just a general knowledge question for me. wondering if i will run into this all the time, or what. ive done two frames so far, and both were cracked in the same spot. however, both frames were same make, model, year. im adding a picture of what im talking about. its not a big deal where its cracked, can be welded, and if you dont run dual springs, you wont have a load on it anyway. cracked areas are marked in red. flat top, i stole your picture, hope ya dont mind.
i see cracked frames all of the time around here. cars and trucks where used hard and we have a lot of rough dirt farm roads. lots of cars where junked and the frames made into trailers, those car frame trailers are nearly always cracked up.
Hell, a frame crack is "normal" on lots of cars. After 100K miles on my '65 Chevelle conv., I did a body off and the frame was cracked in two spots. Too many hard launches finally made the old girl crack. The first time I rode to the Nats East in a buddy's '32 Ford sedan,we noticed a creaking noise coming from the back, we pulled it in to the MSRA repair shop and the frame was cracked. This is a big dollar Jag rear-end car that had no expense spared when building it, but that frame crack was missed somehow.
I think given the conditions of the roads, dirt and rutted, and the fact most people thought these cars were industructable frame craking is normal. Clean the frames weld in boxing plates and it will last another 70 or so years.
BTW,since you have at least two of these frames,do you have any late 32-34 Plymouth sheet metal? I need the garnish mouldings from a coupe p***enger door,a hood,grille,grille insert,headlights,and fenders. Might need running boards and splash aprons,too.
Your frames obviously aren't Fords, but a specific Ford cause of cracking is loose spring perch U bolts at the crossmember, often aggravated by loose or broken spring center bolt. These are areas to keep an eye on on any Ford.
looks to me like early to mid 20's dodge. the two frames i have done were both 28 dodge, look pretty much the same as that one. trey
40 fords usually have a cracked frame at the firewall. It was caused we think by the sway bar ford added that year. The 35-40 frame wasn't designed for a sway bar and stressed at the firewall. I find really clean 35-39 frames with no cracks, but really hard to find a 40 that is decent. Fordnutz.
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