Gentlemen,

As mentioned in another thread, I've broken the driver's side frame rail just over the rear axle. It's going to get patched temporarily, but this summer I have to take the box off and do a real reinforcing job on the whole rear half of the frame.

I was going to just weld reinforcing plates on, but I have a new idea: just cut the rear 6-feet of frame right off, and weld on brand new heavy duty strait rails.

I'd cut it just behind the transmission support cross-member and the cab, to make it as simple as possible. The steel's in great shape back to there. Then, a couple of feet overlap, cut some slots for through-welds, weld all around the edges. and it shoudl be rock solid. I love the idea of the simple, rock solid straight rails.

But here's the thing - use straight rails with no rear axle hump. I'd have to add a couple of drop-down flanges for the leaf shackle mounts, but that's no problem. Heck, I could make these flanges any length I want and get a 2" or 4" lift while I'm at it. Yes, I know, drive shaft length, longer shocks, and rear-gear the back-end if I change tire size...

The only real question I have is this new angle the frame will make. Instead of lying flat, it will be on a slope towards the rear because it now makes a straight line from the rear of the cab to the top of where the humpof the old frame used to be. I may have to lift the front end as well to keep a reasonable rake.

What do you think?

 

Fred, what are you doing with the truck? Is it a work truck, a daily driver, a mountain climber? What is the bed or box?

 

This is a work truck. Almost daily driver to the site. Hauling building materials to the site and garbage to the dump. Nothing else. 8' standard box.

 

Necro'ing the heck out of this thread, I know. Did you ever go through with this project? Thinking of doing the same thing on my 1991 f450.