dirt in a boxed frame

I'm sure you guys with boxed frames have had the chore of getting the gravel, river type silt out of your frames. Mine is almost half full. What's your little trick of cleaning it out. There must be 50 lbs in there.

 

Power washer on one end.... ex wife on the other!!

 

Now that is useful and FUNNY info right there.
Yeah, pressure wash.

 

lol ya ok that works for me..... but..... it's boxed both ends. tiny holes don't let much out. Other than cutting one end open and jacking the frame up on one end about 8 ft, i can't see how it can be flushed. I guess it's just one of those pain in the *** chores.

 

when i had to deal with the rusted out frame
I took a small hammer and got it all loose and blew it out with a air gun with a hose and coper tube for a outlet and got it pretty clean and used the eastwood frame paint inside more overpriced stuff!!!

 

I think that's gonna be your best bet... cut a hole with a hole saw and weld it up when you get done... smooth it out and no one will know.... also pour some rustoleum in there and let it coat the inside real good!!

 

i have done this on boat trailers, i did cut a hole so the **** had a way out then welded it back in later, if you dont get it out it holds moisture and speeds rusting.

 

The solution is obvious is guess. The worst part of building a car is the filthy never ending cleaning of parts. Seems it takes up most of the build time. It's realy getting to me these days.

 

try to find a area where the hole can remain and get a rubber grommet to cover it, it will make your life easier the next time you need to clean it

 

I was thinking the same thing. Any auto parts store HELP section should have something to plug it up that is easily removable. You'd want to keep the dirt and grit to a minimum since it holds moisture which = rust eventually.

bob

 

i would ,as said , drill a hole in a spot that would "drain" the frame, but i would leave it open. on newer vehicles like mini pickups and jeeps the cause of the frame rot is the fact that they never put big enough drain holes. a blowgun with a piece of 3/16s brake line on the end is your friend here.

 

If its fully boxed and all, how does large gravel get in there in the first place?

 

Gravel Gremlins?

 

OK I confess I put that gravel in there.

Very seldom do you find a a boxed frame or one built of box tubing that is sealed up. Stuff just gets in there.

 

Had me wondering, also. And how do you know how full it is? Or just when cleaning is needed? Gary

 

If the frame is by it's self[not built yet] bang it with a 2x4 to brake stuff lose,cut your hole at one end,stand it on end and let it fall out,you my need to help by fishing out the hole some,after nothing more can be cleaned,seal it with some kind of paint.

 

I had about 6,000 lbs [give or take] of dirt and gravel in my old shubox frame. I raised one end and snaked a common garden hose in the other end...took awhile but it finally ran clear.

 

I agree, I would leave the hole open. In fact, I would cut a generous sized hole at front and rear so that in addition to getting crud out, air flow while driving would help dry the inside.

.

 

My 50 Chevy lost a few hundred pounds of sand, gravel, and hairy tar undercoating.

 

But how did you ever get the 3 tons out of the drivers seat.

It sounds crazy but you may even run a sewer snake though it while you are flushing it with water. It will break the stuff up and keep it moving.

 

Now that's funny!

 

yea it is, but Rocky is a North Westerner there may just be a whuppin in it for me.

 

That's exactly what i tried. Got the engine crane out and raised it about 6 feet and the garden hose and kept going back and forth. Even flushed out a mouse nest thru the few larger holes. Should have seen the strange looks from the neibours.