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Was cleaning all the grime off my 7.3 idi I purchased not too long ago. Under the muck I found a crack in the chassis behind the front left tire. It was covered in grime and had 33s on so impossible for me to have seen when I purchased it.
What are yalls thoughts? Can a weld fix this? Is it alright if I keep driving with this crack? Man I spent 5k on this truck. I dont believe the previous owner new..
Last edited by Wheeler.M1; Nov 10, 2021 at 09:51 AM.
Reason: It's not the Chassis but the Frame, wrong verbage
Was told a tungsten insert gas weld is my best bet. Would adding a cross member to connect both sides of the frame help to prevent flexing? After a weld, would it ever be able to go off-roading, or is it just a highway truck now?
Drill a small hole at each end of the crack, weld it up, then weld a diamond shape plate over it.... you should be fine! IMHO, I would check to make sure this is not non-weldable material... it's been a few years ago now but at one point Ford, GM, etc. all used frame material that could not be welded.....ie you could weld the crack up but later on the entire member would fail.
As far a welding method goes.... IMHO, doesn't matter as long as you are a competent welder.
FYI...if you are using an "electric welder" definitely DC the battery and remove the ECM
Very nice, thanks! Shame that he's not active and selling those backets. Going to look into fabbing one. This is on my f250 which has a Dana 50. I read that if I put a fish plate on the inside I would have to move the steering box a inch or two to the right along with the steering column?
Im going to look into mounting a bracket. The crack is about an 1/8th of an inch. Hoping it wont recrack again.
I am a retired machinist and not a welder but that looks like any type of weld would be fine, like mentioned earlier, quit driving and repair. If you can “fish” plate or box it, do it. I will look tomorrow at one of mine and see if I have any different suggestions.
I am a retired machinist and not a welder but that looks like any type of weld would be fine, like mentioned earlier, quit driving and repair. If you can “fish” plate or box it, do it. I will look tomorrow at one of mine and see if I have any different suggestions.
Thanks, it's been sitting on blocks getting degreased. Hoping I do the right weld, I'm thinking a stick weld has the best penetration for it. As for a fish plate, I've been looking at it and it'll be difficult. I have the shock bracket about an inch to the right, then on the left is bends inward. Underneath I have rivets from the cross member. Then if I wanted to weld the inside I'd have to remove the steering box and get some larger bolts...ahhh its so much. I'm thinking I'll out an outside fish plate that's about an inch and a half long. I want to rebuild the truck eventually from the frame up. So it'll be a semi-permanent fix and I can get at it better later next year in the summer.
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