Cracked frame, Rusted out 2003 Ranger XLT question

[KnightRanger99]

Hello,
I’m just reaching out to other ranger owners to get some opinions on what do do with my current 2003 ford ranger 4.0 XLT

basically i brought it in for work, it went up on the lift and i was shown it had a cracked frame and a ton of rust (i knew about the rust)

the crack is on the drivers side rear under the bed area.

the truck has 70,000 on it, body is in ok shape but underneath is rusted out as you can see. (live in northern Maine)

I called a few welders, some are picky about welding frames- but i also purchased another truck a 2024 f150

My question is - is this truck salvageable or is it junk? basically i can’t drive it too far so to get it hauled away by the local junk yard i would be getting about $250

Thanks

 

[Roert42]

Definitely fixable.

Step 1.
Pull the bed off, remove gas tank, remove rear axle, remove leaf springs and hangers.

Step 2.
Cut out rust spots, weld in patches and fish plates, paint frame.

Step 3.
Reverse of step 1.

 

[Blmpkn]

How far north are you? Are the doors power or manual?

Let me know if you're just gonna have the thing hauled off for scrap.. I could very much use some body parts off your truck before it gets crushed. I'm after some doors, entire bed&bumper, seats possibly.. $$$

 

[pentode]

How many other spots on the frame are close to that thin? If that's definitely the worst of it, I'd follow Roert42s plan.
Can you weld? If not, I bet you could find a welder up there that would supervise or check your work to make sure it's safe and save a few bucks.
And yeah, think of grabbing a few parts off it before you scrap it.. I could use a set of alloy wheels myself.

 

[pentode]

For the record, I haven't lived in Maine in a while but back in the day, patched frames would pass inspection just fine as long as they were safe.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

All in what you’re able and willing to do. I’ve patched way worse. Done a lot more frame patching than I’d like to admit to really. If I can on a crack I like to drill the end and weld it up, grind flat and plate the outside, but a lot of what I’ve had to deal with is rust holes. In that case clean it up a bit and plate it after you bang on the frame with the pointy end of a chipping hammer to find the extent of the soft spot. There’s actually a company or two now that makes slip on sections to weld a repair on a frame. I’ve pieced steel to pretty much do the same thing. Part of living in the rust belt I suppose.