Fixin the frame

[78shortandwide]

Got the bed off, gonna wash it, and start cleaning the frame up.

 

[crazy4offroad]

Hot damn! Be sure to wet blanket those gas tanks when you grind/weld if you're not taking them off!!

 

[78shortandwide]

Hot damn! Be sure to wet blanket those gas tanks when you grind/weld if you're not taking them off!!

Yea for sure they will get covered up cause im not taking them off i have to drive it to my buddys house to do the actul welding on the frame so they need to stay on.

 

[89Suburban]

Hell yeah man!!!

I was hoping to lay off this stuff for a day but,,,

 

[78shortandwide]

Well got it washed and cleaned the outside and top.

Started cleaning the inside of the frame and noticed the stock shock mount hole is cracked also.

 

[crazy4offroad]

Wow it's starting to look like either that truck hauled at least one load of some really heavy stuff, or somebody watched too much Dukes of Hazzard when growing up, and jumped it at least once. Usually heavy haulers you can tell, the bed shows it.

 

[78shortandwide]

Well the bed is in really good shape. Other than the paint scrapped up its not dented on the floor, so someone was probably really hard on this thing.

 

[89Suburban]

Makes you wonder if there other cracks you can't see, might want to take a good look at the entire frame man. That sucks, can that be patched and still use the same hole for the shock?

 

[HotRodPC]

Wow it's starting to look like either that truck hauled at least one load of some really heavy stuff, or somebody watched too much Dukes of Hazzard when growing up, and jumped it at least once. Usually heavy haulers you can tell, the bed shows it.

I'd lean more toward playing Dukes of Hazard with a modified shock mount in the wrong place. That's not a common weakness at all in these trucks. Someone did something wrong by drilling that secondary shock hole and using it, then was rough with it to boot. The other hole could have cracked out due the first crack and weakened that whole area. Now that I see exactly where its at, Pops is right about the stress being between the spring hangers. Get it welded up, beefed up and all should be well. You still might want to add a piece of flat steel on the OEM shock mount hole too if you can get a shock mount with a little long threads to go thru the hole and have enough threads to get your nut on the back of it.

 

[78shortandwide]

Wondering if i should use 3/8 or 1/4 metal? I dont know if i will be able to bend 1/4 metal to match the curve of the frame. Any ideas?

 

[crazy4offroad]

It doesn't benefit you to have heavier steel than your base material. 3/16" should be the most you need. Just try to make the patch twice as long as the frame is wide from top to bottom.

 

[78shortandwide]

K sounds good