CHEVY FRAME WELDING REPAIR

Date 10-08-2007 01:50

Weather the cracks are repairable really can't be answered without seeing it, but there is a good chance they are if done properly. BUT You really need to determine why the frame cracked in the first place and re-design the atachment to avoid the load concentrations. The frame material is readily weldable, 70 KSI rod or wire should be fine. We have a 3500 HD deisel at work, if You describe where the cracks are or can post a picture I will try to give a better answer.

By middlesexland Date 10-08-2007 13:05

i will upload a few of the pictures of the frame

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 10-08-2007 13:32

It looks to me like corrosion is the real beast here.

That top right hand picture is clearly exfolliated.

If the corrosion is such that your base metal is flaking off in multiple layers than all that metal must be removed/replaced.

By middlesexland Date 10-08-2007 14:02

is this worth fixing or is it a lost cause ?

By tompit9 (***)

Date 10-08-2007 15:22

I'd think its worth a try if you are not wanting to purchase a new truck. I think it would be a fun project.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 10-09-2007 05:05

Fixing this is a serious job, but it may be worth it to You depending on the condition of the rest of the truck and how much time You can spare to work on it. You might consider getting a section in good condition from a wreck and installing it if the rest of this frame is sound. Where is this part of the frame in relation to the suspension mountings? This is a job that must be done well if You do it at all.

By middlesexland Date 10-25-2007 14:47

I have been told it is fixable to a point anf the frame on the left needs to be pulled ..... i guess at this point its worth a shot in tryin

By darren

Date 10-26-2007 09:31

any way of finding a scrapped truck and sectioning out the frame parts you need and welding them further down your frame where there may be more metal or less corrosion. if this is possible then you could bolster or re-enforce the known areas that have failed you already, probably alot easier than trying to weld that much rust.
just my two bits
good pics by the way
darren

By jp2welder (**)

Date 10-31-2007 20:46

This looks like the kind of jobs local truck drivers bring me!

So, say I were to try to fix something like this. Here's how I'd approach it, and I'd like to see some serious feedback - just in case I ever come upon an actual problem like this.

I'd start by taking a cutting torch to the frame and removing the area with all the rust. Damn! That just sounds like a nightmare, but that's where I'd start.

Then, I'd start rebuilding the cut-away section with something like 1/4-inch thick angle iron and 1/4-inch thick flat bar (assuming the frame was about 1/4-inch thick or less).

The question I'd have is where should the welds be placed? I know that if I weld up all exposed sides of the angle iron and flat bar, the area would not be able to get any stress relief from frame flexing and such, and eventually the frame around the weld would twist and bend into, causing more serious problems when it broke later.

So, if a patch is placed on the frame after a bad section is removed, should the patch be welded along the horizontal segments (i.e. parallel with the frame) with the vertical end caps "unwelded" or vice versa (weld the vertical end caps and not the horizontal segments)?

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 11-01-2007 03:08

Some of the problem is that some sections of the frames are rather complicated shapes and dificult to rebuild from structural shapes. The front section of a Chevy truck is a box section made from an "inner" and "outer" stamping. The seam is a lap joint and is continuous MIG welded. It is heavily shaped from the front to about the area under Your feet if You were driving. This ammount of complication is why I would favor getting a section from a sound junkyard frame. The thickness of the frame materials varies with the GVW of the truck, so You need one from the same GVW. Before You cut anything apart You need to mesure and record enough information that You can rebuild the area with enough acuracy that wheel alignment is possible, and hopefully everything else will fit reasonably well too. The entire frame must be able to flex, and if You add a really rigid section into it, I would expect failures in the original frame where the original members join it. You have to locate the joints where they don't interfere with anything else, and preferably in a location where You can fish plate the joint. I would talk to somebody who does frame repair in a body shop before starting a job like this.

By mooseye (**)

Date 11-01-2007 22:37

Is the failure fore or aft of the front suspension and steering connection points.
If it is to the front of all suspension, you can probably just grind out as much rust as possible and plate it up and weld it.
From the look of that rust, I am guessing the overall condition of the frame is not too good.