Frame Repair Need Advice

[Magnum44357]

Hey, so I finally got some free time to work on the truck this last weekend. Took my old transfer case out and went to drop the new one in but got distracted with some new front springs and shocks so I took the front axle off and noticed some damage to the frame at the steering box and front cross member. I took off the steering box to see what the damage was, and I found a plate someone welded to the side of the frame. (read about the usual repairs, and this seemed to be a manufactured plate, not custom) All sounds great, but the welds are crappy as all get out... I'm no pro welder, but they are terrible so I ground off as much as I could in order to re-weld it myself, but need some advice as to if I should cut the plate off and re-weld the whole thing back on. lemme know what you think. Pics will be attached.

2nd part- The cross member

The right side of the crossmember has a pretty sever crack across it. I originally just figured I could weld it and call it good, but its separated quite a bit, and I'm worried it will just crack again. The crack is along a previous weld, so I think its highly possible its just going to happen again. I thought maybe I'd just unbolt it, weld it, and bolt it back, but if I have it off I might as well replace it with a new one. Now since the crack is pretty wide I'm not sure if the cross member is under constant stress. If I take it off will it be impossible to get back on?

Pictures 1,2 are the plate

Picture 3 is the inside/back of the steering box's crack (you'll notice a 1/4" plate welded to the back as well. I'm assuming he thought it would help. suggestions on that would be cool too!)

Picture 4 is the bottom of the cross member's crack

Picture 5 is the top/inside the frame of the cross member's crack


Open to all suggestions thanks for the time

-Magnum

 

[89Suburban]

Yikes.

 

[DoubleDingo]

I've had to get a frame patched up before and they used 2" wide x 3/16" thick metal plate and straddled the crack(s) and then welded it up good. The frame is still all jacked up but the cracks were fixed.

And those are some ugly welds. I think my dogs could weld better than that...lol...

 

[crazy4offroad]

Looks like they used an arc welder, with the heat a little too high or too much arc, almost acting like a plasma cutter lol. If I were you I would try to carefully cut that mess off and see whatall they ****** up behind it. Clean the whole area, stripping paint, rust, and grind down all that excess weld. Check what's under there and see if it needs some welding/grinding. Then when you go to put that piece back on clamp it, tack it real good, move around to all the corners clamping/tacking. Then get the torch and BFH out, heat that mother trucker up and beat it into shape, closer to the frame for your other welds. Your other cracks you're dealing with, do the same. Clean them up, groove them a little, then weld them up and grind them down. Then cut a little bit of metal to plate over it.

 

[Tyger13us]

Looks like they used an arc welder, with the heat a little too high or too much arc, almost acting like a plasma cutter lol. If I were you I would try to carefully cut that mess off and see whatall they ****** up behind it. Clean the whole area, stripping paint, rust, and grind down all that excess weld. Check what's under there and see if it needs some welding/grinding. Then when you go to put that piece back on clamp it, tack it real good, move around to all the corners clamping/tacking. Then get the torch and BFH out, heat that mother trucker up and beat it into shape, closer to the frame for your other welds. Your other cracks you're dealing with, do the same. Clean them up, groove them a little, then weld them up and grind them down. Then cut a little bit of metal to plate over it.

X2..

On my truck,, it was so bad i had to cut the frame and weld a 3/4 ton frame horn section for the steering box........ i could have just cut a U section out and wraped it around the messed up part and did it that way?

Getting it exact took alot of patients and measuring for the full frame section......

i didnt like the weld in plate patch on the inside/kit deal.......

as far as the other cracks,, those are normal frame flex cracks,, i replaced the cross members.......

 

[Magnum44357]

Unfortunately I don't have a torch

Could I instead, cut out a 1/2" wide piece of 1/4" or 3/8" steel to fill in that large gap?

Thanks for the input btw, greatly appreciated.

-Magnum

 

[Tyger13us]

Unfortunately I don't have a torch

Could I instead, cut out a 1/2" wide piece of 1/4" or 3/8" steel to fill in that large gap?

Thanks for the input btw, greatly appreciated.

-Magnum

i didnt use a torch to cut,, it just dont get a straight line,, or alot of grinding afterwards..

i used a skill saw?!?! yep the saw ya cut lumber with and use a cutting disk,, ya can get 3 packs for cheap @ chinamart......

as far as the gap,, thats usually how its done,, but try not to get it to hot,, it will soften the mettle and will be prone to cracking again.

 

[bucket]

Aaaaaccccckkkkk!!!! That's not even a formed patch, that locks like a section of rail that was simply torched off another truck and booger welded to your truck. Doesn't look like it's the right shape either, I'd guess it's from a 2wd truck.

 

[crazy4offroad]

Unfortunately I don't have a torch

Could I instead, cut out a 1/2" wide piece of 1/4" or 3/8" steel to fill in that large gap?

Thanks for the input btw, greatly appreciated.

-Magnum

I didn't mean a cutting torch. You can cut the patch off with a 4" angle grinder with a cutting wheel, just cutting at the welds. I was thinking propane or mapp gas to heat the metal and hammer it into shape, closer to the frame to weld. Bucket seems to think it was a chop out of another frame, I didn't look that close but if it is, and from not even the right truck, I would try to get that pulled off and done right.

 

[Tyger13us]

Aaaaaccccckkkkk!!!! That's not even a formed patch, that locks like a section of rail that was simply torched off another truck and booger welded to your truck. Doesn't look like it's the right shape either, I'd guess it's from a 2wd truck.

factory specs....

 

[crazy4offroad]

After looking at it again I have to agree it doesn't look like it belongs. Since Saginaw steering boxes are so common on the Big 3 it's hard to tell where that frame section came from. Not sure if this will help but here's the post from my build thread where I had to fix my frame not too long ago...
http://www.gmsquarebody.com/forum/showthread.php?p=113392#post113392
At least you can see how it is supposed to be shaped, instead of, whatever that is someone tried to graft on there.

 

[bucket]

factory specs....

What are you showing me?

 

[crazy4offroad]

What are you showing me?

I think that the C & K frames are the same. Which is why I started thinking it may be from one of the other brands. Or gens, who knows.

 

[bucket]

I think that the C & K frames are the same. Which is why I started thinking it may be from one of the other brands. Or gens, who knows.

They are very close, but not the same exactly. Sometimes the 4x4 rails are just a smidge taller, and they about always have slightly different holes punched out and different contours.

 

[Tyger13us]

They are very close, but not the same exactly. Sometimes the 4x4 rails are just a smidge taller, and they about always have slightly different holes punched out and different contours.

good write up........


that frame horn section came off a 3/4 ton gmc 4x4,,, its alot thicker, mated to a k10 frame...

i guess thats why it looks funky to you,, but the section cut off fit right inside of it perfect,, 3/4 ton frames are a wee bit wider from lip to lip,, the only thing that was changed was the rad support updated from an 82 k1500 for the front mounts,,,,, 78's are different mounts..............

tracks straight dont pull,, i can let go of the wheel and it goes straight,, well depends on the road of coarse....... all wheels are straight its not \ \ or //...

front to rear are exact measurements and so is X wise exactly...

and at over 130 mph im sure i would notice if it wasnt right........

the dent in the top was an adjustment, BFH,,LOL.........

I live in the land of rock crawlers and they know what there talking about,, ok fix it for me............ its brusted...........