question is: is this something to be concerned about? I have no holes by any means but I would hate to run into issues down the road. it's a long wheelbase truck with the larger 38 gallon tank and I use it to haul cars with my trailer. I plan on having it sandblasted and repainted to further protect it.
any insight or advice is greatly appreciated
I ripped the bed off and started to wire wheel and sand the frame down to repaint it and I noticed the frame rail right by the gas tank is heavily rusted. according to my research the frame should be 1/4 inch thick.(.250) which looks right. but I took my 22oz. claw hammer and chipped away alot of steel at bottom of the C'channel and took some rough measurements and it seems I've lost about 1/4 of the frame thickness. before I can start seeing the shiny Steel show through again.
my question is: is this something to be concerned about? I have no holes by any means but I would hate to run into issues down the road. it's a long wheelbase truck with the larger 38 gallon tank and I use it to haul cars with my trailer. I plan on having it sandblasted and repainted to further protect it.
any insight or advice is greatly appreciated
Cargo Master
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Little hard to say without seeing it. Iron swells when it rusts and sometimes looks worse than it is. On the other hand, how is the rest of the frame, cross bars, spring shackles, gas tank supports? If one spot is questionable, the whole truck needs a hard look.
Once a car or truck starts to rust, the process accelerates. In other words, once it gets started, it can really go downhill fast as rust flakes trap moisture and salt.
Once a car or truck starts to rust, the process accelerates. In other words, once it gets started, it can really go downhill fast as rust flakes trap moisture and salt.
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the gas tank straps have heavy scale and will need to be replaced this summer. the cross members were rusted but still solid when I removed the box. there was plenty of mud and road grime caught in the crossmembers. the shackles are very good surprisingly very thick. and have not need replaced. the rear bumper box and spare tire winch have all been replaced by the previous owner. I did notice the iron swelled and kept some of the chunks that came off. but itsome approximately 1/4 of the frame is coming off with a hard hit from a claw hammer. in order to stop it from progressing I'll have it sandblasted and painted but is 1/4 alot to have lost?
thanks
thanks
Cargo Master
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It's enough to make me squeamish. I prefer to spend an extra bunch of money on a used car/truck that hasn't seen salt then buy one that has and spend a bunch of money fixing it. Salt hurts more than just frame/body. It also creates electrical gremlins.
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yea that's very true. the cab and rockers is surprisingly rust free though. best shape I've come across which is weird. I'll try to get some photos. I'll have to remove the gas tank aswell because that's the only area I've noticed that seems to be the problem. I hope it's not critical. I really enjoy this truck and would like to keep it for the long haul
Cargo Master
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Maybe you'll get lucky and it's just a couple of hard to reach spots that were hard to keep clean. Sounds like you're about to find out. If it looks okay after sandblasting, I'd coat it with an acid etching primer followed by an epoxy sealer and then some kind of good chassis top coat. These coatings will cost more but you'll have a good chunk of labor into at that point.
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Yeah that's exactly what I was suggested by the local sandblasting shop. sounds like you know your stuff! I found it weird it was the outside of the fame along the bottom of the C'channel channel and not inside the C'channel channel. it's like the gas tank shielded salt from going inside the channel. but the outside took the brunt of it. any idea at what point or thickness I should call it scrap? 1/4 inch is thick to start with!
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Cargo Master
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I hear you, it's amazing what goes bad on one truck is perfectly fine on an identical truck that's seem the same life.
Honestly, I'm not a structural integrity expert so take my opinion as just that. If you blast it clean and have nearly the same thickness as the frame had originally then you're probably good. Rust does swell a lot and can look worse than it really is.
Honestly, I'm not a structural integrity expert so take my opinion as just that. If you blast it clean and have nearly the same thickness as the frame had originally then you're probably good. Rust does swell a lot and can look worse than it really is.
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Gotta give him serious kudo's!
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