Am I crazy? Should I attempt this?

I'm working on my '34 pickup. The frame is rough. I looked at replacement frames both used and new. They were a lot of money, and the used ones were half way across the country so I decided what the hell. I'll attempt to fix what I have. If I screw it up, I'll find a used one.

Here's what I've done so far. If anyone has any ideas or issues with what I did, let me know. I'm really a complete newb at this.

This is what I'm dealing with. This is the good side....

 

I made a pattern of the bad section and transferred it to the 11 ga steel I got from the steel store:




And cut it out....with a sawsall. The plasma cutter is still in the works.....

 

No pics

 

I also cut out a strip 1 3/4" wide x 5 feet long from the same sheet.....with a sawsall.....man that sucked. I tack welded it together.



And then I realized I tacked the strips to the wrong side. Damn. Oh well, I have to do the same to both sides so I cut another one out and tacked it up.

Then, I marked on the frame where it will go

 

Give it a try.
Why not.
Good work.

 

buy another frame

 

Then, I cut away the frame from the x-member between my marks:



I will make a pattern from the x-member while it is still in one piece.

I have to final fit this repair section before I cut the x-member. I need to leave it in place to help locate the rear frame. If I cut it it would involve a lot more measuring to get everythign back in place.




So, am I crazy to do it this way? Will it work? The x-member repair will be staggered from the outer frame so the welds will not line up. I think I should be OK.

 

You guys are too fast. I'm not sure why the pics wouldn't work. They are in a public album. Is anyone else having issues with them?

 

the pictures show up fine for me.

 

It's only steel and with the proper skills and equipment almost anything can be saved. The question is, is it worth the time and effort to do it as opposed to finding a better one, and also, are you skillful enough to pull it off. Only you can answer those questions.

If you get back to good steel, replace the bad sections with new steel, properly gusset it all, and jig it all up so it doesn't end up crooked, you should be ok. Worse frames have been saved. Just take your time, think about every step, and clamp it all up to keep it straight.

As opposed to making straight cuts like that you might consider making a cut that goes down, then sideways, then down again. The piece you would fit to that would have a similar shape so that all the stress isn't concentrated on one shear line.

Don

Here, I made a little paper template to show what I mean about cutting it that way. The horizontal cut could even be longer.

 

That should work provided the fab/welding is quality and it ends up in the same place as the old one.
I'd suggest bracing the frame before cutting, so it will end up the same.

 

I'm seeing the pics , looks like a fun job from this perspective

 

I agree. Keep a good eye on the complete frame as you go. A slight movement from heat there, makes big changes at the front and rear tips of the frame.

Other than that it should be fine.

 

I agree with Don.
I'd temporarily cross brace the snot out of it to keep aligned, and add boxing plates inside, with staggered joints. Make sure you have good weld penetration.
Looks like your sawzall skills are similar to mine. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

 

Looks like you are doing a great job. But you need a frame jig or table. This will keep the frame straight, level and etc. There are several threads on how to make inexpensive ones on here.

 

I agree, you are doing a great job. The one issue here, with the state of that frame, is that you do not know "where it is" dimensionally. It could be in a "sagged" state with the extent of the rust through. You need to get a print (as shown) with your frame dimensions and set it up and lock it down. I use a frame machine but as stated earlier, you can use just about anything. It looks like you are pretty creative, I'm sure you will figure out a way. And yes definitely the way to go, much cheaper repairing than buying a replacement, Rhys.

 

The Wescott web site has that frame dimensions on a chart you can copy.

 

never no if you dont try just dont rush anything and it looks good to me

 

The biggest issue i see is a lack of a good foundation and fixtureing. In other words, getting that rusted mess squared up as suggested by others and then fixtureing it in place to hold it while you cut and weld. A $39 floor jack with piles of wood and few jack stands aren't going to cut it.

 

If you don't already know about it, there is an outfit called "Precision Coachworks" in Billerica, MA that carries a lot of the component parts as well as repair sections for early Ford frames that might save you a lot of time. I've used some of their stuff and it helped me out a lot.

 

I applaud you for trying to bring that frame back around to be usable. I think I would ask myself these questions. Have I made frame repairs before? Are my welding skills up to the task? When I am all done and the car driving, would I really feel safe with my wife and family in the truck? If I answered NO to any of these questions, i would be looking for another frame.

Here is one in NJ that looks in really good condition. Mel is a stand up guy and you couldn't go wrong with a deal with Mel.

 

Yes, you ARE crazy....well, that's what your username says, anyway!

Go man, go, you're doing a great job. My '33 truck frame had a few wonky spots too. I cut them out and replaced the cruddy steel with new. I also "boxed" the frame between the x-members, using the "inner" frame, turning it 180 degrees and using that steel for "boxing" plates. Worked out fine. You can check my progress in my Album (i need to update it though). I don't have a frame fixture table either. I just used some steel horses, lots of clamps. and measured it every time I welded on it. Just keep checking for square, plumb and level, and you'll be fine. While accuracy is good, these things aren't space shuttles....

 

Great looking project

 

Crazy? Not qualified to make that judgement.

Right to go ahead with the repairs? Yes. Carry on. Weld slowly, in small sections, move around, allow cooling time between welds.

 

Looks good. Subscribing to this one. I've got a one owner '54 Savoy Club Coupe that's going to need similar frame surgery after sitting in a farm pasture for too long. Keep us updated as you progress.

 

So somehow I didn't get notified of all the new posts to this thread. I will post more pictures in a bit. I did brace it when before I cut it. Both longitudinally and braced the x-member to the good frame to keep stuff square. I downloaded the wescott drawing and compared after I tacked the repair plates in to verify all was well. I clamped the frame to the cart I have and measured to keep it all level and square. In the end it ended up within a 1/16" (best I could do with the tools at hand). It's certainly not a perfect repair, but I welded the x-member repair to the outside frame so it's certainly stronger than it was originally.

As for the frame for sale that was listed, I could have bought a brand new replacement frame for $2400 (using my crossmembers for flathead and original rear end), and I had found some used one's as well. I figure WTF. If it works, I've gained a ton of experience and saved a bit of cash. I love to do this stuff too, which helps.

New pics to follow. I'll have the finished repair pics up by the weekend.

 

Go to the top of the page on the red colored bar; look where it says "thread tools". Click on that to subscribe to this thread, and you can get emails for each new post.

 

Bracing





Tacked repair



X-member repair (note: I bought a plasm cutter)



Closeup

 

It looks like you're doing a good job. I would love to be able to do that. Eyes aren't good enough.

 

I am subscribed. It was a PEBCAC error....