Frame Crack

[BeaterMan]

today i went out with the pressure washer to clean off the old 85 since i was planning on replacing the floor pan thats rotted out this weekend and i noticed that my frame has a decient crack by the rear shock mount on the drivers side. awww i have more problems with this truck when i'm not driving it than when i am driving it. so this weekend plans have changed from a floor pan to a cracked frame


any suggestions to repair this would be greatly appreciated, my buddys dad said it would be no problem, we would just have to plate it/reinforce it and weld.

 

[Shran]

Your buddy's dad is absolutely right, that is not a big deal to fix. Just plate the entire area.

I would rather have it crack there than around the steering box in 80-96 F series pickups...consider yourself lucky!

 

[dangerranger83]

I might go outside and check around that area on my truck now, just to be safe.

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

my 85 had the same cracks on both mounts. Redid them with plate. No problems since. Mine was caused by my shock would bottom out before my stops hit. Now I have longer travel shocks and problem solved!

 

[BeaterMan]

it could very well be because of my shocks- i questioned if they bottom out but never put too much tought into it. i did break off the mount on the axle last winter playing on snow mounds but who knows. i'm definately gona look into my shock travel now and check the other side of the frame.
- there is alot of welding to take place on this old beast with this crack, a new floor pan, some rock sliders and a new front bumper to be made. i better get my sh** in order as wheeling is gona be starting up in a few months.

 

[BeaterMan]

GoodOld85BlueBalls do you have a picture of how you plated the frame? and how thick of steel did you use?

 

[metalmacguyver]

Plating with 1/8"-3/16" after welding the cracks will be sufficient. You dont need much thicker than that.

 

[Frank The Tank]

I'd do a "stitch" weld......... and then plate it.

you drill holes slightly past either end of the crack (so that it doesn't continue to spread) then bead it up good, and toss a plate on there just in case. (I've heard of people stitch welding enine blocks before, the water jackets at least)

Frank

 

[fordtrucksforever]

You need to jack up the frame and take weight off that area. Raise it up in a way so it closes up the crack. Drilling holes at the ends wont really make any difference, since your weld should penetrate enough to have the same effect. Make sure there are no brake or fuel lines on inside of frame. A thin plate on bottom of frame will be all thats needed, if you shape it to get full contact on the width up to the inside lip. Run a bead around the shock mount and make sure you get some penetration on those stress cracks. You might want to back off some of those offroad adventures a little bit.

 

[BeaterMan]

thanx for the input everyone. i gota talk to my buddy and hopefully i can go out to his farm sunday and we can get this issue all solved/welded up.

. You might want to back off some of those offroad adventures a little bit.

that would be impossible as i got this truck for that exact reason, i guess i'll just have to make sure i get the crack fixed real good. in summer time i take this beast wheeling every weekend and it never skips a beat- it just wouldn't be right if i didn't this year.

-pictures of the repair will hopefully be posted sunday.

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

I can't weld for bunk. My Friend Steve fixed it 10 years ago on a hunting trip. With some junk Iron he put on top of it, and it ain't pretty. 1x2 angle wraped over the bottom edge of the frame with a hole in it to clear the rivet. Need to cut it off and do it right. I used to run prety heavy on those trips, with a wildernest topper and all the gear. I put new shocks and superlift replacement leaf springs in the rear that year. Those leafs are stiff and took away all my rear wheel travel, I would not recomend them ever. Rides like a tank now. Too embarased to take a picture of that repair. LOL!

 

[BeaterMan]

well i finally got the crack repaired. once i got the rivit out and the surface grinded we noticed that the crack was alot bigger then expected and the rivit had pulled the frame in some so we used a porta press between the frame rails to push it back out. once that was done, my friend who welds real good welded the crack on the frame and then i went to town on the plate. my welds aren't that great but my friend said if i wana go make um look pretty then i can anytime i want.

all grinded down

plate in place and painted- i know my welding skills are not that great, but seeing it was maybe the 6th time in my life welding i think i'm picking it fairly quick.

i did discover that my shocks are blown and that the rears have maybe 2'' max of up travel so i figure thats why the frame cracked- time for new shocks it appears.

 

[PlumCrazy]

You should have made the plate with ends shaped like this <> that way you wouldnt end up with a vertical weld. Vertical welds on a frame are never a good idea they have a tendency to crack.

 

[BeaterMan]

intresting... i didn't know that but then again i've never had to weld a frame crack. in the event that it cracks again- hopefully not- i'll change that. my friends dad used to race dirt track and he was pretty confident that it will be fine. only time and abuse will tell tho. now the question is... now that i made the weak point stronger where is the new weak point going to be? lol

 

[PlumCrazy]

The two vertical welds will be the weak point, right where the weld meets the frame.