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Being my first resto I was wondering if any of you could give me your opinion on this frame. Looks pretty bad to be but I don’t have much to compare to. The only rust through I see is the support coming down from crossmember.
again blast it or if you have an industrial metal stripper company near by , have the frame dipped and see what is left -- as a side note you have a Ford 9-3/8 differential installed in your housing -- they quit making/ installing those about 1972 and were usually used in the mid 60's Galaxies and T-bird/ Lincoln chassis until 1972 --- parts for those are few and far between ( except for bearings ),,, you should have a 9 inch case in there ---
Most of the rust I see won't affect structural integrity but anywhere there is visible rot-through like in the one pic of the cross member brace, that's an issue needing addressed with new steel. Some areas may not be noticeable until you blast or go over ever inch with a hammer checking for weak spots. Focus on the spring shackles and mounts as well as shock mounts.
After 45 years of fooling with cars, I wouldn't bother with something rusted to that level. Granted, I have had and repaired much worse but in hindsight I'd have been further ahead to buy something from a dry climate and pay to have it shipped to PA. For past 25 years I refused to buy anything from the rustbelt so it took me 20 years to figure out dealing with rusty vehicles is optional. Paying to have something shipped from an arid climate is a fraction of the cost and frustration I will go through during a fixup. Its not just cleaning up the surface rust on the frame, everything you go to repair that involves removing bolts will be a challenge vs a dry climate chassis where things come apart like they were just put together.
Having said that if you are dead-set on restoring that chassis, it can be saved for sure but hopefully you have fabricating and welding skills as well as an oxy/acetylene torch. If you have to pay someone to do the work you may want to consider moving on to a better vehicle to start with. Its not like these trucks are rare and valuable like a big dollar antique muscle car where fixing a frame like that is a no brainer because the vehicles market price when complete justifies it.
Mine has 4 or 5 spots like this from the rear all the way to the front coil bucket. Just cut out and new plate welded in. I wouldn’t consider giving up on it because of that. But these aren’t as plentiful around here in the rust belt so it depends on your location I guess. I’ve seen your thread and it looks like a good start
Mine has 4 or 5 spots like this from the rear all the way to the front coil bucket. Just cut out and new plate welded in. I wouldn’t consider giving up on it because of that. But these aren’t as plentiful around here in the rust belt so it depends on your location I guess. I’ve seen your thread and it looks like a good start
Thanks, Im in central KY so it seems to be 50/50. I dont have any welding skills but a good buddy is one so I plan on having him do/teach me at the same time. I don’t mind the extra work, that’s why I got it. Really just wanted to get some opinions to make sure it wasn’t time to run from someone who’s been here before. Thank you!
Most of the rust I see won't affect structural integrity but anywhere there is visible rot-through like in the one pic of the cross member brace, that's an issue needing addressed with new steel. Some areas may not be noticeable until you blast or go over ever inch with a hammer checking for weak spots. Focus on the spring shackles and mounts as well as shock mounts.
After 45 years of fooling with cars, I wouldn't bother with something rusted to that level. Granted, I have had and repaired much worse but in hindsight I'd have been further ahead to buy something from a dry climate and pay to have it shipped to PA. For past 25 years I refused to buy anything from the rustbelt so it took me 20 years to figure out dealing with rusty vehicles is optional. Paying to have something shipped from an arid climate is a fraction of the cost and frustration I will go through during a fixup. Its not just cleaning up the surface rust on the frame, everything you go to repair that involves removing bolts will be a challenge vs a dry climate chassis where things come apart like they were just put together.
Having said that if you are dead-set on restoring that chassis, it can be saved for sure but hopefully you have fabricating and welding skills as well as an oxy/acetylene torch. If you have to pay someone to do the work you may want to consider moving on to a better vehicle to start with. Its not like these trucks are rare and valuable like a big dollar antique muscle car where fixing a frame like that is a no brainer because the vehicles market price when complete justifies it.
I’ll definitely get it blasted and evaluate from there. I don’t mind the extra work as I got this as a long term project to occupy some time. But if the frame is good Im sure Ill think back to your comment with every can of PB blaster I go through! Thanks for the comment!
I'd run away screaming like my teeth were on fire, rust is optional people should always remember that. there are 1000's of rust free projects at very reasonable prices out there , if it's a 2wd you can get one for next to nothing.
