Rusted out frame
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Freshman User
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: rockdale us
Rusted out frame
Hi guys my 1979 ford f-150 4x4 shortbed, is exceptionally solid the cab,bed etc..but the rear frame itself is a different story. The cross member behind the cab, the side supports were rusted out,i reinforced and replaced those. My next project was the shock mounts, after removing the rivets and taking them off, on the passenger side right in middle of mount a small hole maybe 3/4 of an inch was rusted through.Theres an area of metal maybe 4"x4" that looks thin and maybe weak. What do you guys suggest to solve this problem? I was thinking weld a piece of plate on the outside,and that way still mount new shock mounts on the inside??If anyone has any experiance with the frame being rusted in any area at all, and how they repaired it let me know thanks...mike
Tuned
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 328
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About four years ago I welded plates in my frame and they still show no signs of weakening. This little adventure started when I decided to wire brush the frame to paint and undercoat it. While removing the rust I noticed all of the leaf spring hangers were severely rusted with holes through some. I decided to replace all of the hangers and after removing the old ones found huge holes rusted through the frame behined each bracket. To fix this, I used a cut-off wheel on a grinder and removed square pieces of the vertical portion of the frame. Then cut replacement pieces of steel using stock the same thickness as the frame. Welded around the entire perimeter and both sides, used a grinder to smooth the welds and it produced a nearly invisable repair.
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: North US Border, Canada
I truely beleive that most of any frame is salvageable, and after the fix it's totally to your advantage to strengthen, with additional crossmembers or piping or even boxing in the frame... especially if you're running high HP and TQ numbers. Anything additional is usually good. JMO
Madmike33
Madmike33
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Freshman User
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: rockdale us
Hey guys, thanks for the reply's i figured that i cannot let a little problem like this stop me dead in my tracks, so i will put steel plating on the outside near both sides, i will probably remove all the spring hangars so i can clean out the area between frame a hangars,Also what do you guys recommend for bolts when reattaching the shock mounts,spring mount etc?? i was thinking grade 8 would be fine, but?? thanks...mike
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Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,587
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From: Virginia Beach
All my stuff has gone back together with 1/2" grade 8 hardware purchased from HomeDepot.
You can weld your frame, just be extremely careful when doing it to keep it from over heating and warping the frame. And be sure to weld around and across the plate. . .keep it scattered to also help prevent warpage. I used 1/4" plate on mine, which is a little thicker than the frame, but It worked and it ain't going anywhere
You can weld your frame, just be extremely careful when doing it to keep it from over heating and warping the frame. And be sure to weld around and across the plate. . .keep it scattered to also help prevent warpage. I used 1/4" plate on mine, which is a little thicker than the frame, but It worked and it ain't going anywhere
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Joined: Aug 2002
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From: clementsport canada
what ever you do, do not weld square across the frame ( from top to bottom) this can lead to a stress point and cause it to break. any plates should end in a fish mouth, or a bevel cut ( atleast a 45 across the end like \ or / ) this will help prevent problems. make sure to cover up any work to make it neat and clean as possiable. around here, their gettin' sticky on frame work, and inspections
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