I have been cleaning up my half ton frame and I ran into a problem with one of the front spring brackets and I was wondering if I could get some advice. I noticed yesterday while doing some sandblasting, that the holes in one of the very front (c-type) spring brackets is slotted. I was wondering if anyone else has run into this and how they fixed it? Does anyone know if these brackets are cast iron or forged steel, I suppose if its forged I can just weld it up and re-drill it. Thanks.

 

The parting lines look too clean to be forged, my guess is cast steel or cast iron, if cast steel you can weld on it, if cast iron, you might be able to braze on it.

You could drill it out and use a bushing too, if the hole doesn't stay "centered" over the original, find a buddy with a lathe and a independent 4 jaw chuck to make you an offset bushing.

I'm just assuming you don't want to take it off to try to fix it?

 

Thanks for the reply Mike. I also think the part looks cast and not forged, but I am thinking that cast iron would be too brittle for the job. If I can find a way to repair it on the frame I would go that way, I'd like to keep the rivets if I can, but if the repair gets too complicated I will take it off and bolt it back on. I have thought of the bushing route, and that might be my only real option, but I am afraid that the way this all bolts together the bolt wouldn't hold the bushing in place very well.

I have also thought about replacing it but I don't see too many of these frames available. I have access to several '48+ frames, but for some reason I think Ford put the shackle on the front of the spring in '48, so that wouldn't help me either.

 

soule46, for whatever its worth to you I believe the front springs on the 48 are the same as the 46 except the front spring bracket on the 48 wraps around the frame with an extra rivet on the side just like your rear front spring bracket does. I looked at the spring brackets that came off my 46 and I believe they are forged steel so you should be able to weld them. It would seem that cast iron would be too soft in such a high wear critical area. I guess if it was mine I would drill it out and fab a steel bushing to press in.

 

What I'd do, is run a round file in the hole...look at the shavings you get...if they are "spears", then it;s cast iron, if they look like emery dust, then it's cast steel...plus, CI will wear much more quickly than cast steel...CI will be a lot "softer" than cast steel as well.

Problem you'll have, is trying to drill it out without doing some prep before hand. If it were me, here's what I'd do:

I'd look for an off the shelf bushing that will fit my bolt/stud-thing, and have about 1/8th inch of thickness on the wall.

Then I'd scribe the bushing to be centered over the original hole.

If you're steady, you could use a diegrinder to get it close, if not, then take a round file and rough it up just under the OD of the bushing.

I wouldn't use a drill (if you do, you'll see what I mean) but would used a reamer to get me round from that point.
Then once the hole is round, I'd real or hone it to the proper size (about .0015-.002) smaller than the OD of the bushing.

Then I'd put my bushing that's been in the freezer for a few hour, in the hole...should go in with out much force, as it coled it'd expand and make a "press fit", and would never work it's way loose.
You may now have to ream the ID of the bushing (once it's "warmed back up") to fit yor hanger pin/bolt correctly.

Even if you try to hand drill a 4 flute bit, it's gonna hang up, probably break your wrist/etc...as it catches on the ovaled part of the hole.

I've never tried to braze to steel, but that might still be an option.

I'd think trying to build it up with a welder (wire/arc/etc) would make it a bear to file to fit.

 

Thanks guys. I probably will try to do a bushing. I will still try to see if the bracket is weldable though. If I make steel bushings, then I should be able to tack them in as well.

I don't think I will try to do this until spring, I was going to finish blasting the frame so that I could paint it and get it out the garage for the winter (then I can finally start to work on one of the cabs). I will gladly look at any other ideas if anyone else has any. Otherwise I will take picts of the repair as I do it and post them.