I hear that it is pretty common for frame rails to crack near the steering box. I have an 86 4x4, and the frame is not cracked. But I was wondering if there is anything I could do now to prevent it from possibly happening in the future.

 

Yes, It's very common.

my 80 f150 has had to have tyhis repaired 3 times (I'll explain how we did it in a minute)

you may want to check yours again. all of the ones that I have seen do not crack near the steering sector, the crack under it. connecting the mounting holes with a series of cracks. once this happens the frame rail tweaks farther and farther when turning and eventually cracks the entire height of the frame rail.

On mine I noticed the problem only because my steering wheel would never sit in the same place twice when going straight down the road. I finally located the cracked framerail. we removed the steering sector and pump (Easier to work with the extra room that the pump takes up) and welded the cracks shut. Hooray for us!!! now it's fixed...right?? .........WRONG!!!!


It went about a week and started doing it again (highway driving, no offroading that week).

Now its fixed !!!! Right ??? ........wrong...do not pass go, do not collect $200. .....


AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!


Back to the drawing board.....


Pull pump, stearing gear, steering wheel inner fender well .....etc.... (not all of this needed to be removed but we like to have lots of room to work. besides, it was only friday night and we had all weekend.
next we ground off all previous welds and sat down to devise a plan.


STAND BACK NO BELIEVERS....... HERES HOW WE DID IT!

1) v-grind all cracks

2) tripple-pass weld all cracks

3) cut a piece of 1/8" plate steel and cut to fit the approximate shape of the area that had
been the problem and drill a series of 1/2" holes over the entire surface at approx 1"
intervals ( 1" of solid material between any holes)

4) center reinforcement patch over area and stitch weld one edge.

5) heat up patch pannel red hot and hammer it down so that it fits the counours of the
frame rail exactly. (clearance for bolting the steering gear back on is a huge factor)

6) once it fits the frame rail. weld the remaining sides down and then go back and plug weld all the holes that you have drilled in the patch pannel.

7) Get out the grinder and grind everything down smooth.

8) take a break and have a beer, you are about half way done.

9) now that the cracks have been patched and reinforced it is time to fix the underlying
cause of the situation---- flexing in the frame.

10) next we welded all of the frame rail seams that are not welded at the factory.

11) welded the engine crossmember to the frame (not my Idea but it was done while I
was gone to get food...I guess it will always have a small block in it now)

12) now for the final and most critical step (In my opinion) we took a piece of 1x2 thick-wall tube and made an additional crossmember that ties the frame rails together at the very front of the frame rails.

13) Reassemble the truck ( this is where your buddys will have a million and one reasons that they have to go home.)

the way that I see it the problem is that all of the sideways pressure caused by the steering gear flexes the frame rail in front of the engine crossmember. there is no additional bracing ahead of the steering gear (other than the bumber)

anyway, that is my 2 cents worth. we did this repair on Ugly truck about a year ago and it survived thru deer season and an entire summer of 4 wheelin' . I was under the truck earlier today and checked for cracks around the steering gear and there are none. that's right naysayers and non believers...none!!! We went thru the process again, this time tripple passing all the welds for added strength.

Hopefully you have at least one buddy with a GOOD Mig welder. If you don't, find one.
Cause if you're gonna own an early 80's ford and use it like it was meant to be used you are gonna need him.


That is how we fixed mine. If you still don't find any cracks when you reinspect yours (take the steering box bolts loose and check under the steering gear) then I would suggest the additional crossmember at the front of the frame horns.

Good luck.


Stewbie7


80 f150 4x4 x-o-rust green

 

IVE GOT MASSIVE SMITTYBUILT BUMPER 2 LOWER 2.5" TUBES AND ONE ARCHED OVER THE TOP 2.5" WILL THIS HELP THE FRAME RAIL CRACKING IF IT HASNT OCCURED YET.. IM RUNNIN 35" SWAMPERS AND IT HASNT HAPPENED YET..

 

One way to prevent it not to drive through water ditches in fields with a full diseal fuel tank in the box (you would have to see the truck to believe it)

 

mine is cracked there as well.

I also have cracks behind the shock mount. there is only about 1.5" of metal holding the sucker on there.

I was thinking about V grooving the cracks, then drilling out the ends to stop spreading.

then welding in a patch panel on the inner side of the frame. and weld the outer cracks then grind flush.

 

I'm pretty sure it isn't cracked. My truck has 41K original miles and it's never been abused. I don't off road except the occasional dirt trail. I'd like to weld a piece in there to support it, or better yet buy something that goes in there (less fabricating) Don't get me wrong, I love fabricating my own stuff, but I hate to have the truck down for a while, I use it most of the time, especially with winter coming, and I would rather have something I could knock out in an afternoon. Like that's possible...

Good to hear there is a perminant solution after it's cracked though.

Also, would something like POR 15 painted on there harden the metal any?

 

por-15 wouldnt do much for weak metal imo.


anyone know what the measurement is for the space between the front frame rails?

mine are probably sagged and are definantly tweaked. So I would like to get it pretty close before I weld the suckers up.

 

Welding on the frame is not a good idea unless you absolutely have to, then you will definitely have to beef up that area in order to prevent it from happening again. That is the nature of this type of metal – once it is heated to a certain point it becomes brittle. If your frame is not cracked, just leave it alone and check it periodically.

Most of the time when you need to weld a stiffener in between your frame, it means that a set measurement will do you no good. The best thing to do is locate an area on your frame that has the best access and will accept a weld and take a measurement at those points. This stiffener does not need to hold force, but it will be added to take stress.

Even though I agree that the gearbox location is weak and the frame does crack more often on these model of trucks, there are still thousands out there (4WD included) that have never cracked. The secret is keeping the gearbox and bumper (either factory or custom) tight. Also after installing a lift make sure you get the proper drop down pitman arm, which will keep the force of turning at the correct angle.

hungrymonkey,
Sorry - I don't know those measurements

 

I was just out looking at mine. It seems that you could make a plate or two out of heavy steel, unbolt the gear box, and put in some new stainless or grade 8 bolts with the steel in there. You'd just have to drill the steel plate so that it will be held in by the bolts. This would add strenght at the stress points, right? Or would this be a waist of time because it isn't part of the frame?

I guess it wouldn't really strengthen the frame per se, but would the extra beef around the bolts be enough to keep it from cracking?

The truck is garage kept and I try to keep it nice. If there is something I can do now to prevent a future problem I'd like to try it.

Were would you bolt a second crossmember to?

Is frame cracking even something I should worry about the way I use my truck?

 

Nick, I think that the bolt on plate is a good Idea but it will not strengthen the frame.

additionally, a flat plate will not work. the reame rail is contoured to accept the gearbox. I think that if your truck only has 40k on it and is a highway only truck you do not need to worry about it.

If you decide that you really want to put an additional crossmember in weld some flat tabs onto the end of it and make it "Bolt on". it will not be as strong but it will not need to be very strong since it is just a secondary support.


as far as the notion of not bieng able to weld on the frame rails....they are not heat treated or hardened... they are a soft alloy steel....not a big deal to weld... well, my wife is yelling at me .....we are late for dinner.....later

 

No, they are not a big deal to weld, but...

If you mean "heat-treated" as referring to hardened, no they are not treated in that manner. But, as with all support type metals, they are heat-treated (alloy) in a "stress-relief" process. These year models were the worst for getting that extra treatment --to "save" money evidently. Remember, these frames are heat-treated in a manner that will allow them to take stress more than Hot Roll, Cold Roll, or mechanical metal types. That is why they urge you not to weld on truck frames.

Can it be done? Of course it can, but under certain guidelines. If you do a search on this you will see that many who have welded these frames have cracking soon afterwards.

Remember the old term: "work-hardened" metals used by the blacksmiths? Work hardened means: The increase in hardness of a metal produced by cold working. But the old term referred to the metal at stress points moving to an extent that they became brittle. It is almost the same as the real definition, but the “cold working” is now accomplished by the gearbox in this thread. So the metal at that stress point becomes hard just as if you “heat-treated” it.

Solution: Do not weld on the stress point of frames unless it is absolutely necessary.
But if you do:
(1) Groove out the crack (or grind it out with a thin-bladed grinder – no more than ¼” wide for this application) to at least 90% penetration.
(2) Turn up the amperage on your welder and get sufficient penetration on the first pass with any good self-cleaning rod (E-6010 for example).
(3) Use a high-tensile-strength welding rod (E-7018 for example) to make the final pass.
(4) Install a thin (3/16” thick) Hot roll “fish” plate that covers twice the area. Why so thin? To maintain flexibility and still have the strength required to keep the crack from returning.
(5) Weld out the “fish” plate 100% AFTER turning down the amperage to keep the heat to a minimal.

Why all this trouble? Have you ever seen one of these trucks after the frame rails have broken while traveling 60plus MPH down the highway? Just think about the “precious” cargo that might be inside the truck with you. You can never be too careful. And with just a little more work you can make that area stronger than it was when new.

 

Ok, I'm not being a smart @$$, but what do you suggest you do to make the area stronger than new, without welding of corse!

 

If you read my post, there are times when you will need to weld the frame. Just keep in mind that you can't simply run a rod over the cracked/broken area.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

OH! I got ya now! I thought you meant that before it broke you could make it better than new (that's what I wanted to know how to do), but your saying AFTER it's broke you can REPAIR it better than new. OK I get it now.


(insert hick voice) It might take me allil' longer but sooner or later I'lls get it! (redneck voice off)

 

Yes - and don't worry about it too much. You have already went that extra step in researching the problem and know now that it could happen. Just check it now and then.

I used to own an '82 F350 that I put in all kinds of twists and binds when it was fully loaded. When I sold it it had over 250K on it and not a crack to be seen. Even though it was a 2WD I took it into some bad places and even had to be pulled out a few times. Twice with a skidder.

I think alot of the frame cracking in the gearbox area stems from allowing the box to become loose, or a loose bumper (which causes the end of the frame rail to flex more than normal) and from the wrong type of drop pitman arm. If you think about it, the pitman arm should push/pull (operate) from a slight angle, not a sharp angle (as I have seen too many times). There was mentioned in this thread a stiffener that you can prefab and install between the bumper and the foremost crossmember. That is a good prevention method.